“El paro” is the standard term for unemployment benefits in Spain.
Autónomos can access a version of this support called cese de actividad, which is available in cases of temporary or permanent cessation of business. To qualify, you must have been contributing to the Special Scheme for Self-Employed Workers (RETA) continuously for at least the previous 12 months, and you must be up to date with your Social Security payments.
There are several circumstances that may entitle an autónomo to this benefit, including:
- A sustained drop in income (generally defined as a 60% loss over the previous year)
- Force majeure (e.g. natural disaster, public health crisis)
- Loss of a required professional licence (as long as it’s not due to criminal sanctions)
- Divorce or separation when both partners worked in the same business
- Gender violence that causes the individual to stop working
- And in some cases, when a dependent contract is terminated and the autónomo had an economically dependent relationship (TRADE)
