My wife and I will be moving to the Valencia province soon. We are both artists (ceramic sculptures and paintings).
We will be living on savings until we will be old enough to be entitled to some pensions, and wanted to open a small art gallery in our house to sell our art.
I know this is not a sound business plan keeping in mind the current economic situation in Spain. Lets say it is more for love than for money.

On this forum I encountered several threads about 'autonomos', and how this system is in fact prohibiting small businesses.

Is it true that my wife and I would both be autonomos, and that we would have to pay about 600 Euro monthly for social securities even when we haven't earned a penny?
Is there maybe an exception for married people or for artists?

How much is IVA on art?

Yes I've heard that married people only have to pay one set of autonomo in cases when they work in the same business. And I think one of the two are limited to a certain number of hours per week (although hard to prove)

My OH and I are both autonomos and both have to pay the social security payments because we work in very different lines of work and invoice separately

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

I would think only one of you need pay which will cover the other member of the household. But you are going to need professional expert advice to setup and legally run the business to ensure all of the correct forms etc are submitted.

I also think it quite likely the overheads will exceed the profit but that might be advantageous for tax purposes. I know some professional artists living locally and they have been severely impacted by the financial downturn in sales terms.

Good luck with your plans.

Rosemary : thank you for the warm welcome.

Cricketman and Spainrico : thank you for your answers.

I am also quite certain that the overheads will exceed the profit.
However, when only one of us needs to pay about 300 Euro a month Seguridad Social for the two of us, then that would be comparable to the situation where both of us would need to pay private health insurance.
If both of us have to pay for Suguridad Social, then... I don't know what then, probably not work at all I guess.

Thanks a lot!

Not working may not be an option as then once your limited period (assuming you are Brits) of UK provided healthcare expires and the fact that you won't have an income could cause you problems with the new residencia rules (detailed on another current thread).

This advise is much appreciated Spainrico .

Both of us will sculpt and paint, but one of us will run the shop as 'autonomo'. If the shop turns out to be successful, we are more than happy to pay income tax.

If you are autonomo you will have to submit quarterly accounts regardless of any income received. Factor that into your calculations because you will probably have to use an accountant or gestor and they will probably charge anything from 60€ upwards each quarter. Then there is the yearly tax return in June which will cost you even more for your gestor.

You can pay one autonomo and register your wife as housewife, then she would be entitled to the same health care as you. BUT she will not be entitled to sick leave or any payment for unemployment and it will not give her pension money.

If I am not mistaken, not only my wife, but I (as autonomo) am not entitled to sick leave and unemployment payments as well. IMO justly so because the system would otherwise be too susceptible to fraud.

There is a voluntary amount you can pay to cover sick pay and unemployment payments. I think it is an extra 50 euros per month, but most people dont pay it

If it can be done electronically or by mail, I will do it myself. Filling in zero's is not much different in English than in Spanish .
If it involves hours of queueing I will hire a gestor, as patience is not one of my virtues.

Only 50 Euro??? That's a bargain!
But I don't want it because I don't want the Spanish state to finance my household.

Yes it can be done electronically in about 10 minutes. Although you will need some help to get setup unless you speak fluent Spanish

Remember that if you submit 2 quarters with just zeros you risk getting called in and a demand that you de-register.

You need a gestor as you will not know what is allowable/deductable and what is not. It is a potential minefield.