Can you claim benefits in spain

Local town halls also often offer discount cards to older residents or those with limited resouces or a disability. Discounts vary by island but can reduce expenses if you use public transport regularly. Your local town hall or a transport provider can provide more details. If you live in the Balearics , residents are entitled to similar benefits as detailed above for the Canaries.

For example the Tarjeta Rosa pink card from the city of Barcelona. Details in Spanish here. If you live in the Murcia Region , contact you town hall to find out about any localised discounts for older residents or those with limited resouces or a disability.

The discount is known as the Bono Social de Electricidad and is given if you are on the regulated floating tariff known as the PVPC and not special fixed tariffs or deals with the power companies. More information on the Bono Social de Electricidad in Spanish from the government on this link. To apply, contact your power supply company or search here for local organisations that may be able to help you fill in paperwork add your town to filter results.

Talk to your local health centre. If you have a medical condition you should ensure that you have enquired from your doctor about the possibility of medical-condition-related benefits. Typical common areas of help available via your local health centre, besides healthcare and medicines are To find your nearest public health centre click here. For more information on how register for Spanish public healthcare, click here.

Your local Spanish social security office. In addition to talking to your local town hall or health centre see above , in some circumstances the local social security office can offer additional benefits. This can be given to people over 23 who live independently of a parental home who do not benefit from other types of assistance such as an old age pension or a non-contributory pension and have low levels of savings and other assets. Certain conditions need to be met.

Your local town hall social services department can normally help with an application. Typical benefits for Spanish pension holders include reduced telephone and electricity bills, help with travel to day care centres or subsidised short-break programmes.

You can choose any office in the province where you live. The online link for appointments by clicking here. Telephone or in-person appointments available. Useful Hint: If you have worked on a contract in Spain and have previously worked in the UK or a spouse has , you may be able to add together the time you worked and contributions in the UK with the contributions paid in Spain to reach the minimum requirements or improve the level of certain Spanish benefits.

This will depend on the type of benefit so always tell the INSS office also sometimes known as CAISS offices if you or a spouse has also previously worked in the UK so they can take this into account in their calculations, if applicable. More background information from the EU here. If you are living in Spain temporarily for up to 8 weeks, you can also continue to receive your UK child benefit without having to inform HMRC that you are out of the country.

You can also receive your UK child benefit if you are in Spain for up to 12 weeks in order to receive medical treatment. Finally, if you are leaving the UK for more than 52 weeks then you may still qualify for child benefit, depending on whether you are already receiving UK national insurance-related benefits.

As a general rule you cannot receive UK tax credits if you are living and working in Spain but, if you are a crown servant or a cross border worker then it may be possible to receive these payments. Alternatively, if you are currently receiving a state pension or have a child under 16 20 if in university , you may also be able to claim UK tax credits: the eligibility criteria are complicated, and you can find out more about these here.

This benefit cannot be claimed by individuals who live in Spain permanently. If you work in Spain then you will be making regular contributions to the Spanish social security system, and this will open you up to a wide range of different Spanish benefits, regardless of whether you are a British citizen or not. In order to be eligible for a Spanish state pension you must have been a resident of the country for at least ten years, have been in employment in the country, and be at the eligible pension age which is currently 65 but is due to rise to 67 in You must have been in employment for the two years before you reach retirement age and apply for your pension.

The amount of state pension you receive will depend on how long you have been working in the country with the minimal number of social security contributions standing at 15 years; to receive your full pension you must have worked in the country for 35 years. Regardless of whether you have paid into the social security system in Spain or not, you are eligible for Child Benefit in the country, but the amount you receive will vary.

If you are working in Spain either employed or self-employed then you are also eligible for a tax allowance based on the number of children you have — this is effectively a tax break to encourage mothers to return to work after they have started their families. You will also be entitled to maternity and paternity leave in Spain. Just like child benefit, there are two forms of this: contributory and non-contributory, and the amount you receive will depend on how much social security contributions you have made before you apply for them.

If you become unemployed and have previously contributed to the social security system for a minimum of days over the past 6 years, you will be entitled to contributory unemployment benefit.

Housing benefit is available in Spain for those who are eligible. You can find out more about housing benefit and whether or not you are eligible here. Call Email dcs. Call Email customerservice. Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges infrastructure-ni. For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit. For queries about your identity check, email nida nidirect.

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What to do next If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.