Social Security will increase retirement pensions for pensioners who receive the minimum pension and, after changing their family situation, must receive a higher minimum amount. This is possible through the minimum supplement, which allows the pension calculated according to the worker’s contributions to be “complemented” if it is lower than the minimum threshold established by law for his or her personal and family situation, as long as the pensioner does not exceed certain income limits.
It will also increase if they are not entitled to this mechanism, as long as they receive the minimum pension. In this case they will not have to meet the income requirement, since their pension is at the minimum without the need for it.
You may be interested
Linda (64 years old) and about to retire gets a new job as an apprentice: “age is the least important thing, the important thing is to send many resumes”
Several retirees over 80 years of age speak clearly: “My wife and I left home with a plastic bag, with nothing; now my son says I should sell the house and move to a residence.”
The minimum supplement is regulated in article 59 of the General Social Security Law (which can be consulted in this BOE). The objective of this is to guarantee a basic and minimum pension to those who, despite having contributed, do not reach the established minimum pension and have low levels of income. It must be understood that this possible increase is not a generalized or automatic increase for all pensioners, but rather a direct consequence of the application of this supplement under very specific conditions.
This system should not be confused with the annual revaluation of pensions, which is applied to all contributory pensions based on the CPI to maintain their purchasing power. The minimum supplement acts independently and only benefits those who meet the low-income requirements.
How the increase due to change in family circumstances works
To understand and above all understand how a family change can lead to an increase in the minimum pension, you must first know that the law establishes different minimum amounts for retirement pensions. These vary depending on the age of the pensioner and their family situation, that is, whether or not they have a dependent spouse. As a general rule, the minimum pension is higher if you have a financially dependent spouse. For 2025, the amounts are as follows:
| Retirement | With dependent spouse (€/year) | Without spouse: Single-person economic unit (€/year) | With non-dependent spouse (€/year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sixty-five-year-old owner | €15,786.40 | €12,241.60 | €11,620.00 |
| Holder under sixty-five years of age | €15,786.40 | €11,452.00 | €10,824.80 |
| Sixty-five-year-old holder with severe disability | €23,678.20 | €18,362.40 | €17,430.00 |
Thus, in the event that a pensioner sees a change in his/her family situation (for example, he/she gets married and his/her spouse becomes economically dependent on him/her, or a similar legally recognized situation), the minimum pension threshold that corresponds to him/her may be higher than the one previously assigned.
For this to translate into an effective increase in what you charge, two key conditions must be met:
- That the calculated contributory pension (the one resulting from your contributions, without supplements) is lower than that new minimum threshold that corresponds to your new family situation.
- That the pensioner lacks other income (from work, capital, etc.), or that these incomes, added together, do not exceed the annual limit set in the General State Budgets to be able to receive minimum supplements. In addition, you must reside in Spanish territory.
If these conditions are met, Social Security will increase the necessary supplement to the pension calculated to achieve that new minimum amount. The amount of this supplement, in any case, cannot exceed the amount of a non-contributory pension (with a specific rule if there is a dependent spouse).
This increase mechanism due to family change does not apply in the following cases:
- Pensioners whose pension calculated according to their contributions is already higher than the new minimum threshold that would correspond to them after the family change.
- Pensioners who, although their calculated pension is below the new minimum, exceed the annual income limit established to be entitled to the minimum supplement.
- Pensioners who do not legally reside in Spanish territory.
- Pensioners whose change in family circumstances does not imply a right to a higher minimum amount (for example, if a dependent child becomes independent, this could even reduce the applicable minimum if it affected).
A practical example
To understand it better, let’s take the example of Luis, a pensioner over 65 years old. His calculated retirement pension, based on his contributions, is 800 euros per month. As he lives alone (single-person economic unit) and his total income is low, his calculated pension is below the minimum established for his situation, which is 874.40 euros per month (12,241.60 euros per year / 14 payments). For this reason, Social Security adds a minimum supplement to reach this figure. Luis receives, therefore, an additional 74.40 euros as a supplement (874.40 euros – 800 euros).
Subsequently, Luis gets married and his wife becomes financially dependent on him, without having her own income that exceeds the legal limit. This new family circumstance entitles you to a higher minimum pension threshold. The minimum pension for a holder over 65 years of age with a dependent spouse is 1,127.60 euros per month (15,786.40 euros per year).
Since Luis’s calculated pension (800 euros) is still below this new minimum and he continues to meet the low income requirement, Social Security recalculates his supplement. Now you need 327.60 euros to reach the new minimum (1,127.60 euros – 800 euros). As a result, your minimum supplement increases significantly, and you will earn a total of 1,127.60 euros per month.