Asking for a raise or promotion in Spain

Terms used

• Convenio colectivo — The convenio colectivo is the sector or company pay agreement that sets minimum pay and conditions for each group or level.
• Mejoras voluntarias — Mejoras voluntarias are pay or benefits your employer gives above what the contract or convenio requires.
• Compensación y absorción — Compensación y absorción lets an employer count pay above the minimum against later convenio increases, unless the contract says otherwise.
• Retribución flexible — Retribución flexible is pay taken partly as benefits, such as meal cards, health insurance or transport passes.
• Retribución en especie — Retribución en especie is salary paid as goods or services instead of cash, taxed as income.
• IRPF — The IRPF is Spain's personal income tax on your earnings.
• Guardería — Guardería is nursery or childcare for young children.

Key rules

• Convenio minimum: Your employer cannot pay less than the convenio table for your group or level, but can pay more.
• Absorption: Pay above the minimum can be absorbed by later convenio rises unless your contract or agreement says it cannot.
• Timing: Ask around the annual review, often January to March, and avoid August and the Christmas period.
• Tone: Ask privately, use facts, and never give ultimatums.

Your raise is a personal negotiation, within limits

A raise in Spain is a one-to-one negotiation with your employer. It is bounded by your convenio colectivo, which sets a minimum pay for each group or level. Your employer cannot pay you less than that minimum. They can pay more, through a better individual contract or voluntary improvements (mejoras voluntarias). So the convenio is your floor, not your ceiling. Your pay above the floor is what you negotiate.

Check whether a convenio rise will help you

If the convenio tables go up, an employer may be allowed to absorb the extra pay you already get above the minimum. This is called compensación y absorción. Your own raise can then be swallowed by the next convenio increase, so a convenio rise does not always add to your pay. Unless your contract or the convenio says otherwise, extra pay can be absorbed. If you want an improvement protected, ask for it to be written in your contract or agreement as non-absorbable. Whether a given improvement is absorbable depends on the wording, so read it before you sign.

Know who decides

In a small firm, the owner or manager usually decides raises and promotions directly. In a larger company or multinational, your direct manager proposes. Then HR (RRHH) and senior management approve within a salary budget. Aim your case at the person who proposes it, and give them what they need to defend it upward. Pay that is fixed by the convenio is not discretionary, so there is nothing to negotiate on the scale itself.

Pick your moment

The best time is around the annual review and budget cycle, often January to March after annual results, and before budgets are fixed. Other good moments are after a major success or when your responsibilities grow. A convenio renewal can also change when employers adjust pay. Avoid August and the Christmas period, when people are away. Company years do not always follow the calendar, so ask your manager when budgets are set. The timeline below shows the order.

Set the tone

Keep it polite, direct and respectful. Ask for a private meeting. Stay professional but personal, and explain your case with facts. Do not give ultimatums. Present the request as recognition of your results and growing responsibility, not as a complaint, and never compare yourself with colleagues. In most workplaces first names and tú are normal. With a senior or older manager, usted may fit better. Follow what the people around you do. The checklist below helps you prepare, and the wording below gives you a way to ask for the meeting.

If the base salary will not move

Many Spanish employers prefer variable pay or retribución flexible to a higher base salary. Common options are a bonus tied to objectives, restaurant vouchers or meal cards, health insurance, childcare vouchers (guardería), transport passes and training.

Tax treatment differs. Bonuses are taxed as ordinary employment income and count for social security contributions. Some benefits are tax-exempt up to legal limits, such as meal vouchers, health insurance up to a per-person limit, and training. Others are taxed as salary in kind (retribución en especie) under IRPF. Check which items are exempt, and the current limits, before you choose. The decision below compares the options.

Choosing between options

Should you ask for a higher base salary or for a bonus or benefits instead?

• Ask for a higher base salary: Your pay is close to the convenio minimum or your duties have clearly grown, and the pay above scale is written as non-absorbable.

• Ask for a bonus tied to objectives: The company has a tight salary budget but your results can be measured.

• Ask for retribución flexible or benefits: You would value meal vouchers, health insurance, childcare vouchers, transport passes or training, and some are tax-exempt up to legal limits.

The convenio sets the minimum, and your employer can always pay more. If your pay is fixed by the convenio, there is little to negotiate, so aim for pay above scale, a bonus or benefits.

Timeline and deadlines

• Ask your manager when pay reviews and budgets are fixed: before you plan your request

• Ask for your raise after annual results, before budgets are fixed: usually January to March

• Ask after a major success or when your responsibilities grow: soon after it happens

• Check whether a convenio renewal has changed the minimum pay: when a new convenio is signed

• Avoid asking during holiday periods: not in August or around Christmas

Preparing for a raise or promotion conversation

• Read your convenio colectivo (the sector pay agreement) to find your grupo profesional, your level and the pay table for it.

• Check the convenio's promotion rules and seniority (antigüedad) steps, such as whether a vacancy, tests or merit criteria are needed.

• List your concrete results and the objectives you achieved, with numbers where you can.

• Write down how your scope has grown: new tasks, team members or clients, and any work done at a higher level.

• Collect market salary data for similar roles, and note what it would cost the company to replace you.

• Gather the positive feedback you have received in writing.

• Share your results in team meetings as team achievements, and ask your manager for feedback before the conversation.

• Build a one-to-one relationship with your manager through coffee breaks, team lunches (comida) and team events.

• Ask your manager for a private meeting and set a date, so the conversation is not postponed.

What if you are passed over for promotion in Spain?

Being passed over rarely means a final verdict on you. In Spain, employers have wide discretion over who gets promoted, so the best response is calm and measured: find out why, then choose your next move.

Why it may have happened

Promotion usually depends on your manager's view of your performance, how much they trust you, and whether a vacancy exists. In traditional firms and family businesses, seniority counts for more. In multinationals, structured performance ratings carry more weight. Practice varies a lot by company, sector and size. Your sector's collective agreement also sets job categories and professional groups, which can affect what a promotion means in practice.

What to do in the first weeks

1. Stay professional. Don't react in the moment, and don't criticise the decision to colleagues.
2. Ask for a feedback conversation with your manager or HR. Ask which criteria were used and what you need to show to be considered next time.
3. Keep a written record. Note your achievements, the feedback you receive and anything you are promised. After the meeting, send a short email summarising what was agreed.
4. Ask for a timeline. A vague "next year" is hard to rely on. Ask when the next opportunity is likely and what would put you first in line.

Choosing your next step

• Wait for the next cycle if the feedback is concrete, the gap is specific and a vacancy is realistic.
• Look for an internal move if your manager is the obstacle or your team has no room to grow.
• Look outside if the answers are vague, nothing is promised or the criteria keep shifting. Keep working normally while you search.

When to get advice

If the decision seems linked to your sex, age, nationality or another protected characteristic, speak to the workers' representatives at your company or a labour lawyer. Without a discrimination issue, a missed promotion is usually not something you can challenge.

Wording to request a meeting about your pay or role

Use these messages as a starting point. Ask for a short, private meeting, give a reason based on your results, and leave out ultimatums or comparisons with colleagues. Most Spanish workplaces use first names and "tú". Choose "usted" if your manager is senior or older and the office is formal. Copy the tone your colleagues use with them.

Short message, informal (tú)

Hola [nombre]:

¿Tendrías un hueco esta semana para comentar mis responsabilidades y mi salario? Me gustaría hablar contigo sobre mi puesto y mi retribución. Con unos 20 minutos me bastaría.

Dime qué día y hora te vienen bien.

Gracias, [tu nombre]

Message with a reason, informal (tú)

Hola [nombre]:

En los últimos meses he asumido [nuevas tareas / más responsabilidad / un proyecto concreto] y he conseguido [resultado concreto]. Por eso me gustaría hablar contigo sobre mi evolución en la empresa y mi situación salarial.

¿Podríamos reunirnos unos minutos, en privado, cuando te venga bien?

Muchas gracias, [tu nombre]

Formal version (usted)

Estimado/a [nombre]:

Quisiera revisar mi situación salarial y comentar mi desarrollo profesional. En el último año [resultado o responsabilidad concreta].

¿Tendría un momento para hablar de ello? Me adapto a su agenda.

Un cordial saludo, [nombre y apellidos]

Saying it in person

¿Podríamos reunirnos unos minutos para hablar de mi evolución en la empresa?

Fill in the blanks

• Name one or two specific results, such as a project finished, a target met or a task you took on. Facts make the case stronger than general statements.
• Ask only for the meeting in this first message. Keep the figure you want for the meeting itself.

What works also depends on your company's culture and your manager, so adjust the formality to match.

Frequently asked questions

Can my employer cancel my extra pay when the convenio pay tables go up?

Yes, your employer can often absorb the extra pay above the minimum when the convenio tables rise, unless your contract or convenio says otherwise. This means a convenio increase may not add to what you already earn above scale. Ask for a clause stating that your extra pay is non-absorbable.

Who decides on a raise in a small company?

In a small company, the owner or manager usually decides on raises and promotions directly. In larger firms your direct manager proposes and HR and senior management approve within a salary budget. Ask your manager who signs off before you prepare your case.

Which months are the worst for asking for a raise?

August and the Christmas period are poor times to ask for a raise, because many people are on holiday. A better window is usually January to March, after annual results and before budgets are fixed. Some companies have a fiscal year that differs from the calendar year, so ask when budgets are set.

Should I use tú or usted in a pay conversation?

Use tú in most workplaces, where first names are the norm. Usted may suit a senior or older manager, so follow how they address you. Ask for a private meeting and frame your request around your results and growing responsibility.

What can I ask for if the company will not raise my base salary?

You can ask for a bonus tied to objectives or for retribución flexible, which is pay delivered as benefits such as meal vouchers, health insurance, childcare vouchers, transport passes or training. Some of these are tax-exempt up to legal limits, while others are taxed as pay in kind. Check the current limits with the Agencia Tributaria, Spain's tax agency.