An error by the Spanish social security system has left thousands of newly registered self-employed workers in Spain in shock
Thousands of newly registered self-employed individuals had an unexpected surprise this week after the social security system overcharged them 220 euros for the January deduction.
Sources from the ministry headed by José Luis Escrivá assure that the inappropriately charged amounts will be returned ex officio and add that the incidence has not been widespread. The error has affected around 8,000 professionals – out of the 3.5 million in Spain – who registered between January 1 and 9 in the special system for self-employed workers with the flat rate option, which is fixed at 80 euros per month. However, the administration charged them the normal minimum fee, which is close to 300 euros.
The ministry assures that it is working to inform those affected of what happened and to correct the error. All affected individuals will receive an email in which the situation will be explained to them and the formula chosen to correct it, which is as follows: in February, the flat rate that corresponds to them, 80 euros, will be charged, and later, presumably in March, an ex officio refund of the difference between 80 euros and the billed fee will be made.
Tuesday was the last business day of the month, which coincides with the Social Security fee payment for the self-employed. The flat rate implies that for 12 months, a reduced fee of 80 euros per month is paid. All new self-employed individuals who request it at the time of registration can avail of it. It is also recognized to those professionals who were not registered as self-employed in the two immediately preceding years to the date of the new registration, which is three years if they have already availed of this deduction.
Automatic revaluation The same sources from the Ministry of Social Security also assure that there has been no error in the fees of self-employed individuals who contributed to the minimum base at the end of 2022, amounts that have been updated this January. They explain that there are two different situations. On the one hand, there are professionals who have not requested the automatic revaluation of their contribution base, and who have experienced a rise in their contribution of 0.6 percentage points, to 299.71 euros, due to the application of the new Intergenerational Equity Mechanism (IEM).
For workers who have requested the automatic revaluation, in addition to the aforementioned increase in the IEM, an increase in the minimum contribution base has been applied, 8.6%, bringing their fee to 325.48 euros. “Those workers who have requested the automatic updating of their contribution base, their contribution base as of January 1, 2023 will be that of December 31, 2022 increased by 8.6 percent,” the ministerial order published this Wednesday in the Official State Gazette (BOE) states.
These changes are part of the new contribution system for the self-employed designed by the government, which comes into effect in 2023, although its application will be progressive over the next three years, during which workers who earn less will see their fee reduced, while those who earn more will experience an increase. This reform is included in the Government’s agreement with the Social Security to modernize its system.
