Complete Guide on Unemployment Insurance in Spain 2023

Unemployment insurance serves as a temporary source of income for a worker who has lost their job involuntarily. To be eligible, certain criteria such as a minimum contribution period to Social Security and an expressed intent to look for new employment must be met. Originally intended for dependent workers, self-employed workers can also benefit from unemployment insurance today. Today, from Manofix, we present a complete guide to apply for your unemployment insurance in Spain 2023.

✔️ If you're job hunting, have a look at Manofix, a task marketplace where you can create a user and send quotes for free. 

Table of Contents:

• When can you apply for unemployment insurance?
• How much will you receive with unemployment insurance?
• How long can you claim unemployment insurance?
• Requirements to apply for unemployment insurance in Spain
• Can you claim unemployment and work as a freelancer?

Unemployment Insurance

When can you apply for unemployment insurance?

The main cases in which unemployment benefits are claimed are the following:

• When the employment relationship with the company is extinguished, either by dismissal or end of contract.
• Ordinary workday and salary reduction due to ERTE.
• Discontinuous permanent workers including those who carry out fixed and periodic work that is repeated on certain dates, in periods of productive inactivity.

Workers must apply within 15 working days from the time the legal unemployment situation occurs, signing the commitment to activity. If out of time, it can be requested but you will lose the money proportional to said delay.

How much will you receive with unemployment insurance? 

To know how much you are going to collect, you must calculate what your regulatory base is. This parameter is determined by averaging your contribution bases to Social Security for professional contingencies during the last 180 days paid, without taking into account overtime.

The amount you will receive is:

1. 70% of the regulatory base during the first 180 days of provision.
2. 50%, from day 181 until the end of the provision.

In any case, there are minimum and maximum amounts that cannot be exceeded in any case. For 2018, the minimum is € 497 (or € 664.74 if you have dependents) and the maximum is € 1,087.20 (which would be € 1,242.52 with one dependent and € 1,397.83 if you have two or more dependents).

How long can you claim unemployment insurance? 

The duration of the unemployment benefit is directly linked to the time you have contributed, in accordance with the following table:

• From 360 to 539 days worked: 120 days of provision.
• From 540 to 719: 180 days.
• From 720 to 899: 240 days.
• From 900 to 1,079: 300 days.
• From 1,080 to 1,259: 360 days.
• From 1,260 to 1,439: 420 days.
• From 1,440 to 1,619: 480 days.
• From 1,620 to 1,799: 540 days.
• From 1,800 to 1,979: 600 days.
• From 1,980 to 2,159: 660 days.
• From 2,160 onwards: 720 days of provision.

Clarification: However, once the maximum period of provision has been exhausted, you could still access the extraordinary unemployment subsidy, as long as you meet the required requirements. 

Requirements to apply for unemployment insurance in Spain

You have to make the application at the offices of the SEPE (Public Employment Service). 

Documentation and requirements: 

If you are a worker in relation to dependence:

• Photocopy of the DNI and photocopy of the family book (in case of having a family).
• Be registered with Social Security. If you have not yet made your registration, we recommend reading the following note: (Link to our blog note)
• Have contributed a minimum of 360 days in the last six natural years.
• Company certificates proving the contribution base of the last 180 days contributed.
• Have terminated the employment relationship by dismissal, end of contract, or by a redundancy plan (ERE).
• Bank account number to make the income of the provision.

The application can be made at the nearest SEPE office or telematically. The necessary documentation is as follows:

If you are self-employed or an independent professional:

• You must be registered in the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers (RETA).
• Be up to date with the payment of the self-employed quota.
• Have contributed at least 360 days before the cessation of activity.
• Have ceased in activity and be willing to rejoin the labor market.

👉 Bonus tip: if you are not yet, you can check our step-by-step guide on how to register as a self-employed worker.

Important information: Although the self-employed worker's unemployment is a legally recognized right, in reality, freelancers have serious difficulties for their application to be admitted. In fact, most applications are rejected by Social Security.

Can you claim unemployment and work as a freelancer?

In Spain, it is possible to become self-employed and continue to collect unemployment. There are two options:

• Receive unemployment during the first nine months of activity (this is the limit set by law).
• Capitalizing 100% of unemployment to start the activity, either by a single payment or monthly.

In addition, freelancers can recover the unemployment they had paid during the two years following the cessation of activity. Freelancers under 30 have a period of 5 years. Remember, if you're job hunting or need a task done, head over to the Manofix marketplace.