Grants to Hire a Domestic Worker in Madrid 2026

What the grant is and who it is for

This is an incentive scheme for hiring domestic workers, designed to help families balance their working and family lives. The Comunidad de Madrid runs it every year (with a budget of 2.3 million euros in 2026) to cover the employment costs faced by households that hire a domestic worker to care for their dependants within their own home.

The grant is aimed at families who hire a domestic worker mainly to care for:

• Children under 12.
• Children under 18 with a disability.
• Other relatives (up to the second degree) with a disability of 50% or more, or in a situation of dependency, provided they live in the same home.

How much you can get and how the amount is calculated

The grant is equal to the Social Security (Seguridad Social) contributions the employer has paid for the domestic worker during the eligible period — the calendar year before the application, which for the 2026 call means the 2025 tax year — up to a maximum of 4,000 € per beneficiary. The percentage of those contributions that is reimbursed depends on the per capita income of the family unit. (The current call applies no additional uplift on top of the contributions: the amount is simply a percentage of the contributions according to income.)

In every case the grant is capped at 4,000 € per beneficiary and at the amount actually contributed. The funding for each call is limited (2.3 million euros in 2026), so it is wise to apply as early as possible within the deadline.

Requirements for the contract and the domestic worker

• The employment relationship must be the special domestic-service relationship governed by Royal Decree 1620/2011 (Real Decreto 1620/2011).
• The contract must be in writing, and the head of the household must register the worker with the Special System for Domestic Workers (Sistema Especial para Empleados de Hogar) of the Social Security.
• Only contracts that, within the eligible period (1 January to 31 December of the calendar year before the application), kept the employment relationship and Social Security registration in place for at least 58 calendar days — even if non-consecutive — qualify.
• The domestic worker must carry out their duties at the beneficiary's home, located in any municipality within the Comunidad de Madrid.
• Their main purpose must be the care or support, within the home, of children or relatives who live with the head of the household and are their dependants.

Requirements for the head of the household and their spouse or partner

• Genuinely live and be registered on the municipal census (empadronamiento), throughout the eligible period, at the same address as the child or relative for whose care the domestic worker is hired, in any municipality within the Comunidad de Madrid.
• For the care of children under 12 or children under 18 with a disability, both parents must be in paid work (whether self-employed or employed) on a full-time basis, with some exceptions: a parent with a disability of 33% or more is not required to be in work; in a single-parent family, part-time work or reduced hours is sufficient; and in a large family (familia numerosa), one of the parents may work part-time or on reduced hours.
• For the care of other relatives with a disability of 50% or more, or in a situation of dependency, the full-time paid-work requirement applies to the head of the household and to their non-separated spouse or cohabiting registered partner.
• Neither cohabiting parent may be on maternity, paternity, adoption, pre-adoption guardianship or fostering leave during the eligible period.
• The head of the household and their spouse or partner may not be on unpaid leave (excedencia) or reduced working hours to care for a child or relative during the eligible period, save for the exceptions provided for.
• Be up to date with tax and Social Security obligations, have no debts in the enforcement period with the Comunidad de Madrid (unless they are secured), and not fall under any of the disqualifications for beneficiaries set out in the Spanish General Subsidies Act (Ley General de Subvenciones).

Deadline and how to apply for the grant in 2026

The ordinary application window runs from 1 February to 30 April each year; in 2026, from 1 February to 30 April 2026. Applications are submitted exclusively online through the Comunidad de Madrid's electronic register (Administración Digital), so you will need a digital certificate, an electronic DNI (DNI electrónico) or the Cl@ve system.

The documentation usually required includes:

• The completed application form on the electronic register.
• The written employment contract and the worker's registration with the Special System for Domestic Workers (Sistema Especial para Empleados de Hogar).
• Proof of the Social Security contributions paid during the eligible period.
• Documents proving your family and employment situation (family book (libro de familia), disability or dependency certificates, municipal census registration (empadronamiento), employment history report (vida laboral), and so on).
• The information needed to verify the per capita income of the family unit.

The exact documentation and percentages may vary slightly from one call to the next; always check the order published in the Official Gazette of the Comunidad de Madrid (Boletín Oficial de la Comunidad de Madrid, BOCM) before submitting your application.

Context: how much it costs to hire a domestic worker in 2026

This grant matters because, from the very first hour worked, the employer is required to register the worker with the Special System for Domestic Workers (Sistema Especial para Empleados de Hogar) and to pay contributions on their behalf. The starting point is the Spanish minimum wage (SMI), which in 2026 rose by 3.1% under Royal Decree 126/2026 of 18 February (Real Decreto 126/2026; published in the Official State Gazette, BOE, on 19 February 2026), with retroactive effect from 1 January.

On top of this wage, the employer pays Social Security contributions while applying the reductions and allowances in force: a 20% reduction in the employer's contribution for common contingencies — which for large families (familia numerosa) becomes a 45% allowance instead of that 20% — and an 80% allowance on unemployment and Wage Guarantee Fund (FOGASA) contributions. The contribution also includes the Intergenerational Equity Mechanism (Mecanismo de Equidad Intergeneracional, MEI), at 0.90% in 2026. Personal income tax (IRPF) is not a compulsory withholding in domestic employment, although it can be agreed voluntarily.

You can estimate the real cost of hiring in our guide to how much a domestic worker's Social Security costs and in our guide to how much a domestic worker earns in Spain in 2026, see how to register the worker with the Social Security, and check our prices. If you are hiring for the first time, our essential guide to hiring domestic staff in Spain will help.