Social Security will lower the minimum contributory retirement pensions for pensioners whose income during the annual calculation exceeds the income threshold set in the General State Budgets. This is so, since this is how it is regulated by the complement to minimumswhich 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.
The minimum supplement is an economic amount that is added to the contributory pension if it falls below the minimum amounts established by law (check the minimum amounts). In other words, if the pension is not enough, this supplement helps raise it until it reaches that legal minimum. This is regulated in article 59 of the General Law of Social Security (which can be consulted in this BOE).
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According to the Social Security statistics to which you have had access NewsWorkof the almost 10.4 million pensioners in Spain, 2.1 million receive the minimum pension supplement. That is, 20.41% receive an average pension of 838.21 euros and a supplement of 293.47 euros.
| Pension Type | Number of Beneficiaries | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Retirement | 1,229,464 | 18.57% |
| Widowhood | 564,990 | 24.06% |
| Permanent Disability | 162,507 | 15.58% |
| Orphanhood | 142,720 | 42.29% |
| Family Favor | 22,721 | 48.68% |
| TOTAL | 2,122,402 | 20.41% |
Now, you must know that this complement is not fixed and is reviewed annually. That is, if Social Security takes it away from us for a year for not meeting the requirements, it will be possible to request it again when this is met.
Reasons for losing the supplement and the pension that you can receive
To receive the minimum pension supplement, certain requirements must be met, according to explained from Social Security. First, it is necessary to have a contributory pension lower than the established minimum. In addition, the person must reside in Spain, although there are exceptions according to international agreements or regulations. Finally, you must have an income of less than 9,193.00 euros if you do not have a dependent spouse or 10,723.00 euros per year if you have a dependent spouse.
At this point, note that these are the amounts for 2025, so for next year 2026 these amounts will increase, so it is possible that many pensioners will be able to access this supplement.
Pensioners who receive income above these amounts must notify Social Security, since they do not meet the requirements to collect said supplement.
In the case of receiving income above the established limits and not reporting it, if the Social Security detects it, it may, apart from lowering the amount of the pension (absorbing the supplement), request that the recipients have to return the amounts unduly received.
Social Security remembers that the minimum supplement is an aid for the most vulnerable pensioners, with the aim of ensuring that their pension reaches the minimum established by law. In other words, we can say that it is a kind of minimum vital income intended for the pensioner. Therefore, it is granted to those with a lack of income.
An example to understand how the minimum complement works
To understand this, let’s take the following example: imagine a pensioner who has a pension of 600 euros per month, an amount that is below the legal minimum pension. Since this retiree lives alone and has no other extra income, Social Security adds an additional amount (the minimum supplement) so that his pension reaches the minimum. To maintain this financial aid in 2025, it is essential that your non-pension income (such as income from work, rent or investments) does not exceed the limit of 9,193.00 euros per year.
Now, if that same pensioner begins to rent a parking space or receives benefits from some shares and obtains 10,000 euros per year for this, he will have exceeded the limit of 9,193.00 euros set for 2025. Since he is no longer at that “income threshold,” Social Security understands that he does not need the supplement, so it will remove the supplement, and therefore, it will lower the pension, collecting those 600 euros again.