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To resume your unemployment benefit (paro) or subsidy, send a pre-application in the SEPE Área Personal within 15 working days of the end of your contract or trip. See what to do in your case and what to do if it will not let you.
What to do, depending on why your payments stopped
| Your situation | What you do | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| You worked on a contract shorter than 12 months | Ask to resume. You get the days you had left. | 15 working days from the end of the contract |
| You worked 12 months or more | Your old benefit has ended. Apply for a new one and use the right of option. | 15 working days from the end of the contract |
| You did an internship and the university registered you with Social Security | Ask to resume and write in «Observaciones» (comments) that it is an internship. | As soon as you see your benefit is on hold |
| You spent 31 to 90 days abroad, with SEPE's permission | Ask to resume when you return. With 30 days or less, payments do not stop: just confirm your return. | 15 working days from your return |
| You were on sick leave while on benefit | No need to resume: during sick leave you get the same amount, and those days count as paid. | No deadline |
| You were sanctioned (for example, one month without pay) | SEPE resumes it without you asking, if you are still registered as a jobseeker. | When the sanction ends |
| You forgot to renew your jobseeker registration | Register again and ask to resume. You are paid from the new registration. | As soon as possible: days without registration are not paid |
Requirements to resume the subsidy
The steps are the same. Your income in the month before must also stay under the limit, or you must still have family responsibilities. You declare this in the application. More in the unemployment subsidy guide.
How to resume your benefit, step by step
The presolicitud (online pre-application) has no «Reanudar» (resume) button. You choose the benefit you were getting and explain in «Observaciones» that you want to resume it. It is free and counts the same as going to the office.
- Check your jobseeker registration. You must be registered as a jobseeker. If your registration has been inactive for less than 180 days, it comes back on its own. If longer, register as a jobseeker again.
- Log in to the Área Personal.
Click «Acceso al Área Personal» (access) and choose «PIN SEPE». Type your DNI or NIE. You get a code by SMS: type it on the screen. If it does not arrive, see the Área Personal guide.
- Open the pre-application. In the menu on the left, click «Gestiones» (procedures). Then click «Iniciar una gestión» (start a procedure) and the button «Presolicitud prestación».
- Choose your benefit. Click «Para una prestación o subsidio». In the list, choose what you were getting: «Prestación contributiva» for the unemployment benefit, or your subsidy.
- Write in «Observaciones». Say that you want to resume, why and from what date. For example: «Solicito reanudar mi prestación. Mi contrato terminó el 30 de septiembre» (I am asking to resume my benefit. My contract ended on 30 September).
- Send it and keep the receipt. A SEPE officer reviews it. You can check the status under «Gestiones», «Historial de presolicitudes».
Without internet, you can also ask to resume by phone on 060, or at the office with an appointment.
Deadline to resume: 15 working days
They count from the day the reason ends, for example the last day of your contract. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays do not count.
| When you apply | What happens |
|---|---|
| Within 15 working days | You are paid from the day after the reason ended. |
| Late, with the unemployment benefit | You are paid from the day you apply and lose the days in between. |
| Late, with a subsidy | You are paid from the day you apply. After six months you can no longer resume it, unless you are working on that last day. |
| If you never apply | An unemployment benefit you do not resume is lost six years after it stopped. |
Right of option: old benefit or new benefit
If you worked 360 days or more since your payments stopped, you may be entitled to a new benefit. Then you choose (the derecho de opción):
- Resume the old one: you get the days you had left, at the old amount.
- Take the new one: it is based on your latest jobs, and the old one is lost for good.
If you choose the old one, the contributions from your last job no longer count towards a later benefit. It is only different if your benefit was on hold and you resumed it between jobs: see SEPE's right of option page. Write your choice in «Observaciones».
If SEPE approves the benefit you did not want, you can file a formal claim (reclamación previa) within 30 days of the notification.
Common problems and how to fix them
I did an internship and my benefit was put on hold
When the university registers you with Social Security, your benefit is put on hold. Ask to resume as shown in the table.
It will not let me send the pre-application
If you already have an appointment, the system blocks it so the procedure is not duplicated. Ask to resume at that appointment or on 060. You also cannot send two pre-applications of the same type within 7 days.
I get the subsidy for people over 52
If it stopped because you did not file the annual income declaration, it resumes from the day you file it. In the pre-application, choose «Declaración anual de rentas para mayores de 52 años DAR» in the list.
Frequently asked questions
Does it cost anything to resume my unemployment benefit?
No. The SEPE procedure is free and nobody can charge you for it. Each call to 060 costs the same as a one-minute call, however long it lasts.
Do I get the same amount when I resume my benefit?
Yes. You get the days you had left, with the same base and percentage you had when it was put on hold.
Does my last job make my benefit longer?
No. The contributions from that job do not change the benefit you already have. They count towards a later benefit.
When am I paid again after resuming?
SEPE pays on the 10th of each month, or on the next working day if the 10th is a public holiday. The first payment comes once SEPE approves the resumption.
Official procedure
Official sources
These are the official sources for this guide:
- Suspensión, reanudación y extinción de la prestación (SEPE) www.sepe.es
- Preguntas frecuentes SEPE: reanudar el paro entre contratos de corta duración www.sepe.es
- Derecho de opción (SEPE) www.sepe.es
- Presolicitud y Área Personal del SEPE (sede electrónica) sede.sepe.gob.es
- Área Personal del SEPE (sede electrónica) sede.sepe.gob.es
- Guía de uso del Área Personal del SEPE (PDF, sede electrónica) sede.sepe.gob.es
- Me traslado al extranjero (SEPE) www.sepe.es
- Ley General de la Seguridad Social, título III: protección por desempleo (BOE) www.boe.es
- Cita previa del SEPE (sede electrónica) sede.sepe.gob.es
These links go to official websites. Booking an appointment and downloading official forms is free; if the procedure has an official fee, it is paid only to the authorities.
Spotted something incorrect? Email us at info@ayudatramites.es.
