Sick pay for the self-employed in Spain in 2026
Independent, non-governmental site
Enter your RETA contribution base, the first day and the days of leave: you will see what the mutua pays, band by band.
Your pay for 45 days of leave
€964.90
Ordinary illness · August 2026 base (new rule: the month before the month preceding the leave)
| Daily regulatory base (base ÷ 30) | €33.33 |
| Base month | August 2026 |
| Unpaid days | 3 |
| Your own contributions up to day 60 | until 27 December 2026 |
No employer days: for ordinary illness the mutua pays from day 4; for a work accident, from the next day (LGSS art. 318.h). Contributions must be up to date (RD 1273/2003 art. 12).
| Days | Dates | % | Who pays | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | 29 Oct 2026 – 31 Oct 2026 | 0% | Nobody: unpaid days | €0 |
| 4-20 | 1 Nov 2026 – 17 Nov 2026 | 60% | Mutua (or INSS) | €339.97 |
| 21-45 | 18 Nov 2026 – 12 Dec 2026 | 75% | Mutua (or INSS) | €624.94 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · Rules and agreements read in the BOE on 29 October 2026
A self-employed worker off sick with an ordinary illness gets nothing for the first three days, 60% of the regulatory base from day 4 to 20 and 75% from day 21; after a work accident, 75% from the day after the leave starts. There are no employer days: the mutua pays everything. The regulatory base is one month's contribution base divided by 30, and the month changed on 21 October 2026: since then, article 318.h) of the General Social Security Act takes the month immediately before the month preceding the leave. With a base of 1000 euros, 45 days off sick pay €965 gross. From day 61 of leave, the mutua also pays your monthly self-employed contributions, so a long leave costs you less than the first weeks suggest.
What a self-employed worker gets on sick leave
Self-employed sick pay follows the same scale as for employees, with one difference: there are no days paid by an employer. The new article 318.h) added by Royal Decree-law 31/2026 puts it this way: when applying article 173.1, references to the days when pay or benefit is at the employer's cost are treated as not written. For ordinary illness or a non-work accident, nothing on days 1 to 3, 60% from day 4 to 20, as set by Royal Decree 53/1980, and 75% from day 21. For work accidents and occupational disease, 75% from the day after the leave starts. Everything is paid by the mutua that covers your temporary incapacity.
| Band | Days | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | 3 | €0.00 |
| 4-20 | 17 | €340.00 |
| 21-45 | 25 | €625.00 |
On that base, the same leave after a work accident pays €1,100.00. An employee on the same base would also get €965.00 for illness, but part of it would be paid by the employer.
The base month before and after 21 October
The regulatory base is one month's RETA contribution base, always divided by 30. For leave starting from 21 October 2026, the day the Royal Decree-law was published, the month immediately before the month preceding the leave counts: leave starting on 10 November uses September 2026. Leave starting on 15 October, before the change, used September 2026 under article 6.2 of Royal Decree 1273/2003. If you registered with RETA the month before the leave, the month immediately before the leave counts (October 2026 in the example); if you registered the same month, that same month. The regulatory base page has the details.
Your self-employed sick pay
Your pay for 45 days of leave
€964.90
| Daily regulatory base (base ÷ 30) | €33.33 |
| Base month | August 2026 |
| Unpaid days | 3 |
| Your own contributions up to day 60 | until 27 December 2026 |
Your base depends on your earnings
Self-employed contributions follow net earnings bands, and each band has a minimum and maximum base set for 2026 by Order PJC/297/2026. Someone paying the minimum of the first band, €653.59, gets €630.71 for 45 days of leave; with earnings of €1,500 a month and the minimum of that band, €960.78, they would get €927.15. Choosing a higher base raises both the contribution and the benefit.
Conditions and contributions
To be paid for ordinary illness you need 180 days of contributions in the last 5 years, as the qualifying period page explains, and your contributions must be up to date. Work accidents require no qualifying period. During the leave you stay registered and keep paying your contribution up to day 60; from day 61 the mutua pays it, as explained in contributions while on leave. The maximum length is the same as for any worker: 365 days, extendable by 180.