Skip to main content

Pension question, Spain

When should I apply for my Spanish pension?

You nominate the date your pension starts, that date must fall within three months either side of the day you apply, and payable retroactivity is capped at three months from the application, so the date you apply is worth money. Payable retroactivity is capped at three months from the application, so a pension applied for more than three months after the nominated date is paid back only three months from the application, not from the nominated date itself.

This page in Spanish

What to do next

  1. Work out the date your Spanish pension could start and mark three months either side of it.
  2. Gather your Spanish employment dates and identity numbers before that window.
  3. Run our free check to see which other countries set a date on your pension.

Check your own working life for free

Tell us where you worked. The free check shows which countries may hold a pension for you, and which can be ruled out and why. No sign in, no charge.

Run the free check

Questions people also ask

How many years of contributions are needed?

Spain pays a contributory retirement pension once you have 15 years of contributions, which the Seguridad Social states as 5,475 days, with at least 2 of those years falling inside the 15 years immediately before entitlement arises.

  • Source: seg-social.es and BOE Real Decreto 241/2026, read 3 October 2026

Do you give advice on what to do?

No. We identify where a pension is likely held and the official route to it, and we name each source with the date we read it. We do not give financial, tax or legal advice.