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The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration has decided to backtrack on its initial proposal to raise self‑employed contributions for 2026, choosing instead to freeze them for the lowest income brackets. This was confirmed by Minister Elma Saiz in an interview with El País, explaining that the three lowest contribution bands will be frozen as a show of sensitivity toward the most vulnerable groups. The minister also pointed out the pension gap between salaried workers and the self‑employed, noting that the latter receive up to €650 less upon retirement, and argued that contributions are the way to close that inequality.

The government remains committed to the system of contribution based on real income, which it does not intend to repeal despite the criticism. This system was the result of many years of negotiation and, according to the Ministry, will continue to serve as the basis for adjusting future contributions. The Executive will meet again with the main self‑employed organisations (ATA, UPTA and Uatae) and with social agents to keep discussing the conditions of the contribution system that will apply in the coming years.

The reversal comes after a proposal presented last Monday that envisaged progressive increases in contributions between 2026 and 2028. For example, self‑employed whose net earnings are less than €670 per month (reduced table) were to move from paying €200 per month in 2025 to €217.37 in 2026, €234.73 in 2027 and €252.10 in 2028. For brackets earning between €670 and €900, the contribution would rise from €220 currently to €234.85 in 2026, €249.70 in 2027 and €264.56 in 2028. In the bracket earning €900 to €1,166.70, the contribution would increase from €260 to €271.24 in 2026, reaching €293.71 in 2028.

This proposal triggered criticism not only from the political opposition (PP, Vox) and government partners (Junts, Sumar), but also from the self‑employed organisations ATA and Uatae themselves. Uatae in particular expressed its rejection of freezing contributions for those earning the least, calling it an “outrage” and a step backwards from the objective of aligning contributions with real income — a key principle of the 2022 reform.

María José Landaburu, general secretary of Uatae, argued that the just approach would be to reduce contributions for self‑employed with low income, maintain them in the middle brackets and increase them in the highest ones. She asserted that the current model is not meeting the expectations of contributory justice or social protection, and criticized that pressure continues to fall on those who earn the least. Uatae has asked the Ministry to reformulate the proposal toward a truly fair and progressive system, warning that it will not support any measure that means paying more for the same rights.