Reduced working hours for childcare in Spain are a right, not a favour. The real questions are usually how much pay you will lose, who chooses your hours and what to do if the employer makes it difficult.
What the law says
Article 37.6 of the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (Workers Statute) gives someone who, under legal guardianship, directly cares for a child under 12 or a person with a disability who does not perform paid work the right to shorten their daily working hours. The reduction must be between one eighth and one half, with a proportional reduction in pay.
How much will your pay fall? An example
Imagine an eight-hour day (40 hours a week) and gross pay of €1,800 a month:
| Reduction | Fewer hours per day | Hours per week | Gross monthly pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 (12.5%) | 1 hour | 35 hours | €1,575 |
| 1/4 (25%) | 2 hours | 30 hours | €1,350 |
| 1/3 (33.3%) | 2 hours 40 minutes | 26 hours 40 minutes | €1,200 |
| 1/2 (50%) | 4 hours | 20 hours | €900 |
Some supplements or allowances may be calculated differently under your collective agreement.
These are illustrative gross figures: net pay depends on your income-tax withholding and supplements. You can model your case with the gross-to-net salary calculator.
Who chooses the schedule?
The worker sets the time slot within their ordinary working day: whether you prefer to start later, finish earlier or take the reduction at the end of the day is your choice. A convenio colectivo (collective agreement) may set general criteria to accommodate the employer’s needs, but it cannot empty the right of meaning.
How to request it
Write to the employer with the start and end dates, the fraction by which you want to reduce your hours and your proposed schedule. Give 15 days’ notice or the period set by your collective agreement. Keep a stamped copy showing it was received.
If the employer says no or insists on another time
If you cannot agree on the exact schedule, the employer does not decide alone: a social court resolves the disagreement through a special, urgent procedure. While it is pending, it is wise to speak to a union or employment lawyer before changing your hours yourself.
The law also protects this decision: a dismissal for requesting or taking reduced hours to care for a child is null. If it happens, you have 20 working days to challenge it; see the dismissal claim deadline.
Social Security contributions
During the first years of reduced hours for childcare, Social Security compensates for some of the contributions you no longer make for certain benefits. Its family benefit page explains the exact period and the benefits affected.
What if you need to care for a relative?
The same article allows reduced hours to care directly for a spouse or partner, or a relative by blood or marriage up to the second degree, including a partner’s blood relative, who cannot look after themselves because of age, accident or illness and is not in paid work. The fraction and scheduling rules are the same.
Reduced hours or leave of absence?
- If you need to keep some income and remain in your job as it is: reduced hours.
- If you need to stop working altogether for up to three years: childcare leave of absence.