Social Security allows contributions without working, but with a monthly fee

Thousands of workers can add years of contributions without setting foot in a job. But this is not free: a monthly fee must be paid, which increases without notice.

Social Security offers this option with a little-known legal instrument, the special agreement, which allows the workers themselves to take charge of contributions in specific situations.

What is the special agreement and who is it aimed at

A mechanism to continue contributing

The special agreement is an accord that allows voluntary contributions to Social Security, without needing to be working or registered in any scheme. This serves to maintain or extend rights to benefits such as retirement, disability, or survivor’s pensions.

It is a legal instrument that, unlike other formulas, falls entirely under the worker’s responsibility, who must bear 100% of the monthly fee. The idea is to prevent periods without contributions from translating into lower pensions or loss of social rights.

Requirements to access it

• You must have contributed at least 1,080 days in the last 12 years.
• People who have stopped working and are neither registered nor receive a retirement or disability pension.
• Workers over 65 years old with a permanent contract or self-employed with more than 35 years of contributions.
• Those who have exhausted unemployment benefits or subsidies.
• Pensioners with a declared permanent disability who have stopped working or whose pension has been cancelled.

How the fee to be paid is calculated

Choosing a contribution base

The first step is to decide the base on which contributions will be made. There are four options depending on profile and work history:

• The maximum base of the professional group if it has been contributed at this base for 24 of the last 60 months.
• The average contribution base of the last 12 months, as long as it exceeds the minimum for self-employed.
• The minimum base of the special self-employed regime if it is higher than the one in effect until 2022.
• Any base between the above.

The final calculation of the fee

A 28.3% contribution for common contingencies is applied to the chosen base. This figure is then multiplied by a coefficient of 0.94 to obtain the monthly fee the worker must pay.

Additionally, the payment for the Intergenerational Equity Mechanism (MEI) must be added, which in 2026 represents an extra 0.90% of the contribution base.

The risks and the hidden reality behind the special agreement

A solution that leaves many out

Although it may seem like an alternative, the special agreement is not accessible to everyone. Many workers who have stopped contributing do not meet the required days of contributions or find themselves in situations that make access impossible.

Thus, a significant part of the population is left with no other option than to accept that their future pension will be lower. The special agreement, in reality, ends up being a luxury only for those who can afford the monthly fee.

The cost of protection that is not free

The monthly fee can be high, especially if a high contribution base is chosen. The increase of the MEI means the bill rises even more each year, without clear limits.

For this reason, many workers choose not to continue contributing, even if that means giving up a significant part of their foreseeable rights. Social Security offers the door, but the price makes few cross it.

The reality is that this system serves to sell continuity that only some can afford.

Let no one be fooled: contributing without working has a cost that no one gives away.