To be entitled to unemployment benefits in Spain, you must generally be resident in Spain, be legally unemployed and have paid unemployment contributions for at least 360 days during the previous 6 years. It should be noted that the unemployment situation must not have been caused voluntarily by the employee. If you resign from your job voluntarily, you are generally not entitled to unemployment benefits.

Duration of unemployment benefits:

The period during which unemployment benefits are payable depends on how long you have paid contributions to the Social Security system. To qualify for contributory unemployment benefits, you must have paid contributions for at least 360 days during the previous 6 years. The following table shows how long you may be entitled to receive unemployment benefits. If you start a new employment relationship while receiving benefits, any remaining entitlement may be preserved for a later period of unemployment in accordance with the applicable rules. In the case of part-time employment, each day worked is counted as a full contribution day for these purposes.

Amount of unemployment benefits:

The amount of unemployment benefits depends on the average contribution basis during the last 180 days of employment. It should be noted that these contribution periods must not already have been taken into account for a previous benefit and that overtime is not included in the calculation.

During the first 180 days, you generally receive 70% of the relevant calculation basis. Thereafter, the applicable percentage is reduced in accordance with the legislation in force. It should also be noted that statutory minimum and maximum benefit amounts apply and may depend, among other factors, on the number of dependent children. You will therefore not receive less than the applicable minimum amount or more than the applicable maximum amount. Further information is available at the following link: www.sepe.es

Steps to apply for unemployment benefits:

In Spain, some responsibilities relating to the administration of unemployment have been transferred to the Autonomous Communities (Comunidades Autónomas). They are generally responsible for registering and managing jobseekers, while the approval and payment of unemployment benefits remain the responsibility of the State. Consequently, procedures must be completed with both authorities:

1. Register as a jobseeker with the public employment service of the Autonomous Community (Comunidad Autónoma) in which you reside.
2. Once you have registered as a jobseeker with the relevant regional employment service, you can apply for unemployment benefits through the Spanish Public Employment Service (Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal – SEPE). To avoid losing days of entitlement, the application must generally be submitted within the applicable statutory period of 15 working days following the legal unemployment situation.

Check whether you are entitled to unemployment benefits and estimate the amount you may receive: Link to the unemployment benefit calculator

 

Continuing to receive German unemployment benefits while in Spain: 

Under Regulation (EC) No 883/2004, unemployed persons who are entitled to unemployment benefits in Germany and wish to look for work in Spain may generally continue to receive their German unemployment benefits for a period of up to three months. Upon application, this period may, at the discretion of the German Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), be extended to a maximum of six months.

In particular, the export of unemployment benefits must be applied for with the competent German Employment Agency before departure and the Portable Document U2 (PD U2) must be issued. As a general rule, the unemployed person must have remained available to the German employment services for at least four weeks before departure. However, the Employment Agency may authorise an earlier departure.

After arriving in Spain, the unemployed person must generally register as a jobseeker with the competent Spanish employment service within seven days and comply with the applicable Spanish monitoring and job-search requirements.

If you do not find employment during this period, you may return to Germany within the authorised period and continue to claim your remaining German unemployment benefit entitlement in accordance with the applicable rules. If you return after the authorised period for exporting your benefits has expired, you may lose your remaining entitlement. In certain circumstances, the competent employment authority may authorise an extension of this period.

Good to know: With a digital certificate, you can carry out a large number of administrative procedures with the Social Security authorities, employment services or tax authorities conveniently from home. For example, you can download your employment history report (Informe de Vida Laboral) showing your periods of employment and Social Security contributions. Link to the Employment History Report (Vida Laboral)

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