The contributory benefit for unemployment or unemployment from the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) is a benefit whose duration and amount depends on the workers’ contributions. For this reason, a person loses their job, the question they ask is how much unemployment will they have left and how much will they earn.
To access unemployment, the SEPE requires workers to have at least 360 days of contributions within the six years prior to the legal situation of unemployment or the moment in which the obligation to contribute ceased. In addition, it is necessary that they be unemployment contributions. Employed jobs in the General Regime, Special Agrarian System, Maritime Regime and training contracts, among others, contribute towards unemployment.
On the other hand, the SEPE website explains that it is intended for “those who lose their job temporarily or permanently or see their ordinary working hours temporarily reduced by between 10% and 70%.” That is, only those who have lost their job involuntarily or who have seen a reduction in their working hours can access it.
Knowing this, a worker who has contributed for two years would have the right to request unemployment, although it is not the only requirement that must be met to access the benefit. On the other hand, it is also necessary to know what the duration will be and the amount that will be charged monthly.
Duration of unemployment
The duration of the unemployment benefit depends on the contributions accumulated during the six years prior to becoming unemployed. Based on these, the collection period will be determined, so the longer the contribution time, the greater the protection.
In this way, those who have contributed for 2 years (730 days) will enter the section that goes from 720 to 899 days, so they will be entitled to a benefit of 240 days or, in other words, they will be able to collect a two-month unemployment benefit.
| Credited contribution days | Days of benefit (Duration of unemployment) |
|---|---|
| From 360 to 539 | 120 days |
| From 540 to 719 | 180 days |
| From 720 to 899 | 240 days |
| From 900 to 1,079 | 300 days |
| From 1,080 to 1,259 | 360 days |
| From 1,260 to 1,439 | 420 days |
| From 1,440 to 1,619 | 480 days |
| From 1,620 to 1,799 | 540 days |
| From 1,800 to 1,979 | 600 days |
| From 1980 to 2159 | 660 days |
| From 2,160 onwards | 720 days (legal maximum) |
How much is paid for unemployment
Knowing that we have the right to unemployment, the other question is how much unemployment will I receive during those 8 months. The SEPE explains that the amount will be 70% of the regulatory base during the first 180 days (6 months) and 60% from day 181 until the benefit is consumed.
The regulatory base is the average of the Social Security contribution bases for professional contingencies of the last 180 days worked (without taking into account overtime). In this way, a person who has contributed for two years, during the first six months, 70% of their regulatory base and the remaining two months, 60%.
| Regulatory basis | During the first 180 days (70%) | From day 181 until unemployment is exhausted (60%) |
|---|---|---|
| €1,400 | €980 | €840 |
| €1,500 | €1,050 | €900 |
| €1,600 | €1,120 | €960 |
| €1,700 | €1,190 | €1,020 |
| €1,800 | €1,260 | €1,080 |
| €1,900 | €1,330 | €1,140 |
| €2,000 | €1,400 | €1,200 |
| €2,100 | €1,470 | €1,260 |
| €2,200 | €1,540 | €1,320 |
Keep in mind that unemployment has some maximum and minimum amountswhich cannot be exceeded, and which depends on the Multiple Effects Public Income Indicator (IPREM) plus the increase by one sixth.
Requirements to collect unemployment
Beyond having a minimum contribution period of 360 days within the last six years, there are nuances depending on the group. For example, returned emigrants must prove those 360 days of contributions in Spain before their departure, while for temporary agricultural workers who come from the self-employed regime, the requirement increases to 720 days. Apart from these deficiency conditions, the system requires compliance with the following points:
- Be formally affiliated and registered or assimilated in a Social Security regime that protects the contingency of unemployment.
- Being in a legal situation of unemployment (such as a layoff or termination of contract).
- Be registered as a job seeker in the corresponding public service.
- Have signed the activity agreement, committing to actively search for work and accept suitable placement offers.
- Not having reached the ordinary retirement age, unless the requirements to access the contributory retirement pension are not met.
- Not carry out full-time self-employed or employed activities, except in cases of compatibility provided by law.
- Not be a beneficiary of other Social Security economic benefits that are incompatible with employment.
By meeting these requirements, the worker will be able to access unemployment, but knowing that once this is recognized, both the duration of the aid (which will depend on the total time contributed) and the financial amount that will be received monthly.