Spain's flexible retirement now covers the self-employed, in force since August 28

Spain’s new flexible retirement rules took effect August 28, 2026, and for the first time let retirees keep working as autonomos while collecting 25% of their pension. Real Decreto 416/2026, published in the BOE on May 27, entered into force after its three-month adaptation window.

The self-employed route comes with one condition: you can’t have been registered in the self-employed regime (RETA) during the three years before retiring. Employees get a separate, wider range too, working 33% to 80% of a comparable full-time schedule (up from 25%-50% under the old rules), with a 15% or 25% pension bonus for waiting at least six months after retirement before starting.

Either way, you have to notify Social Security before starting the compatible work. Skip that step and the agency can claw back whatever pension it paid you during the gap.

Our take: the three-year RETA lockout mostly screens out people who were already self-employed and just want to keep going, not people picking up freelance work for the first time after retiring.