Editor’s note: This article was first published in February 2011. The grant schemes, amounts and conditions it describes, such as a start-up subsidy of up to €10,000 and technical assistance up to €2,000, reflect Spanish rules as of that month. Programmes have changed since and vary by region, so it should not be read as current guidance.
If you’ve decided to set up a business as a self-employed worker (autónomo) and don’t know where to start or which grants you’re entitled to, here is some basic information, which you can expand on at any Public Employment Service office.
Grants for the self-employed
These grants are managed either by the autonomous communities (Spain’s regional governments) or, where a region has not taken over responsibility for this area, and in Ceuta and Melilla, by the State Public Employment Service (SEPE).
A subsidy for setting up as a self-employed worker of up to a maximum of €10,000, to be set by each autonomous community, for the following groups:
- Unemployed people in general.
- Unemployed young people aged 30 or under.
- Unemployed women.
- Unemployed people with disabilities.
- Unemployed women with disabilities.
- For women who are victims of gender violence, the amounts above are increased by 10%.
Financial subsidy
This subsidy is equivalent to a reduction of up to 4 percentage points in the interest rate set by the public or private lender granting the loan, up to a maximum of €10,000. It is set by the relevant Public Employment Service, except in the case of microloans, where it can cover the full cost of the financial charges.
At least 75% of the loan must go toward investment in fixed assets, and up to 25% can be used to finance working capital. In any case, the beneficiary must invest at least €5,000 in fixed assets.
Technical assistance subsidy
This subsidy covers 75% of the cost of the services provided, up to a maximum of €2,000.
See also: Guy Kawasaki’s 10 lies of entrepreneurs and investors
Training subsidy
This subsidy covers 75% of the cost of the courses taken, up to a maximum of €3,000.
That said, we advise you to think carefully about whether registering as self-employed suits you better than setting up a company. You can find more information and a short explanation of the pros and cons of each legal form of business here:
And if you don’t know what business to start:
Featured image: Diario de Madrid, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
