Vida laboral in Spain: how to request it for free and read it

The vida laboral (“working life report”) is the document most often requested and least often read. Almost everyone downloads it, opens it, sees a long table with company names and dates, and saves it without understanding it. It is a pity, because those rows hold the answer to three questions that matter: how many days you have contributed, how much paro (contributory unemployment benefit) you are owed and whether there is an error that will cost you money.

What it is and who issues it

The vida laboral report is issued free of charge by the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (General Treasury of Social Security). Anyone who is, or has been, registered can request it. It reflects the data up to the day you request it, and it is used to check your contributions before unemployment, retirement or any procedure that looks at your history.

One warning: if a website asks you for money to process it, it is not the official one. The procedure is free.

How to request it: four routes

1. Import@ss portal (online). You identify yourself with a digital certificate, electronic ID, Cl@ve (permanent or PIN) or SMS. For SMS, the mobile must be registered with the Treasury in your name. You download the PDF immediately.
2. Import@ss app. It is the same procedure from your mobile, with Cl@ve or SMS.
3. Phone. 91 541 02 91 or 901 50 20 50. The report is sent only to the name and address held in Social Security files. They answer Monday to Thursday 9:00 to 18:00 and Friday 9:00 to 14:30.
4. Post. Requested from the portal; the address must match the one registered.

If you are in a hurry for paro, the online route is the only one that gives you the document at once.

How to read it, column by column

The report lists each period of registration in chronological order. For each one you will see:

At the end of the document there are explanatory notes. They are worth reading: they explain situations such as paid unused holiday, which is contributed as registered time.

How to count days for paro

1. Set the window. The six years before your last day of work. Everything earlier is outside.
2. Add the registered days of the periods inside that window.
3. Subtract what you already used. Days you used to receive a previous paro cannot be used again.
4. Compare with the table. With 360 days you are entitled to 120 days of paro, and every 180 more add 60: the full table is in how long you can receive unemployment benefit.

An example with numbers. Your last day of work is 2 October 2026, so the window starts on 3 October 2020. Your report shows four periods in that window:

The total is 1,525 days. It falls in the 1,440 to 1,619 band, which gives 480 days of benefit, 16 months. A missing period, even 30 days, does not change the band; one of 100 days could drop you to 420.

Errors worth looking for

• A period that does not appear. You worked and there is no registration. Gather the contract or payslips and ask for the correction.
• An early end date. The employer ended the registration before your contract or your holiday finished.
• Part-time wrongly recorded. If you worked full-time and the report says part-time, it affects the base.
• An employer you do not recognise. It may be a recording error, or a registration that does not correspond.
• Holiday periods without contributions. If you were paid holiday in your finiquito, it must appear as registered time; see unused holiday pay in your final settlement.

What the vida laboral does not include

It does not include periods worked abroad or the data of the special schemes of civil servants of the State, the Armed Forces and the Administration of Justice. If you have worked abroad, those periods are proved with specific certificates from each country, and can count for paro because of coordination between systems.

How to fix an error, step by step

1. Identify the period that is missing or wrong: dates and employer.
2. Gather evidence: contract, payslips, the company certificate or proof of payment of contributions.
3. Enter the Import@ss portal and look for the option to request that data be added or modified.
4. Describe the problem with the exact dates and attach the documents.
5. Keep the receipt of the procedure, with its number and date.
6. If it is an early end date or a registration the employer did not make, also claim from the employer in writing. The contribution is owed by the employer.

Do not wait until you apply for paro to fix it: an error in your vida laboral can cost you months of benefit if it is not resolved in time, and the 15-day deadline does not stop for a pending correction.

What else the vida laboral is for

• Preparing for retirement, to see your contribution history.
• Applying for a mortgage or a rental, as proof of employment stability.
• Immigration procedures, where you are asked to prove work.
• Checking your seniority when negotiating a dismissal, a finiquito or severance.
• Reviewing whether the employer contributed for you during sick leave, permits and holiday.

It is worth requesting once a year even if you have no procedure pending: it is the cheapest way to find an error while you still have the evidence at hand.

What to do today

1. Request it through Import@ss if you have Cl@ve or a certificate.
2. Count the days of the last six years with the method above.
3. Review the periods one by one and note those that do not add up.
4. With the result, check whether you are entitled to paro.
5. Apply for paro within the deadline: the 15 working days run from when you stop working, not from when you discover an error.

This page is informational and does not replace professional advice. The report is the official source of your contributions: in case of doubt, check it with Social Security.