Finance

How much do the widowed receive from their partner's pension in Spain: these are the amounts and requirements

This is a contributory benefit that can be paid out following the death of a spouse

Virginia López Esplá

Madrid

Wednesday, 23 July 2025, 13:35

When one spouse dies, the other is usually entitled to a widow's or widower's pension. As specified by Spain's social security system, this amount can be considered as a contributory benefit.

However, in order to receive it, both the deceased and the surviving spouse or partner need to meet certain eligibility requirements. The main purpose of this pension is to prevent the loss of purchasing power or the economic vulnerability of the person who is eligible to receive it, especially if the deceased was the main breadwinner in the family unit.

The requirements for a widow's or widower's pension

First of all, it should be noted that you are entitled to a widow's or widower's pension if the relationship with the deceased was through marriage, partnership or even separation, provided that the beneficiary has not remarried or entered into another common-law partnership ('pareja de hecho').

The deceased is entitled to a pension as long as he/she was registered in the general social security contributions scheme and also its various special schemes. If not registered, he/she must have a minimum contribution period of 15 years of previously paying into the system. Likewise, no minimum contribution period is required if death was due to an accident, whether work-related or not, or an occupational disease.

Other options are that he/she was in receipt of, or entitled to, a contributory retirement pension, was pensioned off due to permanent incapacity or was entitled to leave for temporary incapacity.

As for the surviving partner, he or she must also meet a number of requirements.

Requirements for a partner to receive a widow's or widower's pension

He/she was the spouse of the deceased and there are children in common or, if there are no children in common, that the marriage occurred at least one year before the death in question. If this is not the case, a temporary widow's or widower's benefit may still be paid.
He/she was divorced or legally separated from the deceased and was receiving a compensatory pension that expires upon death. Since 1 January 2013, those aged over 65, who are not entitled to another pension and who have been married for more than 15 years, are also entitled to a widow's or widower's pension without needing to be a recipient of any supplementary pension.
He/she was the deceased's common-law partner, registered in the civil registry of the corresponding region or the municipal registry at least two years prior to the death. It is necessary to prove stable cohabitation during the five years prior to the death and that, during those five years, neither of the two was married to, or separated from, another person. The survivor's income must not have reached 50% of the sum of his or her own income plus that of the deceased, or 25% in the case of no common children.

Amount of widow's or widower's pension

As explained by Social Security, the pension amounts to 52% of the regulatory base, although it can reach 60% in certain cases. It can even go up to 70% in exceptional circumstances if the beneficiary has family responsibilities and very low income.

In the event of legal separation or divorce, if there are no other potential beneficiaries, the full amount is due by applying these percentages. Otherwise, it is calculated in proportion to the length of cohabitation, with 40% being guaranteed to the surviving spouse or partner with legal rights.

On the other hand, the regulatory base to which these percentages are applied will be the same as that used to determine the deceased's retirement or permanent disability pension. There are also some criteria in this regard.

Special cases when calculating the regulatory base for a widow's or widower's pension

If the deceased was in active employment, the regulatory base will be the quotient resulting from dividing by 28 the sum of the interested party's contribution bases over an uninterrupted period of 24 months. This period will be chosen by the beneficiaries within the immediately preceding 15 years.
If the death is due to a work-related accident, the regulatory base will be the quotient of dividing the employee's daily salary and seniority on the date of the accident or sick leave by 12, multiplied by 365 days.
Since 2016, when the beneficiary of the widow's pension is a woman who has had two or more children, whether biological or adopted, a maternity supplement will be applied to her case, consisting of an additional percentage to the pension amount calculated as indicated in the previous sections. This percentage will be 5% in the case of two children, 10% with three and 15% in the case of four or more children.

There are also statutory minimums in case the calculation is lower.

Widow's or widower's pension amounts 2025

Minimum amount 9,275 euros per year for persons under 60 years of age
Minimum amount of 11,452 euros per year for those aged between 60 and 64.
Minimum amount of 12,241.60 per year for those over 65 years of age or under that age with a disability.
Minimum amount of 15,786.40 euros per year for those who also have family responsibilities (dependents).

As with other pensions, widow's/widower's pensions are paid two extra payments in June and November (14 payments every year). The amount is also reassessed each year in accordance with the provisions of Spain's pension law.

In June 2025, the average pension for widowed beneficiaries in Spain was 935 euros per month, while the extra payment for this type of pension is 912.80 euros.

It should be noted that the widow's/widower's pension is compatible with any work-earned income and with the retirement or permanent disability pension to which you are entitled. However, two widow's or widower's pensions cannot be combined unless contributions to the two schemes overlap for at least 15 years. If one of them comes from the SOVI (a safety-net benefit, a residual social security scheme that provides pensions for old age, invalidity or widowhood to those who don't qualify for benefits under the current social security scheme), it cannot be double the minimum widow's/widower's pension for beneficiaries aged 65 or over.