Spanish unemployment benefit exhausted: your options

What to do first

First, check if you qualify for the subsidio por agotamiento (unemployment subsidy after your contributory benefit ends), or the over-52 subsidy. If neither fits, ask your regional social services about minimum income, then check the IMV.

There’s no one-month wait. Apply within six months of your benefit ending. Apply within 15 working days to get payment from the next day; after that, payment starts on your application date. After six months, SEPE will refuse the claim.

The exhaustion subsidy

Spain’s public employment service is the SEPE. You must be totally unemployed or working part time, sign the acuerdo de actividad (activity agreement), and be registered as a jobseeker when SEPE decides your claim. You must also submit an income declaration for the previous month.

Pass either income test: your own income is no more than 915,75 euros a month, or your household income divided by its members is no more than 915,75 euros per person. This is 75% of the 2026 minimum wage, excluding extra payments. If you’re under 45 and your ended benefit lasted under 360 days, you must show family responsibilities.

SEPE grants the subsidy in three-month periods. Ask for an extension every three months.

It’s paid between the 10th and 15th of the following month. If you start a full-time or part-time job, SEPE pays the subsidy as the complemento de apoyo al empleo (employment support payment). Tell SEPE about your contract. For extension details, see our full unemployment subsidy guide. If you’re claiming through family responsibilities, see our family support subsidy guide.

If you’re aged 52 or over

If you meet the rules for the subsidio para mayores de 52 años (over-52 subsidy), SEPE awards this instead of the exhaustion subsidy. You must be 52 on the date your benefit ends, have at least six years of unemployment contributions, and meet the retirement rules except for age. Your own income must be no more than 915,75 euros a month; family income doesn’t count.

It pays 480 euros a month until the ordinary retirement age, and SEPE pays pension contributions for you. Apply within 15 days to get payment from the day after your benefit ends. If you apply later, payment starts on the application date. See our over-52 subsidy guide.

If you don’t qualify for a subsidy

Ask your region’s social services about the renta mínima autonómica (regional minimum income). Each autonomous community sets its own rules and amount.

You can also check the Ingreso Mínimo Vital (IMV) (Minimum Living Income), managed by Social Security, not SEPE. It can be combined with a SEPE subsidy, but that subsidy counts as income and can reduce the IMV. General rules include being 23 or older, with some exceptions, and having lived legally and effectively in Spain for one year. Apply through the Social Security IMV service, including without a digital certificate.

Steps to apply for the subsidy

1. Register as a jobseeker. Register your demanda de empleo (jobseeker registration) with your regional employment service, and sign the activity agreement.
2. Prepare your papers. Complete the official application and income declaration.
3. Send your application.

   Use the sede electrónica del SEPE (SEPE electronic office) with a digital certificate, DNIe or Cl@ve. Without one, use the formulario de pre-solicitud (pre-application form). You can also apply at a SEPE office with a free cita previa (appointment), at any public register, or by administrative post.

   Official SEPE Portal

Documents to prepare

Have these ready when you apply. SEPE only needs to see your identity document.

• Official application form with your responsible income declaration.
• Valid identity document: EU citizens show a passport or national ID and their registration certificate with NIE; non-EU citizens show their TIE.
• Bank document showing an account in your name.
• Family book or equivalent if you claim family responsibilities. Foreign documents need an official translation.
• Your latest income tax return, the IRPF.

Common problems and how to fix them

You missed the first 15 days

Apply as soon as you can, within six months of your benefit ending. If you apply after the first 15 working days, payment starts on the application date.

You aren’t registered

Register as a jobseeker with your regional employment service and sign the activity agreement. SEPE must find you registered when it decides your claim.

SEPE refused your claim

You can file a reclamación previa (formal objection) within 30 days of receiving the refusal notice.