What hiring domestic staff really costs
The salary is not the cost. On top of the €1,221 gross of the 2026 minimum wage you pay the employer's Social Security contributions, which for household employees are calculated on a salary-bracket base rather than on the wage itself. This calculator gives both figures — what the person takes home and what the household pays — using the bases and rates published for 2026, with no estimates.
Your case
Cleaner · 40 h · Live-out
| Gross salary | €1,221 | €1,221/month across 14 payments (€17,094/year). |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution base | €1,424.50 | Bracket 8 of the official scale: calculated on pay including the prorated extra payments (€1,424.50), not on the monthly payslip. |
| Employer contribution | €317.24 | 22.27% of the base: common contingencies with the 20 % reduction, work-injury cover, unemployment and FOGASA with the 80 % relief, and the MEI. That is €317.24. |
| Total cost to you, per month | €1,741.74 | Average over 12 months with extra payments prorated: €1,741.74 a month, €20,900.88 a year. |
| Employee contribution | €91.17 | 6.40% of the base: common contingencies, unemployment and the MEI. That is €91.17. |
| Net pay for the worker | €1,333.33 | Before income tax: withholding depends on their personal circumstances and this page does not calculate it. |
| One-off platform fee | €35 / €59 / €108 | €35, €59 or €108 paid once, VAT included. It is not a monthly cost and is not part of the total above. |
How it is calculated
Four steps, all on published figures. No invented ranges, no sector averages.
1. Pay cannot go below the minimum wage
Full time is paid at least €1,221 gross a month across 14 payments (€17,094 a year, RD 126/2026). Part-time pay is pro rata: 20 h is exactly half, €610.50. Above the floor, whatever is agreed applies, and the calculator uses each profession's reference salary.
2. The contribution base is not the wage
The base is calculated on monthly pay including the prorated extra payments: €1,221 × 14 / 12 = €1,424.50. That figure is looked up in the eight-bracket scale of the contribution order and the bracket's base applies. Part-time can give a base higher than the wage: at 20 h the wage is €610.50 and the base €785.
3. The rates, with their reductions
Common contingencies at 28.30% (23.60% employer, 4.70% employee), with a 20% reduction on the employer's share. Work-injury cover at 1.50% (0.80% for temporary incapacity and 0.70% for permanent), employer only. Unemployment at 7.05% and FOGASA at 0.20%, with an 80% relief on the employer's share. MEI at 0.90% (0.75% and 0.15%). The result: 22.27% for the employer and 6.40% for the employee.
4. What this leaves out
Income tax is not a contribution: it depends on the worker's personal circumstances and is calculated with the tax agency's official procedure, so the net figure shown is before tax. Salary in kind for live-in staff (accommodation and meals) is not added either, and neither is the platform fee, which is paid once.
The result estimates the contribution for common contingencies, work-injury cover, unemployment, FOGASA and the MEI with 2026 figures. The final amount is calculated by the Social Security Treasury from the registration data; you can check it in the official Social Security simulator.
Examples by profession and hours
Same calculation, eight professions and two working weeks. The salary is each profession's full-time reference pay, prorated by hours; where the market does not exceed the legal minimum, the minimum applies.
| Profession | Hours | Gross/month (14 payments) | Employer contribution | Total cost/month | Net/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaner | 40 h | €1,221 | €317.24 | €1,741.74 | €1,333.33 |
| Cleaner | 20 h | €610.50 | €174.82 | €887.07 | €662 |
| Housekeeper | 40 h | €1,221 | €317.24 | €1,741.74 | €1,333.33 |
| Housekeeper | 20 h | €610.50 | €174.82 | €887.07 | €662 |
| Nanny | 40 h | €1,221 | €317.24 | €1,741.74 | €1,333.33 |
| Nanny | 20 h | €610.50 | €174.82 | €887.07 | €662 |
| Caregiver | 40 h | €1,221 | €317.24 | €1,741.74 | €1,333.33 |
| Caregiver | 20 h | €610.50 | €174.82 | €887.07 | €662 |
| Cook | 40 h | €1,400 | €363.74 | €1,997.07 | €1,528.79 |
| Cook | 20 h | €700 | €174.82 | €991.49 | €766.42 |
| Gardener | 40 h | €1,221 | €317.24 | €1,741.74 | €1,333.33 |
| Gardener | 20 h | €610.50 | €174.82 | €887.07 | €662 |
| Butler | 40 h | €2,000 | €519.63 | €2,852.96 | €2,183.99 |
| Butler | 20 h | €1,000 | €256.33 | €1,423 | €1,093 |
| Driver | 40 h | €1,600 | €415.71 | €2,282.38 | €1,747.21 |
| Driver | 20 h | €800 | €216.03 | €1,149.36 | €871.24 |
Monthly figures with extra payments prorated (12-month average). Total cost is salary plus employer contribution; net pay is salary minus the employee contribution and before income tax.
What the cost includes
The employer's contribution is not one flat percentage: it is five items paid together every month.
Paid by the employer
- Common contingencies: pension, incapacity, maternity and healthcare. The largest item.
- Work-injury cover (AT/EP): accidents at work and occupational illness, at the household rate of the premium tariff.
- Unemployment: since October 2022 household employment contributes to unemployment benefit, with 80 % of the employer's share relieved.
- FOGASA: the wage guarantee fund, covering unpaid wages and severance if the household cannot pay.
- MEI: the intergenerational equity mechanism, 0.90 % split between the two sides.
Deducted from the worker
- Common contingencies: 4.70 % of the base.
- Unemployment: 1.55 %, which is what gives them the right to benefit.
- MEI: 0.15 %.
Not part of the monthly cost
- Income tax: the employer withholds and pays it over, but it is neither a cost of theirs nor a social contribution.
- Accommodation and meals for live-in staff: salary in kind, not an extra on top of the salary.
- Platform fee: €35, €59 or €108 paid once, separate from the monthly cost.
- Overtime, night work or agreed on-call hours: added to the salary and, with it, to the base.
The platform fee, kept separate
Finding the person is a one-off payment; the monthly cost above is what it costs to keep them employed. They are two different things and this page does not mix them.
| Plan | One-off payment | Full profiles |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | €35 | 3 |
| Active search | €59 | 7 |
| Professional | €108 | 15 |
Prices include VAT, paid once by card, no subscription. Registration and publishing an offer are free. See what each plan includes
Frequently asked questions
What does a full-time housekeeper cost per month in 2026?
Full time, the minimum salary is €1,221 gross a month across 14 payments and the employer's contribution is €317.24, so the real cost is €1,741.74 a month on average (€20,900.88 a year, with extra payments prorated). Pay above the minimum and both the salary and the contribution base rise.
What percentage does the employer pay to Social Security?
The employer pays 22.27% of the contribution base. Within that: common contingencies 23.60% with a 20% reduction (leaving 18.88%), work-injury cover 1.50%, unemployment 5.50% with an 80% relief (leaving 1.10%), FOGASA 0.20% relieved by 80% (0.04%) and the MEI 0.75%. At the minimum wage the base is €1,424.50 and the contribution €317.24.
How much is deducted from the worker?
The 6.40% of the base: 4.70% common contingencies, 1.55% unemployment and 0.15% MEI, which at the minimum wage is €91.17 a month. Income tax comes on top, depends on their personal circumstances and is not calculated here.
What about part-time? Does the cost halve?
It does not. At 20 h the salary is €610.50 (half the minimum wage), but the contribution base follows the brackets and comes out at €785, higher than the salary: the employer's contribution is €174.82 and the total cost €887.07 a month. The fewer the hours, the larger the share the contribution takes.
Is the platform fee part of the monthly cost?
No. SPECTRUM DOMUS charges once: €35 (3 full profiles), €59 (7) or €108 (15), VAT included and no subscription. That is the cost of finding the person; the monthly cost of employing them is the salary plus the employer's contribution.
Does it change for live-in staff?
The contribution is the same: it is calculated on the bracket base the salary falls into. What changes is that accommodation and meals form part of the salary in kind and must be valued in the contract; they are not added on top of the cash cost shown here.
Keep going
Cost and conditions by profession
- Cleaner: frequently asked questions
- Housekeeper: frequently asked questions
- Nanny: frequently asked questions
- Caregiver for older people: frequently asked questions
- Cook: frequently asked questions
- Gardener: frequently asked questions
- Butler: frequently asked questions
- Private driver: frequently asked questions
Where the figures come from
Every rate and base on this page is in a published rule. If a figure is not there, it is not shown.
- Order PJC/297/2026: bracket bases and contribution rates (arts. 15 and 16)
- Social Security: practical guide to household employment (reductions and reliefs)
- Social Security: official household contribution simulator
- LGSS, additional provision 61: household premium tariff (1.50%)
Indicative calculation, not binding. The final amount is set by the Social Security Treasury from the registration data and the reductions the employer is entitled to (for example, the 45% deduction for large families).