Spanish for the bank and the gestor
The clerk looks at your passport, types for a while and asks: ¿Es para domiciliar la nómina? You nod, because nodding is faster than admitting you did not follow. Twenty minutes later you have an account, a card and a third product whose name you never caught, and you learn what it was when the first cargo appears.
No figures follow. Rates, the autónomo contribution and bank fees change every year. For numbers, ask your gestor and check the Agencia Tributaria site. This article is about the words.
At the counter: opening an account
Take your passport with the NIE or TIE, proof of address (a certificado de empadronamiento or a utility bill in your name) and a payslip if you have one. Requirements differ by bank; non-residents are asked for a certificado de no residencia. Turned away? Ask about the cuenta de pago básica, which banks in Spain must offer to people legally resident in the EU.
- Quería abrir una cuenta. ¿Qué documentación necesito? — I want to open an account. What documents do I need?
- Todavía no tengo el empadronamiento. ¿Lo puedo traer después? — I am not registered at the town hall yet. Can I bring it later?
- ¿Me lo puede repetir más despacio, por favor? — Could you repeat that more slowly, please?
Cuenta nómina, comisiones and the product you did not ask for
A cuenta nómina waives the comisión de mantenimiento while your salary is paid into it, usually with conditions: two direct debits, some card spending. A pension or unemployment benefit often counts instead. Stop the salary and the fees come back, quietly. The rest — insurance, a pension plan, a credit card — is partly vinculación, the products tied to the deal, and partly just a sale.
- ¿Esta cuenta tiene comisión de mantenimiento? — Does this account have a maintenance fee?
- ¿Qué condiciones tengo que cumplir para no pagar comisiones? — What do I have to do to avoid fees?
- Si dejo de domiciliar la nómina, ¿qué pasa? — What happens if the salary stops coming in?
- ¿Esto es obligatorio o es opcional? — Is this obligatory or optional?
- Prefiero solo la cuenta, sin productos adicionales. — Just the account, no extra products.
- Me lo pienso y le digo algo. — I will think about it and get back to you.
- ¿Me lo puede enviar por escrito antes de firmar? — Can you send me that in writing before I sign?
- Quiero poner una reclamación en el servicio de atención al cliente. — I want to complain to the customer service department.
The words on your statement
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| cargo | money leaving the account |
| abono | money arriving |
| recibo | a bill collected by direct debit |
| domiciliar | to set a bill up for direct debit |
| transferencia | a bank transfer |
| Bizum | instant transfer between phone numbers |
| saldo | balance |
- ¿Me puede explicar este cargo? No lo reconozco. — Can you explain this charge? I do not recognise it.
- Necesito domiciliar el recibo de la luz en esta cuenta. — I need the electricity bill charged to this account.
- Te hago un Bizum, pásame tu número. — I will send you a Bizum, give me your number.
Gestor, gestoría, asesor: who does what
A gestoría handles procedures: your alta as self-employed, quarterly filings, vehicle paperwork. An asesor advises — asesor fiscal on tax, asesor laboral on payroll — and most small firms call themselves gestoría y asesoría and do both. Neither is a lawyer: residence cases belong to an abogado de extranjería.
- ¿Ustedes llevan autónomos? — Do you handle self-employed clients?
- ¿Cuánto cobran al mes por llevarme la contabilidad y los impuestos? — How much a month for my bookkeeping and taxes?
- ¿Qué incluye la cuota y qué se paga aparte? — What does the fee cover and what is extra?
Going autónomo: alta, cuota, trimestre
Registering has two halves: the alta with Hacienda on modelo 036, where you choose the epígrafe for your activity, and the alta with Seguridad Social, in the scheme known as RETA. The monthly cuota depends on the earnings bracket you declare. Then life turns quarterly: each trimestre brings IVA (modelo 303) and, in the usual regime, an IRPF instalment (modelo 130).
- Quiero darme de alta como autónomo. ¿Qué necesitan de mí? — I want to register as self-employed. What do you need from me?
- ¿Qué epígrafe me corresponde? — Which activity code applies to me?
- ¿Mi actividad lleva IVA o está exenta? — Does my activity carry VAT or is it exempt?
- ¿Qué gastos me puedo deducir? — Which expenses can I deduct?
How to read a factura
An invoice names emisor and receptor with their NIF, a number and a date, the work done in the concepto, then the money: base imponible (the sum before tax), the VAT rate and its amount, any retención de IRPF, and the total a pagar. At the foot: forma de pago, vencimiento (due date), IBAN. A factura simplificada, a till ticket, carries no buyer name: to deduct the expense you need a full invoice with your NIF.
- ¿Me hace factura con mis datos fiscales? — Could you invoice me with my tax details?
- Necesito factura completa, no un ticket. — I need a full invoice, not a till receipt.
A letter from Hacienda, without panic
Rarely a disaster, always a deadline. Four words tell you what you have: a requerimiento asks for documents, a propuesta de liquidación says they think the sum was wrong, alegaciones is your written reply, a sanción is a penalty. The letter states your plazo. As an autónomo you receive notifications electronically, so you need a certificado digital or Cl@ve and the habit of looking.
- Me ha llegado una carta de Hacienda. ¿Me la puede mirar? — A letter from Hacienda has arrived. Could you look at it?
- ¿Esto es un requerimiento o una sanción? — Is this a request for documents or a penalty?
- ¿Qué plazo tengo para contestar? — How long do I have to reply?
- ¿Puedo solicitar un aplazamiento del pago? — Can I ask to defer the payment?
None of this makes you an accountant. It makes you the person who catches the three or four words that decide what was just agreed. For every figure: your gestor and the Agencia Tributaria.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to open a bank account in Spain?
Your passport with a NIE or TIE, proof of address such as a certificado de empadronamiento or a utility bill in your name, and a work contract or payslip if you have one. Requirements vary from bank to bank. Non-residents are usually asked for a certificado de no residencia.
What is the difference between a gestor and an asesor?
A gestoría carries out procedures: registering you as autónomo, filing your quarterly forms, dealing with the administration. An asesor advises, on tax or on employment and payroll. Most small firms advertise as gestoría y asesoría and do both. Neither one replaces a lawyer in a residence or immigration case.
What do cargo and abono mean on a Spanish bank statement?
Cargo is money leaving the account and abono is money arriving. A recibo is a bill collected by direct debit, and domiciliar means setting a bill up so that it is charged automatically. Bizum is the instant transfer between phone numbers that almost everyone in Spain uses.
How much is the autónomo cuota and what tax will I pay?
The monthly contribution depends on the earnings bracket you declare, and the reduced rate for new autónomos changes from year to year, as do tax rates. No article should quote you a figure. Check with your gestor and on the Agencia Tributaria and Seguridad Social websites.
