Domestic staff blog
Practical guides, legal essentials and tips for hiring and managing household staff in Spain with peace of mind.
Blog
6 min read
NIE and TIE to hire a domestic worker in Spain: a guide for foreigners
Hiring a housekeeper or a nanny in Spain as a foreigner? What the NIE and the TIE are, which of them you and your worker need, where to apply and what to do if she has neither.
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Social Security
Social Security for a domestic worker in Spain: a guide for foreign employers
How a foreign family registers a housekeeper, nanny or carer with Spanish Social Security: Import@ss, the employer code, the 2026 contributions and what changes if you live abroad.
7 min read
Labor Law
The domestic worker contract in Spain, explained for foreign employers
What a Spanish employment contract for a housekeeper, nanny or carer must say: the types you can sign, overnight stays for a live-in and the probation period, with the official templates.
7 min read
Labor Law
Probation period for a domestic worker in Spain: how long it lasts and how to use it
A domestic worker's probation period in Spain cannot exceed two months and must be agreed in writing. What still applies, what to watch for each week and how it ends.
6 min read
Labor Law
26 articles
5 min read
Health and safety for domestic workers in Spain: a guide for employer families and the new official tools
Families employing domestic workers in Spain now have health and safety obligations. We explain the new official tools, the free training course and how to comply step by step.
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6 min read
Regularising Your Domestic Worker in Spain: Arraigo Social
How to help your domestic worker regularise her status through arraigo social in 2026: the requirements after Royal Decree 1155/2024, the employer's role and the timelines.
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6 min read
2026 Employment Law Changes for Domestic Workers in Spain
A round-up of every 2026 employment law change affecting domestic workers in Spain: minimum wage, social security contributions, unemployment, risk prevention and regularisation, with links to each detailed guide.
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Housekeeper Pre-Contract: What to Include & Arraigo
What a housekeeper pre-employment contract is, what it must contain and how to use it for the arraigo sociolaboral route under Spain's 2026 rules.
5 min read
Housekeeper without a contract: risks and fines 2026
Employing a housekeeper without a contract is illegal in Spain and exposes you to fines of 3,750 to 12,000 € for failing to register them, while leaving the worker with no social protection. Here are all the risks in 2026 and how to put things right.
7 min read
How Many Days Off Can a Domestic Worker Take in Spain?
Every type of paid leave a domestic worker in Spain is entitled to, and how many days each one covers.
3 min read
How Much a Housekeeper Earns in Spain in 2026
How much a housekeeper earns in Spain in 2026 and what they really cost you: the minimum wage, pay by type of role and Social Security contributions.
5 min read
How to Dismiss a Domestic Worker in Spain (2026)
Since the 2022 reform, dismissing a domestic worker in Spain requires fair, written grounds. Here are the grounds, notice periods and severance that apply in 2026.
7 min read
Domestic Worker Holiday in Spain: 30 Days a Year
30 calendar days a year (2.5 per month): how a domestic worker's holiday accrues in Spain, who chooses the dates, how much is paid and what happens if they work by the hour.
6 min read
How to Do a Payslip for a Domestic Worker in Spain
A step-by-step guide to preparing a domestic worker's payslip in Spain: earnings, deductions and a downloadable template.
5 min read
Extra Payments for a Domestic Worker in Spain (2026)
Two extra payments a year: when they fall due, how much they must be to meet Spain's 2026 minimum wage, and why they are compulsory for domestic workers.
6 min read
Hiring an Undocumented Domestic Worker in Spain: Fines
Fines of up to 100,000 €, back-dated contributions and inspections: what an employer risks by hiring a domestic worker without papers or a contract, and how to avoid it in 2026.
8 min read
Can a Housekeeper Resign by WhatsApp in Spain?
A housekeeper can resign by WhatsApp, but an employer should not dismiss this way. Here is what Spanish law says in 2026 and how to do it properly.
5 min read
Live-in Housekeeper in Spain: Rights and Obligations
Everything you need to know about employing a live-in housekeeper in Spain: working hours, rest periods, holidays, salary, board and lodging, and the rights and duties on both sides.
4 min read
Pay in lieu of holiday for a housekeeper: is it legal?
Can you pay a domestic worker for holiday they never took? Find out when financial compensation is legal in Spain and how it is calculated in the final settlement.
7 min read
How Many Hours Can a Housekeeper Work in Spain?
How many hours can a housekeeper work in Spain? A clear guide to the maximum working week, rest periods and overtime for live-in, live-out and hourly staff.
3 min read
Domestic worker payslip: is it required by law?
Yes - Spanish law requires you to give your domestic worker a payslip. Here is what it must include, a worked 2026 minimum-wage example, special cases and the fines for getting it wrong.
8 min read
How to Calculate a Domestic Worker's Final Settlement
Learn how to calculate a domestic worker's final settlement using the 2026 Spanish minimum wage: salary owed, bonus payments pro-rated by half-year, and untaken holiday — step by step and with a real example.
6 min read
Do You Deduct Income Tax (IRPF) from a Housekeeper?
Private employers in Spain are not required to deduct income tax (IRPF) from a domestic worker's payslip, but the worker must still file a tax return if their earnings exceed certain thresholds. Here is the rule in force for 2026.
5 min read
Arraigo Sociolaboral for Domestic Workers: 2026 Guide
The arraigo sociolaboral route lets you legalise a non-EU domestic worker on contracts of at least 20 hours a week at the Spanish minimum wage. Since Royal Decree 316/2026, she can start working as soon as the application is admitted for processing.
7 min read
Hiring a Foreign Domestic Worker in Spain: 2026 Guide
A complete 2026 guide to hiring a foreign domestic worker in Spain: EU versus non-EU nationals, the arraigo sociolaboral route (Royal Decree 1155/2024), the extraordinary 2026 regularisation, the pre-contract, Social Security registration, the real cost and the risks of doing it off the books.
8 min read
Domestic Worker Contract Template: How to Fill It In
Learn how to fill in a domestic worker contract in Spain step by step in 2026: party details, working hours, the minimum wage (SMI), the trial period and Social Security registration.
6 min read
Domestic Worker Overtime: Pay and Limits in Spain
How much an hour of overtime costs for a domestic worker in 2026 (a minimum of 9.55 €, with no automatic premium), the 80-hour annual cap and how to offset it with equivalent rest taken within the following four months.
5 min read
Domestic Worker Health & Safety in Spain: RD 893/2024
Since 14 November 2025, every household that employs a domestic worker in Spain must comply with Royal Decree 893/2024 on health and safety. Here is a step-by-step guide for 2026: risk assessment, free eFundae training, PPE and health surveillance.
7 min read
Household Employment
8 articles
8 min read
How to Hire an Hourly Housekeeper in Madrid (2026)
Hourly rates in Madrid, the real cost once Social Security is included, and the full procedure to hire by the hour in 2026: contract, registration from hour one and risk assessment.
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11 min read
The 10 Most Common Mistakes When Hiring a Housekeeper in Spain (and How to Avoid Them)
The ten mistakes that cost employer families most when hiring domestic staff in Spain, set against the 2026 rules: what the law says, what sits behind each one and how to avoid them.
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7 min read
Why summer is the best time to hire a housekeeper in Spain (what many families discover too late)
Summer is when the domestic-staff market moves the most. More available candidates, calmer selection and a home that is already organised when September arrives.
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Grants to Hire a Domestic Worker in Madrid 2026
In 2026, the Comunidad de Madrid is keeping a direct grant of up to 4,000 € for families who hire a domestic worker to care for children or dependent relatives. Here are the updated requirements, amounts and deadlines.
6 min read
Housekeeper: Hiring Directly vs Through an Agency
We compare hiring a housekeeper directly versus through an agency in Spain: the real cost, time, legal risk and peace of mind, so you can choose wisely in 2026.
6 min read
How to Hire a Housekeeper in Spain for the First Time
Everything you need to know before hiring domestic staff in Spain for the first time: working hours, pay, Social Security registration, contracts and rights.
5 min read
Hiring a Domestic Worker in Spain as a Non-Resident
Live abroad but own a home in Spain? Here's how a non-resident can legally hire and register a domestic worker in 2026, what it costs and what alternatives you have.
10 min read
Social Security
5 articles
6 min read
What happens if your domestic worker gets sick? Who pays for sick leave and what to do
The worker calls in sick and the doubts begin: who pays each day, which documents to file and how to keep the household running. The full breakdown, step by step.
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6 min read
How Much Does Social Security Cost for a Housekeeper?
Contributing to Social Security for a full-time housekeeper on the 2026 Spanish minimum wage costs the employer around 317 €/month after rebates. Here is how the contribution bands, rates and your exact monthly amount work.
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5 min read
Updating Your Housekeeper's Salary in Spain (2026)
An up-to-date guide to raising your housekeeper's salary with Social Security after the 2026 minimum wage increase — step by step in Import@ss, with deadlines and back pay to settle.
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Legal
2 articles
5 min read
Severance pay for a domestic worker in Spain in 2026: 12 or 33 days, and what else is due
What a family in Spain owes when a housekeeper, nanny or carer's contract ends in 2026: 12 days per year for a justified cause, 33 for an unfair dismissal, one month if the employer dies, plus the final settlement. Figures with the 2026 minimum wage and the BOE sources.
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4 min read
Domestic worker payslip in Spain: what it must include in 2026
A payslip is mandatory for every domestic employee in Spain. What it must show in 2026: employer and worker details, gross pay and extras, the 6.40% worker contribution, no income tax withholding, the contribution base and bracket, and the employer's cost. Example on the minimum wage.
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