It is, by far, the most frequent query we receive at the office: “I did the simulation in the Seguridad Social (Social Security) contribution calculator, I got a figure, and the bank is charging me more”. The good news is that it almost always has a very simple explanation, and in most cases, it’s not anyone’s error. Let’s resolve it, starting with the reason that explains the vast majority of cases.
Reason number 1 (by far): you are the collector, not just the payer
This is what is least understood, so let’s explain it calmly, because once you see it, you won’t forget it.
The total Seguridad Social (Social Security) contribution for your domestic worker consists of two parts: the one you pay as an employer, and the one that corresponds to her as a worker. So far, nothing different from any other employed work in Spain.
What changes compared to what people expect is this: the worker’s part is not paid by her on her own. It is deducted from her gross salary on the payslip, and you are the one who deposits it along with your own contribution, in a single bank charge. It is exactly the same mechanism as the IRPF (Personal Income Tax) withheld from any payslip: the company does not pay the IRPF out of its own pocket, it withholds it from the worker’s gross salary and deposits it with Hacienda (Tax Agency) on their behalf. The same happens here, but with the Seguridad Social (Social Security): you act as the collector of your domestic worker’s part, you don’t assume it additionally.
Why does this make the calculator “fall short”?
Many calculators —including the official one from the Seguridad Social (Social Security), if the full result is not thoroughly reviewed— show the employer’s contribution more visibly, because it is usually what interests those calculating the cost of hiring the most. If you only focused on that figure when looking at the result, it’s normal for the actual bank charge —which includes both parts— to seem higher than expected.
The actual calculation is as follows:
Total bank charge = Employer’s contribution (yours) + Worker’s contribution (which was already deducted from her payslip)
It’s not that you’re being overcharged: it’s that the charge includes money that, accounting-wise, had already come from your domestic worker’s gross salary, not yours.
How to check it in two minutes
Take the contribution settlement receipt for that month (not the calculator’s result) and look for the breakdown between “employer’s contribution” and “worker’s contribution”. If you add the two, that’s the amount you’ll see in the bank. If that sum matches the charge, you’ve resolved the query: there has been no error, it was a misunderstanding about what the calculator showed.
If it’s not this, these are the other possible causes (in order of frequency)
If you have already checked the previous point and the difference still doesn’t add up, review these possibilities:
2. The contribution base used is different from the one you entered in the calculator
The contribution is not calculated solely on the basic salary: it also includes the pro-rata of extra payments, salary in kind, hours of presence, or other supplements. If, when simulating, you only entered the basic salary and the Tesorería General (General Treasury) is applying a more comprehensive base (for example, because the hours of presence of an live-in employee have been regularized), the actual contribution will be higher than the simulated one.
3. There has been an update, change of working hours, or regularization
A change in salary, a change in working hours, an update to the contribution base, or a regularization of previous months can cause the contribution for a specific month not to match that of a “normal” month. This is especially frequent in the first months after registration, or after any modification of the agreed conditions.
4. The charge includes several concepts or periods at once
Sometimes the bank does not only charge the ordinary contribution for that month, but also adds arrears, contribution differences, or several periods settled jointly. In that case, the amount of a single charge will never match the simulation of a “typical month”.
Checklist: how to identify your case in five minutes
To know exactly what is happening in your case, compare these five points between the calculator and the actual receipt:
- The salary base and the number of payments you entered into the calculator, compared to those on the receipt.
- The contribution base communicated to the Tesorería (General Treasury of Social Security), compared to the one you used in the calculator.
- The employer’s contribution and the worker’s contribution, separately (not just the total).
- The exact period to which the bank charge corresponds (is it a full month? does it include anything else?).
- If there are arrears, regularizations, changes in working hours, or presence times that were not reflected when you ran the simulation.
Summary: Probable Cause and its Effect
| Possible Cause | Effect on the Bank Charge |
|---|---|
| The calculator only showed the employer’s contribution | The bank also charges the worker’s contribution (by far the most common) |
| Salary base different from the simulated one | Increases or reduces the actual contribution |
| Extra payments or salary in kind not included in the calculator | May increase the contribution base |
| Regularization or arrears | The charge may be higher than that of an ordinary month |
| Hours or presence times declared later | May increase remuneration and, with it, the contribution |
| Several periods charged jointly | The bank amount does not match a simple monthly payment |
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The Decisive Check
If you take away only one idea from this article, let it be this: always compare the breakdown of the actual settlement for that month, separating the employer’s contribution, the worker’s contribution, and any included regularization, instead of directly comparing the bank charge with the number the calculator gave you. In the vast majority of cases, this comparison resolves the doubt without any error involved.
Would you prefer us to review your receipt with you?
If, after reviewing this checklist, you’re still unclear, at empleadosdehogar.es we will review the exact breakdown of your settlement with you and explain, month by month, what each euro of the charge corresponds to. Write to us on WhatsApp and we’ll look at it together.