This week, the controversy has focused on the possible increase in the self-employed quota, which in the end will not see the light of day, at least for those with less income. Now the Ministry of Social Security, headed by Elma Saiz, has proposed raising the contributions of those who earn the most and which would be 2.5%, thus placing it below inflation, since the CPI closed at 3% in September. The increase in quotas matters a lot for the future retirement pension, since if we look at the data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, among RETA workers, two out of every three retirees receive a pension of less than 1,000 euros.
According to the latest data to which you have had access NewsWorkself-employed workers who contribute under the RETA (Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers) retire on average at 66 and a half years of age and receive an average pension of 1,010.94 euros per month. If we compare it with employed workers we can see how they earn 656.6 euros less, since they have an average pension of 1,667.54 euros.
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| Regime | Half board | Difference with self-employed workers |
|---|---|---|
| General | €1,667.54 | €656.6 |
| Self-employed workers | €1,010.94 | — |
| Sea workers | €1,671.75 | €660.81 |
| Coal mining | €2,907.68 | €1,896.74 |
| Work accidents | €1,570.77 | €559.83 |
| Occupational diseases | €1,963.76 | €952.82 |
Now, the big question would be: To what and why is this great difference with the rest of the workers in the Social Security system? Well, the answer lies in the contributions, which in the case of the self-employed comes from the quotas.
While the minimum contribution base for a worker who contributes to the General Regime is 1,391.70 euros per month, in the case of self-employed workers it is 653.59 euros (in the reduced table) and 950.98 euros (for the general table) as regulated in Order PJC/178/2025, which can be consulted in this BOE. This means that those who contributed for the minimum base now have such low pensions (although now with the new rule it goes in sections).
And there are not a few self-employed workers, because despite the fact that the contribution base of self-employed workers can contribute for a higher base, 86.6% of self-employed workers choose to do so for the minimum base or even for an additional 1.5% of this base, according to the 2023 annual report of the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy (can be accessed through this link).
Furthermore, this same report indicates that 97.1% of the self-employed decide to increase their contribution base from the age of 55. Now, it is possible that this increase in contributions will help, but not much, since we must remember that, according to the Social Security calculation method regulated in Law 27/2011, Social Security takes into account the contribution bases of the last 25 years of contributions, that is, the years approximately between 40 and 65 years (in the case of having more than 38 years and three months of contributions). It would also affect 2026, with the new dual calculation system that was introduced under Royal Decree 2/2023.
Now, knowing this, we must take into account that, as explained Alfonso MuñozSocial Security official, our pension system is based on a contribution system, that is, we receive money according to our contributions, so not all self-employed workers receive the same pension. In fact, the vast majority of pensioners do not reach either the SMI or 1,000 euros per month.
Two out of three pensioners earn less than 1,000 euros
If we analyze the retirement pensions of the self-employed by amount brackets, the data shows that a vast majority receive amounts lower than the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI). Considering the SMI at 1,184 euros per month, the sum of pensioners in the sections up to that amount (including the section “From 1,150.01 to 1,184.00”) amounts to 1,037,749 people. This represents 77.90% of the total of 1,051,497 self-employed pensioners included in the data. Therefore, three out of four self-employed pensioners receive a pension lower than the current SMI.
At the opposite end of the distribution, only a very small percentage reaches the highest amounts. According to the data in the image, 2,716 beneficiaries, equivalent to 0.20% of the total, receive pensions in the bracket greater than 3,267 euros per month. This figure exceeds the standard maximum pension (approximately 3,175 euros in 2024), indicating that these beneficiaries probably receive additional supplements, such as those intended to reduce the gender gap or other legally recognized benefits.
Differences between the pension of a self-employed person and an employee within the provinces
The average amounts of the retirement pension within the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers (RETA) present differences between provinces, reaching a variation of 391.21 euros between the province with the highest average and the lowest. Gipuzkoa tops the list with the highest average pension for self-employed workers, reaching 1,185.41 euros per month, followed by Bizkaia (1,137.90 euros) and Navarra (1,100.84 euros).
In contrast, the provinces with the most modest retirement averages for this group are Ourense, with 792.42 euros, and Lugo, with 795.29 euros, followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (845.24 euros). Additionally, when comparing with employed workers, it is in Gipuzkoa where the greatest disparity is observed: the average pension of an employee (1,967.90 euros) exceeds that of the self-employed (1,185.41 euros) in that province by 782.49 euros.
What pension is left for a self-employed person who contributes for the minimum base?
To understand it better, in 2025 a self-employed person who for 36 and a half years (period to reach 100% of the regulatory base in that year) has contributed for the equivalent of the minimum base of the general table (which is 950.98 euros per month in 2025, although this depends on real income under the new system), would receive a retirement pension of approximately 815.13 euros per month. Now, this amount would probably be supplemented until reaching the minimum pension through the minimum supplement.