How much you need to invoice as an autónomo to earn what you want
The number comes from the 2026 autónomo social security brackets, the income tax scale and your deductible expenses. With the flat rate if it's your first year.
How much do you want to keep, clean, every month?
The table, at a glance
To keep 3.000 € a month after tax, you need to invoice around 4.800 € a month: 57.600 € a year.
With 300 € of monthly expenses and no flat rate.
| You want to keep | Invoice per month | Invoice per year | Social security | Income tax | How it splits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.500 € | 2.450 € | 29.400 € | 370 € | 3.199 € | |
| 2.000 € | 3.200 € | 38.400 € | 415 € | 5.610 € | |
| 2.500 € | 3.950 € | 47.400 € | 465 € | 8.081 € | |
| 3.000 € | 4.800 € | 57.600 € | 530 € | 11.534 € | |
| 3.500 € | 5.600 € | 67.200 € | 530 € | 15.086 € | |
| 4.000 € | 6.450 € | 77.400 € | 530 € | 19.295 € | |
| 5.000 € | 8.350 € | 100.200 € | 590 € | 29.231 € |
Whichever row you look at, around six of every ten euros you invoice end up yours. What changes down the table is who takes the rest: the fee weighs more when you earn less, income tax when you earn more.
Indicative figures for 2026. Change the assumptions above to bring them closer to your case.
What's inside the calculation
- Self-employed individual (autónomo) on the simplified direct estimation regime, tax resident in Spain.
- The state income tax scale plus your region's, and a 5.550 € personal allowance. The regional scales are the 2025 ones, the latest published by the Agencia Tributaria.
- Social security by bracket according to expected net earnings, using the indicative 2026 table with the MEI included.
- A 5 % deduction for hard-to-justify expenses, capped at the legal 2.000 € a year.
- VAT isn't part of what you earn: you collect it from clients and hand it to the tax office.
- No personal deductions beyond the allowance. Children, pension plans or housing all change the result.
- It's an estimate: the real numbers shift with how your year goes, what you end up invoicing and the expenses that turn up along the way.
Sources: State income tax scale · Agencia Tributaria · Regional scales · Agencia Tributaria · The autónomo fee in 2026
Questions that always come up
How much does an autónomo in Spain need to invoice to take home 3.000 € a month?
Around 4.800 € a month — 57.600 € a year before VAT. Along the way it covers roughly 300 € a month of business expenses, 530 € a month of social security, and 11.534 € of income tax across the year. It's an indicative figure for 2026: it moves with your real expenses, your region and your personal situation.
How much do I need to invoice to earn 2.000 € a month as a freelancer in Spain?
About 3.200 € a month, or 38.400 € a year. Social security lands around 415 € a month and income tax around 5.610 € for the year. To keep 1.500 € a month, invoicing drops to roughly 2.450 € a month.
Does VAT count as income for an autónomo?
No. The VAT (IVA) you charge clients is never yours: you collect it for the tax office and hand it back every quarter through the modelo 303. That's why this calculator always works with the taxable base, VAT aside. Seeing it in your current account is exactly what makes many freelancers think they earned more than they did.
Why is there such a gap between what I invoice and what I earn?
Because three things sit between the two numbers: your business expenses, the autónomo social security bill (which arrives all twelve months, whether you invoice or not) and income tax, which is progressive. With this calculator's assumptions, about 63 cents of every euro you invoice end up being yours. The more you invoice, the higher your marginal rate, so that share slowly drops.
Does the 15 % withholding change what I earn?
It doesn't change how much you earn, only when you pay it. The withholding your Spanish clients apply is income tax paid in advance, invoice by invoice, and it's deducted from what you owe in your annual return. If less than 70 % of your income arrives withheld, you make that advance yourself through the modelo 130.
Does this replace a gestoría or tax adviser?
No. It's orientation, so you understand the order of magnitude and arrive at that conversation with context. It doesn't include personal deductions beyond the taxpayer's allowance, or the specifics of each autonomous region. For now, Cece doesn't replace a gestoría or file taxes either.
Keep pulling the thread
TaxesHow much of each invoice do you need to save for Hacienda?
TaxesModelo 130 in Spain: Do You Have to File It? (70% Rule)
TaxesAutónomo Fee 2026 in Spain: How Much You Pay by Bracket
Finance