# Health service spain



## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

Hi, trying to find out about the health service in Spain. Trying to understand how different it is compared to the UK.

My wife suffers from C O P D, so may need health services from time to time. I will be self employed in Spain, so would love to know if we would be covered or do i take out private health insurance.

In the UK you go to a gp for help, so want to know the procedure of what you do when you are ill in Spain. Do you have a regulary doctor and if so how much do you pay or are you covered.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

headlineplus said:


> Hi, trying to find out about the health service in Spain. Trying to understand how different it is compared to the UK.
> 
> My wife suffers from C O P D, so may need health services from time to time. I will be self employed in Spain, so would love to know if we would be covered or do i take out private health insurance.
> 
> In the UK you go to a gp for help, so want to know the procedure of what you do when you are ill in Spain. Do you have a regulary doctor and if so how much do you pay or are you covered.


If you are registered self employed / autónomo in Spain then you & your wife will have full healthcare coverage

You would register with a local _centro de salud _& be allocated a family doctor 

All treatment is free, but you pay for prescriptions

More info about prescription charges etc. here HEALTHCARE IN SPAIN | Learn-Aprender


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## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> If you are registered self employed / autónomo in Spain then you & your wife will have full healthcare coverage
> 
> You would register with a local _centro de salud _& be allocated a family doctor
> 
> ...


That is brillant information thank you. Can I ask, for someone who is self employed and would be earning around £17,000 a year. How much tax do they pay in spain. finding this so hard to try and understand


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## BMC77 (Aug 15, 2009)

Hi there,

We can't really answer your question until you've clarified a couple of things. First, did you mean £17,000 (approx. €24,250) or did you mean €17,000? Second, are you planning to register as self-employed in Spain (which you'll need to do if you want access to healthcare), or were you proposing to try living off a British income? 

Briona


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## 1664 (Nov 17, 2013)

BMC77 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> We can't really answer your question until you've clarified a couple of things. First, did you mean £17,000 (approx. €24,250) or did you mean €17,000? Second, are you planning to register as self-employed in Spain (which you'll need to do if you want access to healthcare), or were you proposing to try living off a British income?
> 
> Briona


1700 is the British threshold for benifits


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## 1664 (Nov 17, 2013)

1700 is the self employed amount here in the uk, we now have to pay for dental treatment, but only pay up to £25.00 pounds for any treatment , and full pay full price for pers


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## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

BMC77 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> We can't really answer your question until you've clarified a couple of things. First, did you mean £17,000 (approx. €24,250) or did you mean €17,000? Second, are you planning to register as self-employed in Spain (which you'll need to do if you want access to healthcare), or were you proposing to try living off a British income?
> 
> Briona


Hi,it would be (approx. €24,250)

yes i would be looking to register as self employed in spain, and also to pay into the pension scheme there, which i have been told is better than the uk one


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

headlineplus said:


> That is brillant information thank you. Can I ask, for someone who is self employed and would be earning around £17,000 a year. How much tax do they pay in spain. finding this so hard to try and understand


Tax isn't my thing - my gestor does all mine

but this might help Spanish tax rates and allowances for 2015.


you will also have to pay a fixed amount every month as _autónomo, _regardless of your income

There's a 'low start' scheme, which is explained here ‘LOW START’ TARIFA PLANA AUTÓNOMO PAYMENTS | Learn-Aprender

I'm really curious to know how you know how much you'll be earning - I don't know from one month to the next!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

1664 said:


> 1700 is the self employed amount here in the uk, we now have to pay for dental treatment, but only pay up to £25.00 pounds for any treatment , and full pay full price for pers


dental care isn't free in Spain, at all


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## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

basically i have set it up as a cut off point. i want to move to spain to slow things down, so when i have earnt a certain amount each week then i can relax instead of working long hours


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## 1664 (Nov 17, 2013)

xabiachica said:


> dental care isn't free in Spain, at all


ah yes , sorry that's uk prices


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## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> Tax isn't my thing - my gestor does all mine
> 
> but this might help Spanish tax rates and allowances for 2015.
> 
> ...


not sure if my income will cover me in spain for two people


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## 1664 (Nov 17, 2013)

headlineplus said:


> not sure if my income will cover me in spain for two people


iv been in limbo for 10 years ...........if your happy where you are ...


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## 1664 (Nov 17, 2013)

1664 said:


> ah yes , sorry that's uk prices


automated text here now saying when your appointment is


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## 1664 (Nov 17, 2013)

if there was a delete button , sorry


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## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

1664 said:


> iv been in limbo for 10 years ...........if your happy where you are ...


how do you mean


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## 1664 (Nov 17, 2013)

arr yes sorry , just getting to grips with this forum


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## 1664 (Nov 17, 2013)

iv gone right off moving to Spain to be honest , the more you read the depressed under paid hard done by ex pats the more id like to live in india....


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

1664 said:


> iv gone right off moving to Spain to be honest , the more you read the depressed under paid hard done by ex pats the more id like to live in india....


Feel free. 
Where have you read all these posts by 'depressed, underpaid, hard- done by expats' I wonder...


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Feel free.
> Where have you read all these posts by 'depressed, underpaid, hard- done by expats' I wonder...


must be on some other forum


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## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> must be on some other forum





i think, this forum would be great if they explained the spanish tax system to people for self employed. according to what i have read today. If you want to take home 2,200 euros a month then you have to earn around 3,500 euros a month, which is shocking.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

headlineplus said:


> i think, this forum would be great if they explained the spanish tax system to people for self employed. according to what i have read today. If you want to take home 2,200 euros a month then you have to earn around 3,500 euros a month, which is shocking.


Are you Self Employed in the UK?


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## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

cambio said:


> Are you Self Employed in the UK?


no, I am not


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

headlineplus said:


> no, I am not


What job are you hoping to do here as a "self-employed"? are you aware of all the other costs like SS payments (mentioned earlier), IVA (VAT) and regular tax returns?


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## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> What job are you hoping to do here as a "self-employed"? are you aware of all the other costs like SS payments (mentioned earlier), IVA (VAT) and regular tax returns?


I have a job lined up if I move working freelance for an american company, so trying to work out what i have to pay out in tax and fees and what i can claim for etc, so that is what i am trying to work out. This will then help me decide if we are moving or not or waiting five years for my wifes pension. Really want to move now


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

headlineplus said:


> i think, this forum would be great if they explained the spanish tax system to people for self employed. according to what i have read today. If you want to take home 2,200 euros a month then you have to earn around 3,500 euros a month, which is shocking.


it's something which has been discussed & explained many times


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## headlineplus (Aug 29, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> it's something which has been discussed & explained many times


Can you send me a link to it. I have been asked the same question over twenty times in the past week by people thinking of moving over but could not get their head around the tax system. A case study would be great


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

headlineplus said:


> Can you send me a link to it. I have been asked the same question over twenty times in the past week by people thinking of moving over but could not get their head around the tax system. A case study would be great


Everyone's individual circumstances are different, so one case study would be a waste of time for 100 other people - & it varies depending on where you live as well

The best thing you can do is speak to a gestor about your own circumstances


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

headlineplus said:


> Can you send me a link to it. I have been asked the same question over twenty times in the past week by people thinking of moving over but could not get their head around the tax system. A case study would be great


It's not rocket science. I know people without PhDs who have figured it out. People like me, even....
It's difficult to find a case study that suits each individual. Also, members of this Forum are not afaik tax experts and the Forum can only give very general advice, which it seems has already been given, as Xabi I think it was said.
But I'd say this, for what it's worth....if it's so important to know down to the last cent on what you can expect to retain from earnings which may vary then moving to Spain really might not be affordable.
There are other requirements to be taken into account: to be resident you need to show a steady income of around 600 euros a month per person, paid into a Spanish bank account plus savings of around 6000 euros as well as provision for health care until you have registered as autonomo and start paying into the system. You probably know that in Spain, entitlement to health care is contribution-based and not residence based as in the UK and that there are no tax credits to top up low incomes as in the UK.
I don't think living in Spain is that much less expensive than in the UK but that depends of course on where and how you live.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

headlineplus said:


> I have a job lined up if I move working freelance for an american company, so trying to work out what i have to pay out in tax and fees and what i can claim for etc, so that is what i am trying to work out. This will then help me decide if we are moving or not or waiting five years for my wifes pension. Really want to move now


So, you will have to be declared as self-employed in Spain. 

This means that will have to pay around 260€ per month for SS (this can vary by age and profession - there may also be some reductions for a while).

You will also have to pay tax quarterly (ISTR) and this will require an accountant/gestor - so factor in those costs. You will then have to do your main tax return at the end of the tax (calendar) year.

You may well have to charge and pay IVA (VAT).


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

The cost of going freelance in Spain • Self Employed in Spain

This is a link to a Blog about being Self Employed in Spain. Its not official its someones views and assessments, I have found it very useful prior to setting up mu autonomo status


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