The three ways to hire domestic staff in Spain, compared:cost, time, vetting, guarantee, legal setup and risk (2026 legal figures; the assessment is Maids & Co's).
Criterion
Route 1 of 3Hiring privately
Route 2 of 3Platform / app
Route 3 of 3Agency (Maids & Co)
Real cost
Only the employee's salary (2026 minimum wage from €1,221/month over 14 payments, about €9.55/hour; the market usually pays more), with Social Security separate and borne by the employer; no agency fee, but you pay in time and risk.
Recurring subscription or commission, on top of the employee's salary and Social Security.
One-off fee of one month's salary + VAT (21% in Spain; outside Spain, whatever applies), paid only if you hire; salary and Social Security are separate.
Time to hire
Weeks of adverts, screening and interviews on your own.
Fast: instant access to a listing, but you do the filtering.
First vetted profiles in under 3 hours.
Reference checks
Down to you; hard to confirm previous jobs.
Shallow: self-declared profiles and reviews; vetting varies.
Direct checks with previous employers, plus a personal interview.
Guarantee / replacement
None; if it doesn't work out, you start from scratch.
Limited or none, depending on the app's policy.
A free replacement within 6 months in Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella; wherever you are, a 50% refund of the fee in the first month.
Legal setup & Social Security
On you: contract and Social Security registration (mandatory from the first hour).
Usually on you; the app rarely handles it.
Guidance on the contract and Social Security registration.
Risk if it doesn't fit
High: lost time, money and possible legal exposure.
Medium: you repeat the search, with little cover.
Low: replacement covered for 6 months in Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella and, wherever you are, a 50% refund of the fee in the first month.
Hiring someone for your home is a decision built on trust, not just price.In Spain there are three ways to do it: search on your own, use a platform or app, or go through a specialist agency. None is "best" in the abstract; each balances cost, time, safety and peace of mind differently.
What really matters is how much you are willing to invest and how much risk you are prepared to carry. The private route is usually the cheapest in fees, but it demands your time and puts all the risk on you. A platform is quick and convenient, though the vetting tends to be shallow. An agency is a bigger outlay in exchange for checked references, a guarantee and time saved.
This comparison lays it out plainly, so you can decide with your eyes open. And yes, we are an agency, which is exactly why we also tell you when you don't need one.
ROUTE 1 · ON YOUR OWN
Hiring privately (on your own)
Route 1 of 3Hiring privately
Risk if it doesn't fit
High
Lost time, money and possible legal exposure.
You post an advert, sift through applications, interview and decide yourself.It is the option with the lowest fees: you only pay the employee's salary (full-time, from the 2026 minimum wage: €1,221/month over 14 payments or €1,424.50 over 12, about €9.55/hour; the market usually pays more) and, separately, their Social Security, borne by the employer, as set out on our prices page. For families with the time and some hiring experience, it is a perfectly valid route.
You pay the price in another currency: time and risk. Sifting through dozens of messages, arranging interviews and checking genuine references takes weeks, and confirming previous jobs on your own is hard. If the person doesn't fit, there is no safety net: you go back to the start.
The legal side is yours too: the contract, Social Security registration from the very first hour (including hourly work), payslips and the final settlement. Employing someone without registering them for Social Security (paying off the books) is not legal and leaves you without cover in the event of sick leave or an accident.
ROUTE 2 · PLATFORM
Platform or online app
Route 2 of 3Platform / app
Risk if it doesn't fit
Medium
You repeat the search, with little cover.
Platforms give you instant access to a list of profiles and typically charge a subscription or commission.Their big advantage is speed and convenience: within minutes you can see candidates available in your area.
The catch is the vetting. Most rely on self-declared profiles and user reviews rather than a direct check with previous employers. The filtering and interviews are still your job, and any guarantee tends to be limited.
The legal admin, the contract and Social Security registration, almost always sits with you. It is a middle route: faster than searching alone, but with less backing than an agency if something doesn't go to plan.
ROUTE 3 · AGENCY
Specialist agency (Maids & Co)
An agency does the heavy lifting for you: it gets to know your home, draws up a shortlist, interviews in person and checks references directly with previous employers.At Maids & Co we present the first profiles in under 3 hours and only show you candidates who fit.
It is the option with the largest outlay, but also the most backing. The fee is one-off, one month's gross salary plus VAT (21% in Spain; outside Spain, whatever applies), and it is payable only if you hire (on success). The service includes 2 trial days with the candidate before you confirm the hire. It includes a 6-month guarantee with free replacement in our main hubs (Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella), if the person leaves or doesn't settle in. And wherever you are, if you're not satisfied during the first month, we refund 50% of the fee.
As placement agency no. 1300000318, we guide you through the contract and Social Security registration, which is mandatory from the first hour. Our track record speaks for itself: 4.8 stars from 93 Google reviews.
Route 3 of 3Agency (Maids & Co)
Risk if it doesn't fit
Low
Replacement covered for 6 months in Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella and, wherever you are, a 50% refund of the fee in the first month.
THE REAL COST
The real cost: agency fee vs. employee cost
This is where most confusion arises.The employee cost is the same whichever route you choose: the gross salary (full-time, from the 2026 minimum wage: €1,221/month over 14 payments or €1,424.50 over 12; the market usually pays more) and, as a separate cost borne by the employer, Social Security.
What changes between the options is what you pay to find and secure that person: nothing on your own (but with your time and risk), a recurring fee on platforms, or a one-off success fee with an agency. At Maids & Co that fee equals one month's salary plus VAT and is only paid if you hire. The salary and Social Security figures are set out in full on our prices page.
WHICH TO CHOOSE
When each option makes sense
On your own
Hire privately if you have the time, some experience selecting staff and you can handle the contract and Social Security registration yourself; it is the cheapest in fees and you carry the risk.
Platform or app
A platform can suit you if you already know the profile you want and you handle the vetting, the contract and the Social Security registration yourself.
Specialist agency
Choose an agency if you value your time, want checked references and a genuine guarantee, or need a hard-to-find profile (live-in, with languages, elderly or newborn care). It is the biggest investment and the route that leaves the least risk and admin on your plate.
IF AN AGENCY IS YOUR ROUTE
Leave the search in our hands
After peace of mind and vetted profiles? Tell us what you need and receive your first candidates in under 3 hours, with nothing to pay until you hire.
“We are very happy with our experience with Maids & Co. We had quite a demanding search, as we have three children under five and were preparing for a big international move from New York to Spain. Although we were unlucky with a few candidates who changed…”
Tatiana2 months ago · Google review
★★★★★
“Isabella and her team were fantastic in helping us find a nanny. From an initial call to align on profiles to the process and platform they use, together with the candidates presented, it was a smooth an easy process. They were very communicative and helped…”
David5 months ago · Google review
★★★★★
“Great and easy experience hiring our new house keeper with Maids & Co. They are very helpful and were continuously searching for the perfect candidate. We are very happy and will keep working with them in the future.”
Georgia6 months ago · Google review
★★★★★
“My experience having Maids&Co supporting me finding and choosing an assistent was the best! Very organized, plenty of good options, speedy and trustworthy. I recommend it.”
Hiring privately saves the agency fee, but not the employee cost (the salary, from the 2026 minimum wage: €1,221/month over 14 payments full-time, plus Social Security separately, borne by the employer), and you take on the search time and the risk. An agency adds a one-off fee of one month's salary plus VAT, payable only if you hire; in return you get reference checks and a guarantee. Cheaper in money isn't always cheaper in time and risk.
At Maids & Co, a single fee equal to one month's gross salary plus VAT (21% in Spain; outside Spain, whatever applies). It is a one-off payment, with no subscriptions or lock-ins, and it is only paid if you hire (on success). It covers the selection, the reference checks, 2 trial days with the candidate before you confirm the hire, and the guarantee: a free replacement within 6 months in Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella and, wherever you are, a 50% refund of the fee if you're not satisfied in the first month.
It varies by platform, but vetting is generally shallow: they lean on self-declared profiles and user reviews rather than a direct check with previous employers. If real verification matters to you, an agency confirms references one by one before introducing anyone.
On your own, or with many platforms, you go back and start the search again yourself. With Maids & Co, in our main hubs (Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella) you have a 6-month guarantee: if the person leaves or doesn't settle in, we find a replacement at no extra cost. And wherever you are, if you're not satisfied during the first month, we refund 50% of the fee.
How much an agency costsRead the guide
How to choose an agencyRead the guide