Where the numbers come from
The Startup Law pegs the requirement to Spain’s minimum wage (SMI): 200% of SMI for the main applicant, 75% more for the first dependent, and 25% more for each additional one. When the SMI moves — it’s revised most years — the thresholds move with it. For 2026 that works out to:
| Household | Monthly gross (EUR) | Approx. USD |
|---|---|---|
| Just you | €2,849 | ~$3,100 |
| You + partner | €3,917 | ~$4,300 |
| You + partner + 1 child | €4,273 | ~$4,700 |
| You + partner + 2 children | €4,629 | ~$5,100 |
The dollar figures move with the exchange rate — Spain evaluates in euros, so a weak dollar effectively raises your bar. I always calculate a client’s position with a safety margin rather than at the razor’s edge.
The figures, and where they come from
Verified against official sources · July 2026| What | 2026 figure | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Income threshold (single applicant) | ~€2,850 / month (200% of Spain's SMI) | Ley 28/2022 + annual SMI |
| Per family member | +75% of SMI (first) · +25% (each additional) | Ley 28/2022 |
| Max. income from Spanish companies | 20% of total | Ley 28/2022, art. related to DNV |
| Company operating time | at least 1 year | Ley 28/2022 / UGE criteria |
| In-country processing | ~20 business days (positive silence) | UGE — Unidad de Grandes Empresas |
| Beckham regime rate | 24% flat up to €600,000 | Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT) |
Figures update when Spain updates the SMI and the law. If you ever spot one that looks stale, tell me and I'll check it against the source the same day — that's the difference between a lawyer's page and a marketing page.
Gross, recurring, provable
Three words describe income Spain accepts. Gross: before U.S. taxes — a relief for most Americans, since gross salary is comfortably above take-home. Recurring: a salary, retainer, or steady client billing — not a one-time windfall, not “I usually make about this much.” Provable: documents, not assertions.
If you’re W-2
Your employer letter states your gross salary, and recent pay stubs corroborate it. Clean and simple — the harder part of a W-2 case is the Certificate of Coverage, not the income.
If you’re a freelancer or owner
Expect to show client contracts, invoices, and bank statements telling one consistent story across several months. Lumpy income is workable if the average clears the bar and the contracts show it will continue. Two cautions: income from Spanish companies can’t exceed 20% of your total, and the clients paying you must have been operating for at least a year. The 2026 pillar guide covers those rules in context.
Real math: three examples
- Single engineer, $110,000 salary. Gross ≈ $9,166/month — nearly triple the bar. Income is a non-issue; the file lives or dies on documents.
- Couple, one earner, $58,000 salary. Gross ≈ $4,833/month against a ~$4,300 bar. It clears, but with a thin margin against exchange-rate drift — this is where I add savings evidence as a cushion.
- Freelancer, ~$3,000/month average. Just below the single bar. Not dead: documented savings can bridge the gap (see below), or a modest retainer increase before applying changes the math entirely.
The savings bridge
Spain accepts documented savings as supplementary evidence when monthly income falls slightly short. There’s no single published formula, but practice at the UGE favors clear, seasoned funds — several months of statements in your name, not a deposit that appeared last Tuesday. As a working rule, I want savings that cover the annual shortfall comfortably. If your income is far below the bar, savings won’t save the case, and I’ll tell you so at the assessment stage — for free, before you spend anything.
Common income mistakes
- Showing net instead of gross. People undersell themselves by 25% by quoting take-home pay.
- A bank-balance screenshot as “income”. A balance is savings; Spain wants recurring inflow.
- Cutting it to the euro. A threshold case at today’s exchange rate is a rejection at next month’s.
- Forgetting dependents change the bar. The family thresholds apply even though dependents need no income of their own.
Check your number
Run your own numbers right here — the widget uses the same Startup Law formula explained above:
If you clear the bar, the free assessment is the next step — it looks at the rest of your case, not just income, and tells you which side of the line you’re on. And the full cost picture, beyond income requirements, is in the honest cost breakdown. If your pay is denominated in dollars, check what it’s worth on the ground with the gross-to-net salary calculator.
Sources: Ley 28/2022 (BOE) · Ministerio de Inclusión — UGE. Last updated: August 2026.