Guide 01 · European Union
Spain
Four things, in this order: who pays you, what the invoice must say, what you contribute, and what the paper has to settle before work starts. Written for people who work for themselves from Spain.
Reviewed 17 Aug 2026·6 legal sources·Scope
Natural-person autónomos registered in Spain providing services. It does not cover companies, distance sales to consumers, or customs with third countries.
Start here
Who is paying you?
The invoice changes completely with the answer. Pick one.
01 / 04
What the invoice has to carry
Date, number, both tax IDs, the description, the taxable amount — and, if the client is in another EU country, the reverse-charge mention. Putting 0 % is not enough on its own.
If a required mention is missing, the client sends it back or the tax office challenges it. Tap each line of the specimen to see why it is there.
Invoice
2026-0142
Fig. 1
Specimen invoice. The amounts are illustrative, not a market figure. Switch the recipient and tap each line.
The wording has to be there (art. 6 of RD 1619/2012).
Tap a line to see why it is there.
The invoicing regulation sets the minimum content. For a service to a business identified in another Member State you also add an express reverse-charge mention. Without both VAT numbers, checkable in VIES, it is not an intra-Community supply: it is a domestic invoice.
02 / 04
Which VAT to charge
EU business with a valid VAT number: 0 %, reverse charge. Client in Spain or a private individual: Spanish rate, 21 % as a rule.
The rate is not improvised. It sits in the statute, and it changes with who pays you. Pick a case above, then look at the invoice.
Standard
21 %
Art. 90 LIVA
Reduced
10 %
Art. 91 LIVA
Super-reduced
4 %
Art. 91 LIVA
There is no «freelancer rate». 10 % and 4 % only in the cases in article 91. Goods have different rules; this guide covers services. If VIES does not validate the client's number, it is not an intra-Community supply.
- 01Check the client's VAT number in VIES on the invoice date. Keep the result.
- 02The recapitulative statement (form 349) and the VAT register (form 036) are legal duties.
03 / 04
What you contribute this month
Charge = base × 31.50 %. The base is not picked at will: it has to sit in your net-income band. Enter your figure and the range comes out.
Since 2023 RETA contributions follow net income. The 2026 table is Order PJC/297/2026: fifteen bands and a maximum base of €5,101.20 a month.
- Common contingencies
- 28.30 %
- Professional contingencies
- 1.30 %
- Cessation of activity
- 0.90 %
- Vocational training
- 0.10 %
- Intergenerational equity mechanism
- 0.90 %
- Combined RETA rate 2026
- 31.50 %
Covers
- Healthcare
- Temporary incapacity
- Cessation of activity, on its terms
- The pension base
Does not cover
- General-scheme unemployment
That buys healthcare, temporary incapacity, cessation of activity (on its own terms) and the base for a pension. It does not buy general-scheme unemployment. Flat-rate and rebate schemes have their own rules; do not mix them with this table.
04 / 04
What the paper has to say
If it is not written down, the term, the VAT and who owns the work get argued later, when you have no leverage. Tick what you already have.
There is no single mandatory template. There is a practical minimum. Between businesses, if you agree nothing, the term is 30 calendar days and cannot exceed 60 unless there is an express agreement that is not grossly unfair.
If you agree nothing
30
calendar days
Maximum, unless an agreement that is not grossly unfair
60
calendar days
Is it in writing?
0of6
If it is not on the paper, it gets argued later.
Late-payment interest and the €40 lump-sum come from Directive 2011/7/EU, with no prior demand needed. The Fair Engagement Pledge also asks for a complaints channel with an answer within 10 working days.
Legal sources
- 01Ley 37/1992, de 28 de diciembre, del Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido
- 02Real Decreto 1619/2012, de 30 de noviembre (Reglamento de facturación)
- 03Real Decreto-ley 13/2022, de 26 de julio (cotización por rendimientos netos)
- 04Orden PJC/297/2026, de 30 de marzo (cotización 2026, BOE-A-2026-7296)
- 05Ley 35/2006, de 28 de noviembre, del IRPF
- 06Directiva 2006/112/CE del Consejo, de 28 de noviembre de 2006
We publish material; we don't advise. This guide is not a substitute for an accountant or a lawyer. If your case doesn't fit what is described here, go to the statute or to a professional.
Tools
Tools
Late payment interest calculator
What a client owes you for paying late under Directive 2011/7/EU: interest at the ECB rate plus 8 points, and €40 flat compensation.
Tools
Minimum rate calculator
What you need to charge per hour or per day to cover costs, tax, time off and the gaps between projects.