How to read your payslip in Spain

Gross, net, contributions, withholdings... a Spanish payslip has its own vocabulary. Here it's simplified.

Updated on July 8, 2026

In short: from the gross salary, Social Security contributions (a fixed percentage, approximately 6.35% for most contracts) and income tax withholding (variable, depending on your personal situation) are deducted. What's left is the net salary, the money you actually receive.

Gross salary

This is the "reference" figure usually agreed upon in a job offer or contract. It's the base used afterward to calculate the deductions.

Social Security contributions

A fixed percentage (approximately 6.35% of gross for most permanent contracts) that funds public healthcare, pensions, and unemployment benefits. It's mandatory and already calculated on the payslip.

Income tax withholding (IRPF)

Unlike Social Security, this percentage isn't fixed for everyone: it depends on your total annual income, family situation (dependents, disability), region, and other factors. It's an advance payment of income tax that gets settled each year in the annual tax return.

Net salary

This is what actually lands in your account: gross minus Social Security minus income tax withholding. It's the figure that really matters for planning your monthly budget.

Extra payments

In Spain it's common to receive salary in 12, 14, or (less commonly) more payments a year. If your salary is spread over 14 payments, two of them are usually "extra" (typically in July and December), which changes how much you receive each month versus the annual total.

An important nuance: comparing salaries between people without knowing whether they mean 12 or 14 payments can lead to wrong conclusions about who actually earns more per month.

Calculate it with your own numbers

With the net salary calculator, you can see, from your gross salary and your income tax withholding percentage (found on your own payslip), how much you'd take home monthly and annually.

Estimate your net salary from your gross salary.

Calculate my net salary →