Workers who have only 15 years of contributions have the right to 50% of the regulatory base, as established in article 210 of the General Social Security Law. This means that, for example, a worker who has a base of 900 euros will end up with 450 euros per month of retirement pension. Since it is such a low pension, Social Security can complement it up to 936.20 euros per month, if you do not have a dependent spouse and it does not exceed 9,442 euros per year.
What is known as the minimum supplement is an economic amount that is added to the resulting pension to reach the minimum amount set for this year. There is a minimum pension for any type of contributory pension (such as retirement, permanent disability, widowhood or orphanhood), the amount varying depending on your family situation (whether or not you have a dependent spouse).
For this 2026, the minimum pensions for retirees aged 65 or older are the following, according to Royal Decree 241/2026:
- 936.20 euros per month for pensioners without a spouse (single, widowed, divorced or legally separated).
- 888.70 euros per month for pensioners with a non-dependent spouse (they live with them, but have their own pension or income).
- 1,256.60 euros per month for pensioners with a dependent spouse.
The retiree without a spouse thus receives 47.50 euros more per month than the married person whose spouse already has a pension or income.
It is worth remembering that article 205 of the General Social Security Law states that to be entitled to a retirement pension, in addition to having the generic deficiency covered (the minimum of 15 years of contributions), it is necessary that “at least two must be included within the fifteen years immediately preceding the moment the right arises.” These 15 years are counted without the part of the extra payments, so 5,475 days of contributions are needed.
Who does not reach the minimum pension even if they are 15 years old
The minimum supplement requires that the retired person not have income exceeding 9,442 euros per year derived from income from work, capital or economic activities without counting the pension (11,013 euros if the spouse is dependent, adding those of the marriage). If this limit is exceeded, there is no right to the supplement, since there is no vulnerability.
The second limit, which very few people know, is that, in pensions earned since 2013, article 9.5 of the same royal decree prevents the supplement from being greater than the non-contributory pension, which in 2026 is 628.80 euros per month without a dependent spouse. In this way, if the calculated pension is below 307.40 euros, the retiree without a spouse does not reach 936.20 even if he or she has no other income.
For example, the retiree with the base of 1,100 euros, without a spouse or other income, would collect his 550 euros plus 386.20 in addition, and would reach the minimum. If you lived with a spouse who already collects his or her own pension, the supplement would drop to 338.70 euros. In addition, the supplement requires living in Spain and not spending more than 90 days a year outside the country.
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Those born since March 1960 will have to wait until they are 67 to retire without a cut, two months longer than those in January and February, unless they retire in 2026 with 38 years and 3 months of contributions or in 2027 with 38 and a half
Retirement age with 15 years of contributions in 2027
The ordinary retirement age with 15 years of contributions in 2027 is 67 years. The rule allows you to retire at age 65, but requires having a minimum of 38 years and six months of contributions. It is also not possible to retire early, since a minimum of 35 years of contributions is required for voluntary and 33 years for involuntary contributions (with the exception of retirement due to disability or arduous or dangerous activities).