If you only have one client or one client worth 75% of your income, you can be considered a TRADE
A TRADE is a Trabajador Autónomo Económicamente Dependiente, an economically dependent self-employed worker in Spain. This special status applies when you are self-employed but earn at least 75% of your income from a single client and meet certain other conditions.
You are still registered as an autónomo and you handle your own invoices, taxes, and Social Security payments. However, because you’re financially dependent on one client, you gain certain legal protections under Spanish labour law that do not apply to standard freelancers.
FYI: While it is generally referred to officially and colloquially as TRADE, there are a few situations where it is referenced as TAED (why SEPE??!).
Requirements to register as a TRADE
To be recognised as a TRADE, you must meet the following conditions:
- You must be registered as an autónomo
- You must earn at least 75% of your relevant income from one client
- You must not have employees, except in certain circumstances permitted by law
- You must not subcontract your work, except in certain circumstances permitted by law
- You must work with your own tools and resources, where these are relevant to the activity
- You must organise your work independently from the client’s employees and take responsibility for your own business activity
- You must sign a written contract with your main client
When calculating the 75%, you must include income from any salaried employment as well as your self-employment income. Investment income and capital gains from your personal assets are not included.
Becoming a TRADE is not automatic – your contract must be formally registered with SEPE (Spain’s employment service) within 10 working days of signing. Your gestor can handle this for you.
What are the legal protections of a TRADE?
TRADE status gives you more protections than a standard autónomo, including:
- The right to 18 working days of annual leave (technically called interrupción anual de la actividad), generally unpaid unless otherwise agreed.
- Specific provisions for accessing “cese de actividad” (the unemployment benefit for autónomos), subject to meeting the benefit requirements
- Rights to compensation in certain circumstances if the client ends the relationship without just cause
- Rules governing working hours, rest periods and additional working time
The 18 days are a legal minimum. Your contract can provide more.
TRADE vs falso autónomo (false self-employment)
If you are working full-time for just one client, it’s important to distinguish genuine self-employment from false self-employment (falso autónomo). This is when a business tries to avoid hiring you as a salaried employee by making you register as self-employed, even though you are acting like staff.
Having just one client doesn’t automatically make you a falso autónomo. What matters is how you actually work, including whether you organise your work independently or operate under the client’s direction like an employee.
Falso autónomo creates legal and financial risks for the client. If it is discovered by the labour inspectorate, they could be forced to:
- Pay unpaid Social Security contributions, generally subject to a four-year limitation period
- Recognise the relationship as employment rather than self-employment
- Face fines and legal penalties
If you’re genuinely self-employed and meet the TRADE requirements, your client can formalise the relationship using a TRADE contract.
However, a TRADE contract doesn’t protect a client from accusations of false self-employment if the relationship is actually employment.
How to register a TRADE contract
I can’t imagine trying to navigate this myself, but from the research I’ve done, the process is:
You and your client must sign a written agreement that includes the terms of the relationship, which states your responsibilities, payment conditions, and confirmation that at least 75% of your relevant income comes from that client.
This contract must then be registered with SEPE, either online with a digital certificate or via your gestor.
You must register the contract within 10 working days of signing and inform the client within five working days of registration.
If you don’t register it within the required period, the client has an obligation to register it.
Do I register as a TRADE if I only have one overseas client?
You may be able to register as a TRADE if your only or main client is based outside Spain.
Spanish law doesn’t specifically require TRADE clients to be based in Spain. However, things can be more complicated when dealing with foreign companies, particularly when it comes to registering the contract and enforcing your rights.
SEPE registers TRADE contracts, but it doesn’t enforce them. Disputes are handled by the courts, and whether a Spanish court has jurisdiction over a foreign client will depend on the circumstances.
So, if your only or main client is overseas, don’t assume you’re automatically excluded from TRADE status. But don’t assume you’re covered either.
Check with a Spanish employment lawyer.
You can work as an autónomo if you have only one overseas client
You can legally operate as a freelancer in Spain with just one overseas client. Follow the standard autonomo rules.
Bottom line
TRADE status exists to protect freelancers who depend heavily on one client. It gives access to additional contractual protections, annual leave rights, and specific provisions for cese de actividad. But it doesn’t automatically protect your client from accusations of false self-employment (falso autónomo).
If you’re only working with one main client and want to stay self-employed, think seriously about formalising the relationship correctly. Speak to your client and your gestor to get the paperwork in order.
TRADE isn’t expressly limited to Spanish clients. If your only client is based outside Spain, registering a TRADE contract and enforcing its terms may be more complicated. But you can still work fully legally as a self-employed professional. Just make sure your freelance setup remains independent and well-documented.
