Spain Unemployment Benefit (Paro) Calculator 2026
Estimate how much the SEPE will pay you each month and for how long, based on your gross salary and the days you have paid contributions.
Results
With fewer than 360 days of contributions in the last 6 years you are not entitled to contributory unemployment benefit.
You don't reach the 360 days needed for contributory benefit, but with 90 days or more you may qualify for the unemployment allowance (subsidio), a fixed amount linked to the IPREM that does not depend on your salary.
Gross monthly benefit (first 180 days)
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Gross monthly benefit (from day 181)
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Benefit duration
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Total gross benefit
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Monthly regulatory base
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Monthly Social Security deduction
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Approx. net per month, first 180 days (before IRPF)
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Your benefit is limited by the maximum for your number of dependent children: even if your regulatory base is higher, you can't receive more.
The minimum amount applies: the SEPE does not pay less than this for your number of dependent children.
Regulatory base = average contribution base over the last 180 days. Amount = 70% of the regulatory base (days 1-180) and 60% (from day 181), with a minimum of 80% or 107% and a maximum of 175%, 200% or 225% of the monthly IPREM + 1/6, depending on dependent children. Duration: 1 day of benefit per 3 days of contributions in the last 6 years, in brackets, from 120 to 720 days.
When should you use this calculator?
Use it if you have just been dismissed, your temporary contract is ending or you are thinking about leaving a job in Spain and want to know how much you could count on while you look for another one. It tells you whether you qualify for contributory benefit, for how many months and how much the SEPE will pay each month, before and after day 180. Note that resigning voluntarily does not give you the right to paro: you need to be in a legal unemployment situation, such as a dismissal, a collective redundancy (ERE) or the end of a temporary contract.
How it is calculated
First the regulatory base is worked out: the average of your unemployment contribution bases over the last 180 days, excluding overtime. With a steady salary that is your gross annual pay (extra payments included) divided by 12, capped at the maximum contribution base of €5,101.20 a month in 2026. For the first 180 days you receive 70% of that base and from day 181, 60%. The result is then kept between a minimum and a maximum that depend on your dependent children: between €560 and €1,225 a month with no children, up to €1,400 with one child and up to €1,575 with two or more (with the 2026 IPREM of €600). The duration follows a scale: every 180 days of contributions in the last 6 years gives 60 days of benefit, from 4 months (360 days) up to a maximum of 2 years (2,160 days or more).
Practical example
Laura earned €30,000 gross a year and has 3 years of contributions (1,095 days). Her regulatory base is €2,500 a month: 70% would be €1,750, but with no children the cap is €1,225, and 60% (€1,500) is also capped at €1,225. She will receive benefit for 12 months, €14,700 gross in total; each month the SEPE deducts about €121 in Social Security, so she gets around €1,104 before income tax. Someone earning €18,000 gross with 2 years of contributions and one child would instead get €1,050 for the first 6 months and €900 for the next 2: €8,100 in total.
Legal and tax context
Contributory unemployment benefit is governed by articles 262 to 273 of Spain's General Social Security Law (Royal Legislative Decree 8/2015). The 60% rate from day 181 comes from the Royal Decree-law 2/2024 reform; it used to be 50%. You have 15 working days from the dismissal or end of contract to apply, must register as a job seeker and sign the activity agreement. While you receive benefit, the SEPE keeps paying contributions towards your retirement pension. If you have fewer than 360 days of contributions you may be entitled to the unemployment allowance (from 90 days), a fixed amount that does not depend on your salary.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes: using net instead of gross salary (the regulatory base comes from gross pay); counting every year you have worked, when only the last 6 years count and not days already used for a previous claim; forgetting that extra payments raise the base but overtime does not; and assuming the benefit arrives in full, when your share of Social Security and possibly income tax withholding are deducted. Capitalising the benefit to become self-employed or combining it with a job changes the figures.
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Frequently asked questions
How much unemployment benefit do you get in Spain in 2026?
70% of your regulatory base for the first 180 days and 60% from day 181. There is a minimum of €560 a month (€749 with dependent children) and a maximum of €1,225 with no children, €1,400 with one child and €1,575 with two or more. On €2,000 gross a month (extra payments prorated) you would get €1,225 at first with no children, because 70% (€1,400) exceeds the cap.
How many months of paro am I entitled to?
It depends on your days of contributions in the last 6 years: 1 year (360-539 days) gives 4 months, 2 years about 8 months, 3 years 12 months, and 6 years or more (2,160 days) the maximum of 24 months. Roughly, 1 day of benefit per 3 days of contributions, in 180-day brackets.
How much paro do I get if I have only worked one year?
If you have at least 360 days of contributions in the last 6 years you are entitled to 120 days of benefit (4 months). A full year is 365 days, so you just make it. With fewer than 360 days there is no contributory benefit, but you may qualify for the allowance if you have at least 90 days.
Can I get paro if I resign?
No. Resigning voluntarily is not a legal unemployment situation, so it does not entitle you to benefit. Dismissal (including disciplinary dismissal), the end of a temporary contract, an ERE or leaving because of serious breaches by the employer, such as unpaid wages or substantial changes to your conditions, do.
Does unemployment benefit count towards my pension?
Yes. While you receive contributory benefit, the SEPE pays the employer's contribution and deducts the worker's share (about 4.85% of your regulatory base), so those months count towards your retirement pension.
Is unemployment benefit taxed in Spain?
Yes. It is employment income for IRPF purposes and the SEPE may withhold tax. It also counts as a second payer: if you receive more than €1,500 from the SEPE in the year and your employment income exceeds €15,876, you must file a tax return, which may result in tax to pay.
What if I have fewer than 360 days of contributions?
You are not entitled to contributory benefit, but with at least 90 days you can apply for the unemployment allowance (subsidio). Its amount does not depend on your salary: it is a percentage of the IPREM (95% in the first months after the 2024 reform) and its length depends on your contributions and family responsibilities.