I live in Spain but am self-employed working for UK companies and I pay tax to the UK. I need to pay Social Security contributions in Spain though as I live here. I am getting nowhere! It is so frustrating.
Can anyone tell me how I get a Spanish social security number when I do not have a Spanish employer? How do I make my ss contributions? I have written to the local Social Security office. The first time, they referred me back to the HM Revenue in the UK who referred me back to the SS office in Spain. The second and third time they ignored my letters altogether.
I just want the relevant forms to complete to obtain a number and pay my contributions!! Help!!

I think the answer might be to become an autonomo in Spain working for a UK employer.

Either way, I believe that you should be paying Spanish tax and not UK tax!

Making these changes should help to make SS payments.

You need a gestor , even as you appear to speak Spanish you can still end up chasing your tail, be aware you will be paying at least 250 euro p.m even if you are not earning .

What is your NI contribution status in UK?
Also, maybe you should apply for dual taxation.
There is little benefit from being autonomo here apart from a pension and then that would depend on your NI contributions in the UK.

If the OP lives in Spain they will need to be autonomo in Spain and pay their tax here, otherwise they are breaking the law

If only it was that simple, another option would be to form a LTD company in the UK and become an employee of that company , you may have to pay income tax in Spain but you may avoid the autonomo cost as you would no longer be self employed in either country, it gets very complicated so you need a good accountant if you went that route ,if you are on a good salary it may well pay to look into all possibilities as you could save thousands a year.

I have friends who work `off shore` , live in Spain and avoid income tax in Spain ,allegedly quite legally

I've been through this as well and like you, passed from pillar to post.
The UK tax people don't know the answer, nor do the Spanish.

My situation is similar to yours in that I work for a UK company but live in Spain working from home over the Internet.

My priority was not actually where I should be paying tax, but how to join the Spanish national health system. The only solution that I was eventually given was to set up as autonomo and file tax returns every three months (about 60€ using a gestor). These tax returns generally show zero income and expenditure, although occasionally I will do a bit of work on the side, for which I submit the appropriate details in my three monthly returns.
The down side is that I have to pay about 250€ each month in SS payments. The good side is that myself and family are registered with the Spanish national health system and have the same rights as anyone other Spaniard.

For the income tax part, I file a yearly tax return every June to the Spanish authorities, which details my entire UK-based income. My gestor handles all this, I just provide the pay slips. Any family allowances, tax credits, etc. are deducted and I end up with one large tax bill at the end.

I don't know if this is the "correct" way to do things, but it works for me. My family get full health care because of the 250€ each month and I pay my taxes at the appropriate rate for living in Spain. If there is anything wrong in what I am doing then I can at least rest assured that I am paying my income tax to somone and not simply avoiding it. If it turns out in the future that the UK want their bit then they can claim it from the Spanish system and I won't be banged up for tax evasion.

As far as the UK tax system goes, my tax code has been changed to NT so I get my salary paid without any tax or NI deductions. It just means a little bit of discipline and making sure I put aside a regular amount each month to cover the tax bill in June.

Been doing this for about five years now and it doesn't half pee me off when I pay x thousands of euros every year in income tax knowing that out of all the expats I know of I'm probably the only one paying any tax.

My husband pays tax! But seeing as he pays it on his Teachers' Pension it has to be taxed in the UK.

Interesting ...Can you claim family allowance whilst living in Spain? And tax credits? Thought one couldn't.

The 250 euros is a small price to pay for healthcare for your family..what would you have to pay in the UK for NI contributions?

If one of you is working for a UK company (& I think resident in the UK) then yes - that parent can claim family allowance

not tax credit though afaik

[QUOTE=manamama;8441755]Interesting ...Can you claim family allowance whilst living in Spain? And tax credits? Thought one couldn't.

The 250 euros is a small price to pay for healthcare for your family..what would you have to pay in the UK for NI contributions?[/QUOTE]

11,00 EUROS PM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well as has been said it's not that straightforward.
On the information the OP gave I was trying to ascertain his status here and the UK before giving any other advice.
If they are temporarily here then they need form E101 if they are permanent they need form FD9.
Do they have their NIF?
If they are planning to stay here it would make sense to go autonomo, for the pension etc but even that would depend on their UK NI contributions.

Haven't a clue as to whether you can claim family allowance from the Uk. I don't.
My gestor deducts all Spanish family allowances and tax credits that any Spanish employee would be entitled to. I don't claim anything from the UK because I don't pay into the UK system anymore.

I don't set the rate for SS payments as an autonomo. It's the only way that I am aware of that I can pay into the Spanish system. I suppose we could do what most expats below retirement age do and blag our way with the old E111 or its decendant, but if anyone in my family is suddenly hurt or taken ill then I don't want to have to worry about getting a large bill.
I agree though, 250€ is less than I would have been paying for UK NI. Saying that though, as an autonomo, if I only earned a tenner a month I would still have to pay the full 250€.

If you are self-employed in the UK, the NI is about £2.50 a week and if you only earn a small amount, you don't even have to pay that (you have a choice). If you don't pay it, you will still be covered for Healthcare but are not contributing towards your State Pension or any Benefits.

If you are self-employed in the UK, the NI is about £2.50 a week and if you only earn a small amount, you don't even have to pay that (you have a choice). If you don't pay it, you will still be covered for Healthcare but are not contributing towards your State Pension or any Benefits.