When you are on sick leave as an autónomo (self-employed person) no client or employer pays you: you receive a Social Security benefit. Its official name is incapacidad temporal (temporary incapacity) and in the RETA, the self-employed scheme, cover for it is compulsory unless you already have it through a job in another scheme (article 315 of the General Social Security Law, Ley General de la Seguridad Social or LGSS). We cover that case in pluriactividad.
It is paid by the mutua colaboradora con la Seguridad Social (the Social Security partner insurer) you choose when you register, as we explain in how to become an autónomo in Spain. Here you have the requirements, how much you receive, what happens to your contribution while you are off and the paperwork you have to file, with the article of the law behind each rule.
Requirements to be paid
- Be affiliated to Social Security and registered in the RETA when the sick leave starts (article 28.1 of Decreto 2530/1970).
- Have 180 days of contributions in the previous five years, if the sick leave is for an ordinary illness. If it is for an accident, whether at work or not, or for an occupational disease, no prior period is required (article 172 LGSS).
- Be up to date with your contributions (article 12 of Real Decreto 1273/2003 and article 47 LGSS). If you owe any, you are invited to pay within a non-extendable period of 30 calendar days. If you pay within that period, you count as up to date. If you pay later, you receive the benefit with a 20% reduction (article 28.2 of Decreto 2530/1970).
- Have the parte de baja (sick note) from the public health service doctor who examined you. If the cause is a work accident or an occupational disease, your mutua's doctors issue it (article 2.1 of Real Decreto 625/2014).
How much you receive
The benefit is a percentage of your daily base (base reguladora). For an autónomo, that base is the contribution base of the month before the month preceding the start of the sick leave, divided by 30 (article 318.h LGSS). If the sick leave starts in March, your January base counts. If you registered in the same month as the sick leave or in the month before, there are specific rules in the same article. This rule was added by Real Decreto-ley 31/2026, in force since 21/10/2026, which Congress must confirm (convalidar) by 21/11/2026; if it does not, the rule lapses. This rule was added by Real Decreto-ley 31/2026, in force since 21/10/2026, which Congress must confirm (convalidar) by 21/11/2026; if it does not, the rule lapses.
| Cause of the sick leave | Days 1 to 3 | Days 4 to 20 | From day 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary illness or non-work accident | Nothing | 60% | 75% |
| Work accident or occupational disease | 75% from the day after the sick leave starts | 75% | 75% |
The percentages and the day payments start are in articles 10 and 11 of Real Decreto 1273/2003. Unlike an employee, no days are covered by an employer: the mutua pays from the first day with a right to the benefit (article 318.h LGSS).
An example
Lucía contributes on €1.274,51 a month, the minimum base of general bracket 6 in 2026. Her daily base is €1.274,51 ÷ 30 = €42,48. A bad flu keeps her off work for 30 days with an ordinary illness:
- Days 1 to 3: nothing.
- Days 4 to 20, 17 days at 60% (€25,49 a day): €433,33.
- Days 21 to 30, 10 days at 75% (€31,86 a day): €318,60.
In total her mutua pays her €751,93 for that sick leave. As the benefit depends on the base you choose, a higher base gives you higher sick pay. How to change it is in how to change your autónomo contribution base.
If you are on the tarifa plana
While you pay the reduced start-up contribution, your benefits are worked out on the minimum base of bracket 1 of the general table (article 38 ter.5 of Ley 20/2007). In 2026 that base is €950,98 a month (article 18.1 of Orden PJC/297/2026). Your daily base is €31,70: you receive €19,02 a day from day 4 to day 20 and €23,77 a day from day 21. More on this contribution in what the tarifa plana is and how to apply.
How long it can last
Temporary incapacity lasts up to 365 days, extendable by another 180 if you are expected to be discharged as recovered within that time (article 169.1.a LGSS). At 545 days the benefit ends and Social Security assesses whether you have a permanent incapacity (article 174 LGSS).
Who pays you
Every autónomo in the RETA must cover temporary incapacity, work accidents and occupational diseases and cese de actividad (the autónomo unemployment benefit) with a mutua, all three with the same one (article 83.1.b LGSS). Your mutua recognises the benefit and pays it to you. If you do not know which one is yours, it appears on your Social Security registration.
Your contribution while you are off
You stay registered in the RETA. For the first 60 days of sick leave you pay your autónomo contribution as usual. From day 61 counted from the sick note, the contribution for all contingencies is paid by your mutua (article 309.2 LGSS and article 37.4 of Orden PJC/297/2026).
The business status declaration
While you are on sick leave you must give your mutua a declaration stating who is running your business directly during that time or, if nobody is, that you have stopped the activity temporarily or for good. The mutua decides the format and how often. If you do not file it, the mutua can suspend payment as a precaution while it checks that you meet the requirements (article 12 of Real Decreto 1273/2003).
Someone else running the business does not mean you can work. The benefit can be refused, cancelled or suspended if you work on your own account or for someone else while on sick leave (article 175.1.b LGSS).
How to claim it, step by step
- See the doctor. After examining you, they issue the sick note and give you a copy. The health service sends the data to the National Social Security Institute (Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social), which forwards it to your mutua by the next working day at the latest (articles 2 and 7 of Real Decreto 625/2014).
- Claim the benefit from your mutua with its application form and the business status declaration.
- Attend the check-ups. The doctor sets the next one according to the expected length of the sick leave and at each one issues a confirmation note or the discharge note (article 2.3 of Real Decreto 625/2014). If you miss a check-up called by the mutua or by the National Social Security Institute, the benefit is suspended as a precaution (article 175.3 LGSS).
- With the discharge note, you go back to work and the benefit ends.
If you are having a child
Birth and childcare (nacimiento y cuidado de menor) is not sick leave: it is a separate benefit. As an autónomo you receive 100% of a daily base worked out by dividing by 180 the sum of your bases for the six months before the month preceding the birth. The periods are the same as for an employee (article 318.a LGSS), which today are 19 weeks for each parent (article 48.4 of the Workers' Statute). The minimum contribution period depends on your age (article 178 LGSS).
Facturaz does not handle sick leave claims: that is between your doctor, your mutua and you. What we can do is keep your taxes moving while you recover. With Autónomo Plus (€44 + IVA a month) our team files your modelos and with Autónomo Go (€24 + IVA a month) you have them ready to file yourself. You have them on the Facturaz plans, with 14 days free.
