Banks that collaborate with AEAT and Social Security

If you want to pay your social security cuota and have your taxes automatically withdrawn from your bank account, having a bank that collaborates with Seguridad Social and AEAT is required. You will need:

• A Spanish IBAN
• A financial institution that collaborates with Seguridad Social
• A financial institution that collaborates with the AEAT

A Spanish IBAN is required

Any bank account used to make payments to Spanish government institutions needs to have a Spanish IBAN. I only mention this because you may be tempted to go with a neobank or other international bank that may have a different country code.

Also, if you are new to Spain, a Spanish IBAN is also needed for basic local services like utilities, internet, and mobile contracts.

However, even if your account has a Spanish IBAN, there are further requirements if you want to use it to pay your cuota or taxes.

What does it mean to “collaborate with Seguridad Social”?

Seguridad Social are the entity that take your monthly autónomo cuota. They have a list of collaborating banks that are the only banks you can use for your autonomo fees.

When you register as autonomo, you nominate your IBAN and your cuota to Seguridad Social is paid monthly from that account by direct debit. This is only possible with a Spanish bank that collaborates with Seguridad Social.

You can’t be autonomo without paying your monthly cuota directly from a collaborating bank, there is no other option for this payment.

What does it mean to “collaborate with AEAT”?

Not all banks in Spain are set up to act as intermediaries for AEAT to pay taxes.

Banks that collaborate with AEAT have the systems in place to handle tax and deduct payments directly. That means you can pay your quarterly VAT (IVA), income tax (IRPF), and other obligations after submitting your modelos.

If your bank isn’t on the AEAT’s list of collaborating entities, you’ll need to find alternative ways to pay “manually”. More on this below.

My taxes are organised by my gestor and are automatically deducted from my account. My gestor gives me the modelo showing what will be deducted, and I get a notification from my bank a few days before the charge.

Are the Seguridad Social banks and the AEAT collaborating banks the same?

Frustratingly no. It’s confusing. For example, Qonto, a neobank that says that it specialises in autónomos is on the AEAT website list and not the Social Secuity list (PDF linked below). Same with N26, but the other way around. 

I’m not sure if one list or the other is not 100% up to date but it’s all we can go on for now. It seems that different agreements must be entered into before becoming an official collaborator. I just bring this to your attention. Links are below.

I’ve compiled a list of banks that are on both lists.

The neobanks have petitioned to be included as Seguridad Social collaborators in a process that started in December 2024 and is ongoing (link below).

What if my bank is listed with Seguridad Social but not AEAT?

According to online research, if you have an N26 account or other account that’s listed on Seguridad Social and not AEAT, you can use it to pay for your monthly autonomo cuota and you can also use it to pay your taxes but you need to do the taxes payment manually.

The process to “manually” pay your taxes seems to be that:

• You or your gestor submit the modelo (e.g. 303, 130, 111) via the AEAT sede electrónica.

• Choose “Reconocimiento de deuda” (acknowledgement of debt) as your payment method.

• AEAT gives you a payment document with:

  • NRC code (22-character alphanumeric reference)

  • Importe (amount)

  • Fecha límite de pago (due date of payment)

• You then:

  • Go to your bank’s online portal (if it’s a collaborating bank)

  • Or use AEAT’s payment portal with a card (eligible banks only) or bank transfer (from Spanish IBAN account)

  • Or go in person into a collaborating bank or some ATMs of collaborating banks that have the tax-paying facility

• Enter the NRC and complete the payment.

Do I need an account with a collaborating bank to make a payment there?

Well… in theory no. But in practice (and in my experience for another bureaucratic process), they will almost certainly try to turn you away if you’re not a customer.

You should theoretically be able to pay in any collaborating bank if:

• You’re paying with cash, or

• You’re paying with a debit/credit card accepted by the bank

• You’re using their ATM to pay the taxes (not all ATMs have this facility)

However:

• Some banks only accept payments from their own clients (especially at the counter), so it depends on the bank’s internal policy

• For example, I’ve read (but can’t confirm) that CaixaBank allows non-customers to pay taxes with cash at the ATM, but not always over the counter

So, in practice:

• Call the branch or check their website before you go

• AEAT’s online payment portal to do a bank transfer if you have the NRC and any Spanish bank account

What happens if my bank is listed with AEAT but not Seguridad Social?

If is my understanding that your cuota needs to be paid directly from a collaborating bank. So you will not be able to register as autonomo without a bank that collaborates with Seguridad Social.

Do I need a “business” account?

I personally just use my current personal account for all my autónomo invoices and payments. You could definitely use a separate account, but it isn’t necessary in my personal experience.

Can I choose to pay by card?

The AEAT website has a list of banks that are eligible for bank-to-AEAT direct payments and a different set of banks that are eligible to pay by card. 

It seems like there are just fewer of the card collaborators. As they are not the same… check the list before committing to a bank if you have a preference to pay by card. 

The process for paying by card is the same as paying manually as described above “Reconocimiento de deuda”. 

If your bank is eligible, it looks like you can pay with a debit card or by credit card rather than by bank transfer.

Your Seguridad Social autónomo cuota can only be paid by direct debit from your bank and not by card.

How do I update my bank details?

To update your Seguridad Social bank details, go to the Import@ss website.

To update your AEAT bank details use a Modelo 036 or if you are submitting a modelo, often you can use that opportunity to nominate a different account.

The bottom line

If you’re setting up as an autónomo, ask:

• Does it give me a Spanish IBAN (starting with ES)?
• Is it on the list of banks that collaborate with Social Security?
• Is it on the list of banks that collaborate with AEAT?

If the answer is yes, yes, yes you’ll avoid a lot of headaches down the line.

If the answer is yes, yes, no it’s still ok but you’ll have to pay your taxes “manually” rather than having them directly taken from your account.

I’m compiling a list of banks that meet all three criteria, stay tuned.