What is the RAI and who can access it?
In Spain, the Public Service for Employment, known as SEPE, runs a program to financially support people who are unemployed. This includes a contributory unemployment benefit along with unemployment subsidies. Sometimes a person may remain out of the job market for an extended period, and now there is a plan to grant a benefit of nearly 500 euros for roughly three years.
For those who are not aware, this is the Rent Active of Insertion, or RAI. It is one of the extraordinary unemployment subsidies SEPE may grant under special circumstances after public aid has ended. The RAI has a set of requirements that applicants must meet to qualify:
- Have been a victim of gender-based or domestic violence
- Be a returning migrant
- Have a disability of 33% or more
- Be a long-term unemployed person over 45 years old
What SEPE requirements must be met to access the RAI?
It should be remembered that accessing this special benefit requires meeting at least two types of conditions.
- Not having received this benefit more than three times
- Falling below the standard retirement age set at 65
- Proving that the monthly income is less than 75 percent of the Minimum Interprofessional Salary (SMI)
- Being registered as a job seeker
- Not having received the RAI in the last year
- If there are dependent children under 26, total family income must be calculated and divided among family members
Emigrants who have returned
- If the worker is unemployed and returns to Spain, they may claim the RAI if they meet certain conditions
- They must be job seekers and sign the activity commitment
- They must be over 45 and have not reached the ordinary retirement age
- They must not have received this benefit in the last year or more than three times
- Proof that they worked a minimum of six months outside of Spain and have been in the country for at least one year before applying
Victims of gender-based or domestic violence
- These individuals may apply for the RAI if they are not living with their aggressor and simply need to have been registered as job seekers for a year
People who suffer a disability
All unemployed people with a disability of 33% or more must demonstrate that:
- They have signed the activity commitment and meet three of the conditions within the Basic Employment Agreement (BAE)
- They are registered as job seekers for at least one year and have worked at least three months
- They do not have a right to another type of subsidy or benefit
Long-term unemployed people
- They must be over 45 years old
- They have exhausted unemployment benefits
- They are actively seeking work and have signed the activity commitment
- They have been job seekers for at least one year
What is the payment amount and duration?
As of 2024, SEPE set the payment amount for the RAI at 480 euros per month. By law, this must be at least 80 percent of the IPREM, the public reference for income. Beneficiaries receive the payment in their bank accounts between the 10th and 15th of each month. The regulation states that the benefit lasts eleven months, with a possible extension of up to three additional months, if conditions allow. Source: SEPE guidelines
The information above reflects the policy framework for the RAI and its eligibility rules. Always check the latest official guidance from SEPE, as program details can change with new budgets or amendments to social welfare policies. (Source attribution: SEPE official communications)