Spain passes law to convert mutualist contributions into public pension credits

The Spanish Congress approved a law creating a "pasarela" that allows up to 100,000 self‑employed professionals—such as lawyers, architects, and other liberal professions—to transfer the funds they paid into alternative mutual societies into recognised contribution periods in the Social Security system. By converting these contributions, freelancers who have accrued 38 years can see their expected pension rise from about €450 per month to roughly €1,200. The conversion applies a reduction coefficient of between 0.67 and 0.87 on the amount that would have been paid under the general scheme, and the law excludes those who have already retired, leaving around 47,000 mutualists and retirees outside the scheme. Implementation will require further regulatory rules to define the exact procedures and timelines.

In a separate but related case, a 66‑year‑old autonomous woman was denied a pension after a court confirmed that her withdrawal from the special self‑employment scheme occurred after the legal deadline of 1 April 2013, meaning she could not benefit from the transitional exception that allowed earlier retirees to apply previous pension rules. The decision underscores the strict application of contribution deadlines in Spain’s pension system.