What being autonomo in Spain really costs per month
Enter your net monthly income and we estimate your 2026 social security cuota, the IRPF withheld from your invoices, and what actually lands in your account. Toggle the tarifa plana to see the first-year discount.
What this calculator does
You enter your expected net monthly income, meaning invoiced revenue minus deductible expenses, and the tool returns three numbers: the monthly social security cuota under the 2026 income-based brackets, the IRPF withholding your Spanish business clients deduct from your invoices, and your remaining net each month. You can switch the IRPF mode between the standard 15%, the reduced 7% for newly registered professionals, and none at all, and flip the tarifa plana on to see exactly what the discounted flat cuota saves you over a year.
The 2026 rules behind the math
Since the 2023 reform, the autonomo cuota is tied to real income. The 2026 scale used here runs across 15 brackets: 230 EUR a month if you net 670 EUR or less, 294 EUR around the 1,300 EUR mark, 370 EUR between 1,850 and 2,030 EUR, and a top cuota of 590 EUR once you clear 6,000 EUR a month.
New autonomos can opt for the tarifa plana instead: a flat 87 EUR per month for the first 12 months, extendable for another 12 if your net income stays below the minimum wage. On top of the cuota, invoices to Spanish businesses usually carry IRPF withholding: 15% as standard, or 7% during your first three years as a newly registered professional.
Autonomo Cuota Calculator
Find your monthly Seguridad Social contribution as a self-employed worker. The 2026 scale is income-based - move the slider to your real monthly net income and see exactly what the social security cuota will be.
This is your monthly profit, not gross revenue. The Seguridad Social uses your declared rendimientos netos to set the bracket.
New autonomos pay a flat EUR 87/month for the first 12 months instead of the bracket cuota. Can be extended another 12 months if net income stays below the SMI.
If your clients are Spanish businesses, they retain 15% IRPF (7% in your first 2 years) on each invoice. This is a prepayment of your annual income tax - not an extra cost.
Your Monthly Picture
Estimate, not a quote
Based on the published 2026 contribution scale (RDL 13/2022 phase-in). Take-home does not include deductible expenses, regional IRPF variations, IVA collected from clients, or year-end IRPF reconciliation. Talk to a Spanish gestor for a binding number.
Sources
- -Real monthly net income contribution scale - Real Decreto-ley 13/2022, Disposicion final cuarta, year 2026 figures.
- -Tarifa Plana EUR 87/month and 12+12 month extension for new autonomos - Ley 6/2017 as amended by RDL 13/2022.
- -IRPF retention rates for autonomo invoices (15% standard, 7% first 2 years) - Articulo 95 Reglamento IRPF (RD 439/2007).
- -Seguridad Social official cuota tables 2026 - Tesoreria General de la Seguridad Social.
Want a real income projection or help registering as autonomo?
We work with bilingual gestorias who handle Modelo 036/037, monthly cuota direct debit, quarterly IVA, and year-end IRPF for expat freelancers.
A worked example
Say you net 2,000 EUR a month. That falls in the 1,850 - 2,030 EUR bracket, so the standard cuota is 370 EUR. With the standard 15% withholding, 300 EUR of IRPF is retained, leaving 1,330 EUR in your pocket, and the cuota alone adds up to 4,440 EUR over a year. On the tarifa plana the same income pays just 87 EUR of cuota, so the monthly net rises to 1,613 EUR and you save 3,396 EUR across twelve months.
Who this is for, and what it is not
This tool is for freelancers and self-employed professionals registering with RETA in Spain: digital nomads switching to autonomo, consultants invoicing Spanish clients, and anyone comparing self-employment with a salaried offer. It is a simplified estimate, not tax or legal advice. It ignores deductible expense rules, quarterly Modelo 130 prepayments, regional IRPF differences, IVA, and the year-end regularisation of your cuota against real income. Before you register or change brackets, run your actual numbers past a gestoria.