Fact or Fiction
You must have worked 15 years in Spain to have entitlement to a Spanish pension. Simple and straightforward. Right?
Wrong! Everyday the Pension, Benefit and Healthcare Team (PBHT) see how rumours regarding social security entitlements spread throughout communities. Unfortunately this is a particularly common one because if you have worked and paid contributions for at least one year in Spain, you may have entitlement to some Spanish pension.
Under the European regulations, contributions you have paid in another EEA country can be taken into account when considering your application. Therefore, if you have worked one or more years in Spain and at least 15 years in the EEA in total, you should make an application for a pro-rata Spanish pension.
Remember, if you have worked in Spain, you should be making your pension application through the Spanish authorities anyway. For further information, or to make an application, contact the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS). Our website
Website of the Month
Are you working in Spain? Have you worked in Spain? Are you considering working in Spain? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may well find it worth taking a look at our website of the month – the official website for the Spanish social security authorities – www.seg-social.es.
On here you’ll find a lot of useful information on a wide range of topics, such as how to register as autonomo (self-employed), eligibility requirements for different contribution-based benefits, and links to download various forms. And if your Spanish isn’t as good as you’d like it to be, many of the pages are now available in English. So avoid the queues at your local INSS office and get informed by browsing instead!
Age Concern Acción Social y Asistencial (ACASA) is an umbrella organisation bringing together many organisations with the aim of helping those most in need. The organisation brings together the expertise of the British Consulate, Age Concern España, Age UK and SSAFA Forces Help to provide a casework service for older people (over 50 years) and those with a services connection.
ACASA also works closely with many local organisations in Spain to deliver our objectives and extend our services directly benefiting our clients. An example of this is our work with The British Benevolent Fund of Madrid (BBF).
The objective of the BBF is to provide financial aid or other assistance to British citizens
resident or stranded in Madrid. This help has now been extended to cover emergency or special cases throughout Spain. The BBF has helped numerous beneficiaries of ACASA and continues to be a source of support for the work that we do here in Spain.
To celebrate the Royal Wedding and help raise funds for the BBF’s charitable works, over 250 guests followed the Royal Wedding live on TV from the British Ambassador’s residence in Madrid. A raffle and silent auction raised over €8,500 from generously donated, high-value prizes. The BBF would like to thank all of the donors who made such generous contributions of prizes.