Minimum living income for sudden hardship in 2026
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Enter what your household has earned so far this year and the date you would apply: the tool projects the monthly average and estimates the provisional amount.
Minimum income for this year’s hardship
€435 a month
provisional amount, settled the following year
| Months of the year so far | 10 |
| Average monthly income | €299 |
| Guaranteed income | €734 |
Last year’s income and wealth also must not exceed 300% of the guaranteed income or the single-adult wealth limit scaled to your household (annex IV).
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · Rules read in the BOE and on the Social Security site on 1 November 2026
The general rule of Spain’s minimum living income looks at the previous year’s income, which leaves out anyone who lost their job this year after a normal year. That is what sudden hardship (vulnerabilidad sobrevenida) in article 11.5 of Law 19/2021 is for: you can claim the IMV on the current year’s income, as long as you apply between 1 April and 31 December. The INSS works out the monthly average earned since January and compares it with the guaranteed income, with the same 10 euro margin. Two further limits apply to the previous year: income that year may not exceed 300% of your household’s yearly guaranteed income, and wealth may not exceed the single-person limit multiplied by the scale. For two adults and one child, that means not having earned more than €42,255.36 in 2025. The amount is provisional: the following year it is settled with final tax data, and anything overpaid must be returned. If you apply before April, the claim is assessed on the previous year’s income.
When it makes sense
Take a couple with one child who earned €24,000 in 2025 and lost their jobs in 2026. Under the general rule their 2025 income, €2,000 a month, is above their guaranteed income of €1,173.76, and there is no IMV until the 2027 review. Through sudden hardship they can claim from April on 2026 income. Since their €24,000 in 2025 is below 300% of the yearly guaranteed income, €42,255, they pass the filter in annex IV of Law 19/2021.
The current-year average is taken over the months elapsed. If by April they have earned €3,000 between January and March, the average is €1,000 a month, above their guaranteed income: no entitlement yet. If they wait until October with nothing more coming in, the average drops to about €333 and the provisional amount would be the gap. The tool does that sum for any date you pick.
Year-to-date average and provisional amount
Minimum income for this year’s hardship
€435 a month
| Months of the year so far | 10 |
| Average monthly income | €299 |
| Guaranteed income | €734 |
The previous-year limits
The sudden hardship route is not for everyone who has had a bad year. Article 11.5 requires the previous year’s income to stay within 300% of the household’s guaranteed income and that year’s wealth within 100% of the single-person limit on the annex II scale. The table sums up the 2025 caps that apply to 2026 claims.
| Household | Highest 2025 income | Wealth limit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 people | €26,410 | €26,409.60 |
| 2 people | €34,332 | €36,973.44 |
| 3 people | €42,255 | €47,537.28 |
| 4 people | €50,178 | €58,101.12 |
| 5 people | €58,101 | €68,664.96 |
Worth knowing before you claim
The amount is provisional and Social Security settles it once it has the year’s tax data. Declaring this year’s income carefully avoids an overpayment claim months later. If the drop comes from unemployment benefit ending, see how assistance is counted on the IMV and unemployment page. And anyone awarded the IMV this way can only benefit from the employment incentive from their second year of payment.
If in doubt about the date, the calculator shows how the average changes month by month: a few weeks can be the difference.