Legal Benefits For The Birth Of A Child
The birth rate in Spain has shown a decreasing trend for some years. To promote birth rates, the State has launched a series of grants and benefits for families for the birth of a child. These are financial aid, tax deductions, maternity and paternity benefits, among other subsidies.
It is important to stay well informed, as some laws have been modified. Furthermore, the conditions for accessing these grants are often different in each Autonomous Community. Next, we will see some elements to better understand the legal benefits that exist for the birth of a child.
Maternity and Paternity Benefit
This benefit is a subsidy for working men and women in the event of the birth or adoption of a child. New fathers and mothers will be entitled to this benefit during the rest periods that have been legally established.
In short, it is an economic aid that the State gives them when their work activities must be temporarily suspended due to the birth or adoption of a child. It is a compensatory amount; that’s your goal.
All workers who are registered with Social Security can access this legal benefit. It does not matter if they are employed or self-employed. To benefit from the subsidy, they must meet a series of requirements established by Social Security, such as a minimum number of contributions required.
However, when the mother does not meet this last requirement (but does with all the others), she can benefit from the non-contributory maternity allowance. Women will be able to access this benefit in the event of the birth of a child, but not in the event of adoption or foster care.
Paternity leave
After the new legal reforms, paternity leave in 2019 includes eight weeks of rest for the father for the birth of a child, instead of the five established until the previous year.
Two of these weeks are mandatory immediately after birth, and the remaining six are voluntary and can be taken on flexible dates. The objective is to be able to coordinate with the mother’s leave weeks.
In order to equalize the rights of men and women, the weeks of paternity leave will gradually increase until they equal those of maternity leave. Thus, in 2020 the childbirth leave will be 12 weeks for the father and in 2021 it will be 16, the same as that of the mother.
Assistance for the birth of a child or adoption
In addition to the maternity and paternity benefit provided by law, Social Security also provides, in some cases, aid for birth or adoption. It is a single payment of 1000 euros, which will be delivered as long as a certain level of income is not exceeded.
To access this legal benefit for the birth of a child, families must meet at least one of the established conditions. The first is to be a large family, the second, a single-parent family, and the third, if the mother has a disability of more than 65%.
This help, as well as the maternity and paternity benefit, is a right that can be accessed by both Spanish citizens and foreigners, provided they are registered with Social Security.
There are also other benefits, such as assistance for multiple birth or adoption, economic allowances for dependent children, the special maternity allowance for multiple birth or adoption. At the regional level, you can also find other public aid, specific to each Autonomous Community.
Legal benefits for the birth of a child: income tax aid for families
The legal benefits for the birth of a child also include income tax assistance for families. In 2019 these aids have increased. For example, the deduction of 1200 euros per year for large families has had an increase of 600 euros from the fourth child.
What is called a ‘daycare check’ has also been included, which is the deduction of up to 1000 euros per year for school fees for young children between 0 and 3 years old. In addition, women who have resumed work after becoming mothers will benefit from a deduction of up to 1200 euros per year for each child.
