FREE TEMPLATES · 2026
Templates for domestic workers in Spain
Download them, print them, hand them over. With the rule cited next to every statement, so you know exactly what you are signing.
These are the two documents most often asked for in Spanish domestic employment. You generate the resignation letter as a PDF by filling in the form below — your details, ready to sign — and the contract model is the official one from the Spanish public employment service, with the specific clauses for domestic service in the family home. Both are free, with no sign-up and no watermark. Remember: leaving of your own accord entitles you to the full final settlement, but not to severance or unemployment benefit.
Generate your resignation letter
Fill in what you know and download it as a PDF, with the Maids & Co letterhead and the two signature boxes at the foot. Nothing you type leaves your phone: the letter is generated in your own browser.
The document you are registered with.
Where you want the settlement and any communication sent.
Leave it blank and the letter is addressed to «the holder of the family household».
The effective date of your resignation: the last day you will work.
Fifteen days is the usual figure. Leave it blank and the letter refers to local custom.
- Your details and the employer's, in the heading of the letter
- The wording with the effective date, the notice and the settlement you should claim
- Two signature boxes: yours and the employer's acknowledgement of receipt
You can download it without filling anything in: it comes out with blank lines to complete in pen.
What to know before you hand the letter over
Leaving of your own accord does not cost you the final settlement, but it does leave you with no severance and no unemployment benefit. What really protects you is the signed copy.
Leaving of your own accord is a resignation, and the Workers' Statute recognises it without asking you for any reason: it is enough to give notice, «with the period of notice set by collective agreements or local custom» (art. 49.1.d). Nobody can hold you there or force you to stay.
| What happens to… | If you resign | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| The final settlement (finiquito) | Paid in full: salary for the days worked, the proportional share of the half-year's extra payments, and holiday accrued and not taken | RD 1620/2011, arts. 8.4 and 9.7 |
| Severance | None. Severance exists only when the family is the one ending the contract | RD 1620/2011, art. 11.2, by implication |
| Unemployment benefit | Not paid: resigning is not on the list of legal unemployment situations | General Social Security Act, art. 267.1 |
| The certificado de empresa | They must still give it to you: it certifies your dates and contribution bases | RD 1620/2011, art. 11.1 and general rules |
| Social Security deregistration | The employer reports it within 6 calendar days of your last working day | Royal Decree 643/2026 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Watch out for a very common confusion: the 20 or 7 days of notice in article 11.2 of Royal Decree 1620/2011 are what the family owes you when the family is the one ending the contract. They are not yours to give.
- Hand the letter over in person and in two copies: you leave one and keep the other signed and dated.
- If they will not sign it, send it by burofax with proof of delivery and certified content, or by any means that records the date and the wording. A WhatsApp message works as evidence, but a signed copy works better.
- Signing the settlement does not waive your right to claim: you can sign adding «no conforme» by hand if you disagree with the figures.
- To claim money you were not paid you have one year from the end of the contract (Workers' Statute, art. 59.1).
Official employment contract model
It is the form issued by the Spanish public employment service, with the specific clauses for domestic service. It is not a model of ours.
These two PDFs are the official models of the Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (form PE-177 A bis), in the June 2026 edition, which carries the specific clauses for domestic service in the family home after Royal Decree-Law 16/2022. They are fillable forms: you can complete them on a computer and then print them.
- Permanent employment contractThe default in domestic employment. With no written agreement, the law presumes your contract is permanent and full-time (Royal Decree 1620/2011, art. 5.2).PDF · 592 KB · 20 pages
- Fixed-term employment contractOnly where there is a cause justifying a fixed term. When the agreed date arrives it entitles you to 12 days of salary per year worked (Workers' Statute, art. 49.1.c).PDF · 663 KB · 22 pages
We serve them from here so the download does not depend on anyone else. The official index, in case you want to check that no newer edition has come out, is on the SEPE website. Contract models on the SEPE website(opens in a new tab)
In domestic employment the contract does not have to be in writing in every case, but either party may require it to be put in writing at any time, even once the relationship has started (Royal Decree 1620/2011, art. 5.3). With no written agreement, the law presumes the contract is permanent and full-time (art. 5.2): working without papers does not cost you rights, it costs you evidence.
- Salary in kind, where it has been agreed: board and lodging count as salary, capped at 30% (arts. 5.4.a and 8.2).
- The duration and distribution of the on-call time agreed, and how it is paid or compensated (art. 5.4.b).
- Arrangements for overnight stays in the family home, if any (art. 5.4.c).
- Plus everything any contract carries: identity of the parties, start date, address of the workplace, job or category, salary, working hours, holiday and notice periods.
When negotiating pay it helps to know what the contract costs the family in total: your gross plus the employer's Social Security contribution. The cost calculator on our site for families works it out with the 2026 figures.
What it costs the family: cost and Social Security calculator(opens in a new tab)Sources
Everything this page states comes from the text in force of these rules. If any of them falls out of date, write to us and we will correct it.
- Royal Decree 1620/2011, of 14 November, governing the special employment relationship of domestic service in the family home (arts. 5, 8.4, 9.7 and 11) BOE-A-2011-17975
- Workers' Statute (Royal Legislative Decree 2/2015, of 23 October), art. 49.1.d: resignation with the notice set by collective agreements or local custom BOE-A-2015-11430
- General Social Security Act (Royal Legislative Decree 8/2015, of 30 October), art. 267.1: resigning is not a legal unemployment situation BOE-A-2015-11724
- Royal Decree-Law 16/2022, of 6 September, which amended articles 5 and 11 of Royal Decree 1620/2011 and updated the contract models BOE-A-2022-14680
- Royal Decree 643/2026: deadline to report the end of registration with Social Security (6 calendar days, since 1 August 2026) BOE-A-2026-16557
These templates are general information about the rules in force, not advice on your particular case. Every situation has details that can change the outcome: if you are going to make a claim, speak first to a trade union, to your bar association's legal orientation service, or to a professional.
WHAT WE ARE ASKED MOST WHEN SOMEONE LEAVES
Quick questions
Do I have to give a reason for leaving?
No. A resignation needs no reason: the Workers' Statute only asks that you give the notice set by collective agreements or local custom (art. 49.1.d). The letter does not have to explain why you are leaving, and it is better if it does not: the shorter it is, the less there is to argue about.
Can I send the letter on WhatsApp instead of handing it over?
You can, and it works as proof of the date, but what really protects you is the paper copy signed as received. If you cannot hand it over in person, a burofax with proof of delivery and certified content is the version nobody can dispute.
If I am the one leaving, do I lose the finiquito?
No. The final settlement is always paid, however the contract ends: the days worked in your last month, the proportional share of the extra payments for the current half-year (Royal Decree 1620/2011, art. 8.4) and any holiday accrued and not taken (art. 9.7). What you do not get when you leave is severance or unemployment benefit.
What if I do not give notice?
The family may deduct from the settlement the days of notice you did not give, because that is a breach of article 49.1.d of the Workers' Statute. They cannot withhold the rest of the settlement, nor refuse you the certificado de empresa over it.
Can I generate the letter without filling anything in and write it by hand?
Yes. If you download the PDF with the form empty, it comes out with a blank line for every field so you can complete it in pen. It is the same letter and it carries the same weight.
Does the contract model work if I am a live-in?
Yes: the SEPE form is the same for live-in and live-out roles, and it is its domestic-service clauses that cover accommodation, meals, on-call time and overnight stays. That is precisely what Royal Decree 1620/2011 requires to be set out in writing (art. 5.4).
Keep reading
- Your rights as a domestic workerThe full guide: pay, hours, holiday, payslips, settlement, unemployment benefit and sick leave.
- Settlement calculatorWhat they owe you when you leave: days of the month, share of the extra payments and holiday.
- 2026 salary calculatorGross to net, across 12 or 14 payments, with the Social Security deducted from you.
Leaving because the house was not the right fit?
Every one of our offers comes with a contract and Social Security registration. Applying is free and you never pay a commission.
Browse job offers