rose10

Hi
I have worked in spain self employed fro the last five years. I have paid rent and my social security every month, taxes etc.
I have now closed my business. Someone mentioned to me that I could be entitled to unemployment benefits, I was wondering if anyone knew.
As I have been paying 250 euros every month towards a pension i will not get it would be nice to get something back.

petew

Why will you not get the pension?

rose10

Because i was told that you had to pay into the system for a minimum of 15 years '

Mitzyboy

Thats for a full pension?


Sorry to hear the business is going :-(

siesta

Yeah, it's at least 15 years for the basic pension. They want to make it to 20 now. 35 years is the max.

LittleWeed

Any years you´ve worked in another EU member state can count towards the qualifying period. Eg. if on reaching retirement age you´ve worked say 10 years in the UK and 5 in Spain you neet the minimum qualifying period of 15 years and should receive a pension. The amount though will be based only on the number of years in Spain.

Casa Santo Estevo

The government did start paying unemployment money to the self employed. It was not much and what the actual rules are to getting this money I do not know. I did read this week that the government are going to change the rules back again for unemployment money soon. If I was you I would run along to the government offices ASAP and ask if you are entitled to anything before it is stopped.
Good luck

rose10

Thank you for the information.

petew

That's correct - at 65 (depending on whether they change the retirement age in Spain) you will get a spanish pension based on your spanish contributions. That's providing you have total 15 years contributions in EU member states.

DWPinSpain

The pension information is correct - five years in Spain should give you some entitlement if you can make up the other 10 from elsewhere.

As for unemployment, you should at least sign-on, even if you are not immediately entitled. After one year of signing on you may be entitled to some benefit.

Lenox

Self-employed don't get any dole. There is a new law out this past summer, however. If you pay extra (!) and work for, I think, three years, then you will get the usual six months.
As far as pension... I've got eleven years paid in and am now unemployed. I could pay the other five years to reach sixteen, out of my own pocket as a sort of revolutionary tax. However, that would be 'fraude'.
Best advice - work for somebody else, or go on the black.

cricketman

No the self-employed dont get any "paro" payments, but they are eligible for the emergency 450 euro payment per month if noone else in their household is earning.

You will have to get in quick though, they will be withdrawing this payment soon.

Lenox

The unions in Spain, always quick to defend employees' rights, have been oddly mute about withdrawing the 'prestación'. Mind you, they have never taken much interest in the unemployed.

cricketman

Neither should they, it's beyond their remit.

The unions are annoying though, they oppose any change and propose no alternatives even when they see the country could go bankrupt at any point.

It was good to see the air traffic controls get forced to go to work earlier in the week. How greedy can a group of people get? They earn hundreds of thousands of euros per year even though the same job in the UK pays around £30k-£50k and then go on strike by pulling sickies. Disgraceful

This is an example of group of key workers holding the government to ransom.

Next, they should force the bankers to reduce their salaries!

Mitzyboy

That was because it was unofficial action .... not union backed.