Without a doubt, one of the worst moments we can experience is unemployment, because when we are involuntarily forced to leave our job, whether due to staff reductions or because the company went bankrupt, we find ourselves in a complicated situation as we no longer have a fixed income, and this becomes especially worrying when there is a family that depends on our income.
But in order to support those who are unemployed, the Spanish government has provided the system with a series of benefits that can allow us to cover our basic needs while we look for stable employment. So, while there are initial options, it's possible that we may have exhausted our unemployment benefits. Let's look a little more closely at what this means.
Unemployment benefit
The first thing to consider is that unemployment benefits have certain guidelines. For the first six months, you are entitled to up to 70% of your base salary, but from the seventh month onwards, you are only entitled to 50%. Furthermore, the maximum time you can receive unemployment benefits is proportional to the amount of time you have contributed to social security.
Given this last point, let's clarify that with 360 to 539 days of contributions, you are entitled to 120 days of unemployment benefits; and this entitlement increases as your contribution period increases, up to 720 days of unemployment benefits once you have 2160 days or more of contributions. However, if you have already exhausted these benefits and still haven't found employment , there are other forms of assistance the government provides. Let's see what to do if your unemployment benefits run out.
Subsidies
Subsidies help us in two situations: when we have exhausted our unemployment benefits , or when, due to our contribution period, we are not yet entitled to them. This type of subsidy is the first support we should turn to if we have used up all our benefits. There are four types of subsidies, each for different profiles; let's see what they are.
Due to insufficient contribution
The first is the subsidy for insufficient contributions , and this applies only when you haven't contributed for the minimum period of one year or 360 days. This subsidy can reach up to 426 euros, but this amount will be determined by various factors such as the contribution period and your responsibilities, which may include spouses or dependent children.
Familiar help
The second type of subsidy is family assistance for the unemployed. This assistance provides up to €426 per month and is available to workers with no income and family responsibilities, provided they have exhausted their unemployment benefits. There are two types of family assistance; let's examine them and their specific requirements.
The unemployment benefit that most interests us in this article is the one that comes after your unemployment benefits have run out. To access this financial support, you must have exhausted your unemployment benefits and be either currently unemployed or registered as a job seeker. It's important to clarify that for this to be valid, you must have been registered for at least one month since your unemployment benefits ran out . Furthermore, you must comply with the obligations of being unemployed.
Another requirement is having some responsibility for a direct family member, which includes children under 26 years of age, a child with a disability, or a spouse who is financially dependent on the worker. To clarify, this financial support is not only for those with children; legally married couples can also access this subsidy if one spouse is financially dependent on the other.
In order to access this subsidy, it is also a requirement that we verify that we do not have any income equivalent to 75% of the minimum wage, or more. So if we have an income that exceeds 530,78 euros per month, this help is not for us. It should be noted that this requirement includes the applicant directly; but once this check is made, it is a requirement that the average income or income of all family members does not exceed 530,78 euros per month.
Regarding the procedure for accessing this aid , we must complete it within a period of 15 business days, starting from the end of the waiting month. It is important to keep this deadline in mind, because if we fail to meet it, we will not lose the right to apply, but we will stop receiving payments for the number of days between the deadline and the date of application.
Although the amount this subsidy represents is 426 euros per month, it is important to keep in mind that the actual value of the amount we can receive is equivalent to the time we have worked, so if our last job was part-time, we will only be entitled to receive 50% of the monthly subsidy.
Another important point to mention is that we can collect this unemployment for a period equivalent to 18 months as a total period, but the initial process is valid for 6 months; After this we must carry out a renewal, which we can do only 2 times, giving a total of the 18 months mentioned.
Subsidy for people over 45
This subsidy is specifically designed for workers over 45 years of age who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and have no dependents. If this subsidy best suits your needs, here's what you need to do to access it.
The application period for this subsidy is 15 business days , starting from the end of the waiting month, which is the transition month between the exhaustion of unemployment benefits and the start of the period for applying for other subsidies. Therefore, if you are already within this period, the application process requires the following documents.
You will need an official application form that includes your income tax return, bank details for direct debit, a commitment to business activity, and authorization to request information from the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT). You will also be required to present official identification along with these documents.
Once we have our documents, we need to go to the SEPE employment office, which is the state public employment service. To know when we need to go, it's important to schedule an appointment so they can tell us the day and time we have to go with our documents. Alternatively, we can complete the process through the SEPE website.
Subsidy for people over 55
The requirements to apply for this support are, as the name suggests, being over 55 years of age; it is also important to have been registered as a job seeker for one month after exhausting unemployment benefits. We must also keep in mind that a commitment to actively seek employment must be signed.
Another requirement is that your income must not exceed 75% of the minimum wage. Your family's average income must not exceed €530,78 per month. You must also have contributed to unemployment insurance for a minimum of six years during your working life. Additionally, you must have contributed to social security for 15 years, with two of those years occurring within the last 15 years of your working life.
The period for which we can receive this subsidy is until we reach the age to receive a pension. However, we must submit an income declaration each year to demonstrate that we have not exceeded the permitted limits. This way, we can continue to receive our subsidy for the required period.
Similar to the aforementioned subsidies, the deadline to apply for this one is 15 days after the waiting period ends. The required documentation includes a completed application form, a personal identification document, and a certificate from the National Social Security Institute confirming that the applicant has met the minimum contribution period required to qualify for a retirement pension.
To complete your retirement contributions through the Public Employment Service (SEPE), it's important to sign a special agreement with the General Treasury of the Social Security. This ensures you'll receive all the benefits you're entitled to and that, when you retire, you'll do so in the best possible way.
All these aids will undoubtedly allow us to make the times of lack less unfavorable, especially if we have family responsibilities or are older. Although it is always recommended to keep trying to find a job.