Hiring guide · EMEA
How to hire in Spain
To hire in Spain you need an entity registered with the Social Security General Treasury, or an Employer of Record that holds one. Employer social security is roughly 30–32% of salary, and a sector collective agreement usually sets minimum terms for the role.
- Currency
- EUR
- Payroll cycle
- Monthly, often 14 payments
- Employer cost
- ~30–32%
- Notice
- 15 days statutory
The talent market in Spain
Spain combines a large, well-educated technology workforce in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia with costs below France and Germany, and has become a favoured base for EU-facing engineering and multilingual customer operations.
Nearly every role falls under a sector or regional collective agreement — the convenio colectivo — which sets minimum pay, working time and often extra payments. The applicable convenio has to be identified before an offer is made, because it overrides less favourable contract terms.
Salary benchmarks in Spain
Indicative annual gross base salary in EUR for common roles. Treat these as planning ranges — actual offers move with city, seniority, sector and equity mix, and we model a live benchmark before you go to offer.
| Role | Annual gross base |
|---|---|
| Software engineer (mid) | EUR 40,000 – 55,000 |
| Senior software engineer | EUR 55,000 – 80,000 |
| Account executive (SaaS) | EUR 45,000 – 70,000 incl. variable |
| Customer support specialist | EUR 22,000 – 32,000 |
Employment rules and payroll in Spain
The statutory framework any offer has to sit inside — hours, leave, notice and the contributions that turn salary into fully loaded cost.
Working week
40 hours, with mandatory daily time recording
Probation
Up to 6 months for qualified staff, 2 months otherwise
Notice period
15 days statutory, often extended by the collective agreement
Paid leave
30 calendar days, roughly 22 working days
Public holidays
14 days, combining national, regional and local
Payroll cycle
Monthly, frequently split into 14 payments including July and December extras
Employer contributions
~30–32%: common contingencies, unemployment, FOGASA, training and the MEI solidarity mechanism
Contractor, EOR employee or your own entity?
Three ways to engage someone in Spain. The right one depends on how permanent the role is, how much direction you give, and how much local risk you want to carry.
Contractor
Fastest to start and simplest to end. Suitable for genuinely independent, project-scoped work where the person controls how and when they deliver, invoices you, and works for other clients. No statutory benefits, no notice period, no severance.
Employee via EOR
The right structure for a full-time role with fixed hours, managerial direction and exclusivity. A licensed in-country partner is the legal employer, so the person gets a compliant contract, statutory benefits and local payroll — without you opening an entity.
Your own entity
Worth it once headcount, permanence and local revenue justify the incorporation, tax registration, statutory filings and local directorship. Most companies reach that point somewhere between 15 and 30 employees in a single country.
Misclassification risk in Spain
The falso autónomo problem is heavily enforced by the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate. A dependent self-employed worker who works mainly for one client on set hours is reclassified, generating up to four years of back contributions with surcharges plus severance exposure from the original start date.
Work permits and right to work
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals work freely. Others generally need a work and residence authorisation sponsored by the employer, with the highly qualified professional route offering faster processing. Spain's digital nomad visa allows remote work for foreign employers but does not substitute for local employment.
Hire in Spain without an entity
TalentStores orchestrates Employer of Record employment in Spain through licensed in-country partners, with cost modelled before you extend an offer.
Explore Employer of Record- Fully loaded cost modelled before offer
- Licensed partner matched, not assumed
- One contract, one consolidated bill
Hiring in Spain: frequently asked questions
Can we hire in Spain without a Spanish entity?
Yes. A Spanish Employer of Record employs the person under its own social security registration, applies the correct collective agreement, and handles payroll, time recording and statutory severance provisioning — usually within a week of an accepted offer.
What is a convenio colectivo and why does it matter?
It is a binding sector or regional collective agreement setting minimum salary, working hours, leave and often supplementary payments for covered roles. It overrides less favourable contract terms, so the applicable convenio must be identified before the offer.
What does severance cost in Spain?
Objective dismissal carries 20 days' salary per year of service, capped at twelve monthly payments. If a dismissal is found unfair, compensation rises to 33 days per year of service, capped at twenty-four monthly payments.
Related
Hiring guides by country
Compare salaries, employer cost and employment rules across every market we cover.
ExploreGlobal payroll
One consolidated payroll view across every country, partner and currency.
ExploreContractor payments
Onboard, classify and pay independent contractors without the misclassification exposure.
Explore
Get the Spain Hiring Cost Guide
A country brief covering fully loaded employment cost in EUR, salary benchmarks by role, statutory contributions, leave and notice rules, and a sample offer breakdown for Spain.