• People included in the General Scheme of the Social Security, who are affiliated and with active contributor or assimilated contributor status and who have completed the minimum required contribution period:
  
  • If death is due to a common disease:
    
    500 days within an uninterrupted period of 5 years before the death of the worker, or before the date on which the worker became no longer required to contribute, if the originator held active contributor status or assimilated status with no obligation to contribute.
    
    However, the contribution requirement for orphan benefits is abolished if the originator is in high or in a situation similar to that of discharge when the originator dies.
    
    For workers on part-time contracts, to certify the contribution period required, effective 04/08/2013, theregulations set out in Royal Decree-Law 11/2013, of 2 August shall be applied.
    
    To this end, in the case of workers included in the Special System for Domestic Employees, from 2012 until 2018, the hours that have effectively been worked in the System will be determined in accordance with the contribution basis referred to in temporary provision 16 of the LGSS, divided by an amount that corresponds to the minimum hourly basis of the General System set by the LPGE for each one of those years. 
    
  • If death was caused by an accident, whether or not it was work-related, or by occupational disease, no previous contribution period is required.
    
  • Previous contribution periods are also not required for coverage of a death grant.

• People receiving benefits for temporary disability, risk during pregnancy, maternity, paternity or risk during breast feeding who fulfil the contribution period that may be set for that case.

• Retirement pensioners receiving contributory benefits.

• Pensioners with permanent disability. The death of a person with absolute permanent disability or outstanding disability will be considered to be caused by work-related injury or occupational disease if either was the cause of the disability.

• Workers who stopped working and had the right to collect a contributory retirement pension but died without requesting it.

• Workers who disappear as a consequence of an accident, whether or not it was work-related, in circumstances in which death can be presumed, and those from which no news is received during the 90 calendar days following the accident. In this case, there is never any entitlement to a death grant.

• Workers who are entitled to a total permanent disability pension, and opted for the special lump sum compensation for people under 60 years of age.

In addition to the general requirements (affiliation, registration and contribution) required from the originator in each situation, in order to receive the widow's or widower's pension, the beneficiaries must prove other specific requirements in certain circumstances.

• The surviving spouse, in the event of death arising from common disease prior to the marriage, must prove one of the following requirements:
  
  
  • That there are children in common.
  • That the marriage took place one year prior to the death. This duration of the marriage is not required when it can be proved that, on the date of the wedding, there had been a period of cohabitation in which the originator was a domestic partner which, when added to the duration of the marriage, exceeded two years.

If the spouse does not prove one of these requirements, they may access a temporary widowhood benefit, as long as they have met the rest of the compulsory requirements.

• Legally separated and divorced individuals, provided that in the case of the latter the individual has not remarried or entered into a domestic partnership, if they are entitled to the compensatory pension referred to under |art. 97 of the Civil Code, which will terminate upon the death of the originator. As of 01/01/2010, if the amount of the widowhood pension is greater than the maintenance allowance, the former will be reduced to the amount of the latter.

To certify entitlement to the maintenance allowance, which determines entitlement to the widowhood pension in the case of legal separation and divorce, only the following shall be required:

1. That the widowhood pension applicant, who is separated or divorced from the deceased, is named as the recipient of the maintenance allowance in the relevant court ruling.
2. That this entitlement has not been terminated for one of the grounds set forth in article 101 of the Civil Code, or that, in relation to another comparable pension, it remains in force on the date of the originating event (this will be deemed to be certified by the applicant's declaration of responsibility).
3. The maintenance allowance established in the ruling and the rules set forth in that ruling shall be taken into account for the purposes of the limitation set on the widowhood pension (the interested party may also make a statement in this regard by the declaration of responsibility, as there may be amendments to the amounts and the basis for updating it).

In any event, women will have a right to a widow's pension, even if not entitled to the compensatory pension, when they can prove that they were victims of gender-based violence at the time of legal separation or divorce by final judgment, or record of the circumstance arising from extinction of criminal liability due to death; in the absence of a judgment, through the protection order issued in their favour or report from the Public Prosecution Service stating that there is evidence of gender-based violence, as well as any other means of proof admissible by Law (applicable to deaths occurring after 01/01/2008).

When  the  legal separation  or divorce occurred before 01/01/2008, the granting of the entitlement to the pension shall not be conditional on the divorced or legally separated person being entitled to the compensatory pension, as long as:

• A period of over 10 years has not passed between the date of divorce or legal separation and the death of the originator.
• The marriage tie lasted for a minimum of 10 years.
• You  must also fulfil one of the following requirements: there are common children from the marriage; the beneficiary is aged over 50 on the originator's date of death.

The amount of the resulting pension will be calculated in accordance with the regulations in force prior to 01/01/2008 (entry into force of Law 40/2007, of 4 December).

The aforementioned provisions are also applicable to the deaths occurring between 01/01/2008 and 31/12/2009, as long as the divorce or legal separation occurred before 01/01/2008. 

A divorced or legally separated person who had been a debtor of the compensatory pension shall not be entitled to a widowhood pension.

From 01/01/2013, persons who are divorced or legally separated before 01/01/2008, who are not eligible for the compensatory pension, shall also be entitled to the pension, even if they do not meet the other requirements of the 18th transitional provision (in which 10 years have not yet elapsed between the date of divorce or separation and the death of the person responsible; that the marriage has lasted at least 10 years, that they have common children) provided that:

• They are aged 65 or over,
• They are not entitled to any other public pension and
• The marriage to the originator of the pension lasted at least 15 years.
  
• The survivor, whose marriage has been annulled, who has been granted entitlement to compensation under the terms of |art. 98 of the Civil Code,  provided that they have not remarried or formed a duly certified common law marriage.
  
• The survivor of the domestic partners, in the following terms:

• Deaths after 31 December 2021.

The widow's/widower's pension shall be payable to the person who was united with the originator as a domestic partner at the time of death, provided that the following is accredited:

• The registration of the de facto couple in one of the specific registries of the Autonomous Communities or Town Councils of the place of residence or the signing of a public record that certifies the establishment of this couple, in both cases, for a minimum of 2 years before the date of death of the originator.
• That, at the date of death and during the period of 2 years referred to in the previous paragraph, neither of the partners was unable to marry, or had a marital or domestic partnership with another person.
• Stable and patently obvious cohabitation at the time of death of the originator, for an uninterrupted period of no less than 5 years. This requirement does not apply if there are children of both spouses.

The widow's or widower's pension shall also be payable to a person who was part of a domestic partnership which, having been constituted in the terms indicated above, was terminated by the will of one or both partners prior to the death of the originator, when they can prove that:

• They have not formed a new domestic partnership, in the aforementioned terms, nor have they been married.
• Being a creditor of a compensatory pension and that this is extinguished by the death of the originator.

The compensatory pension must be determined judicially or by means of an agreement or regulatory pact granted in a public document, and for the fixing of its amount, the concurrence in the recipient of the same circumstances provided for in Article 97 of the Civil Code must have been taken into account.

If the amount of the widowhood pension is greater than the compensatory pension, the former will be reduced to the amount of the latter.

In any event, even if not entitled to the compensatory pension, women who can prove that they were victims of gender-based violence at the time of the extinction of the domestic partnership by final judgment, or record of the circumstance arising from extinction of criminal liability due to death; in the absence of a judgment, through the protection order issued in their favour or report from the Public Prosecution Service stating that there is evidence of gender-based violence, as well as any other means of proof admissible by Law (

• Deaths before 1 January 2022.

As a general rule, to be eligible for a widow's or widower's pension, the following shall be required:

• That the death occurred after 01/01/08.
• The registration of the de facto couple in one of the specific registries of the Autonomous Communities (AC) or Town Councils of the place of residence or the signing of a public record that certifies the establishment of this couple, in both cases, for a minimum of 2 years before the date of death of the originator.
• Stable and patently obvious cohabitation at the time of death of the originator, for an uninterrupted period of no less than 5 years.
• That, during the period of cohabitation, neither member of the couple was legally unable to enter into marriage or had a marital tie with another person.
• That their income:
  • During the calendar year prior to the death, did not reach 50% of the amount of their own income plus the income of the originator in the same period, or 25%  in the event that there are no children in common with entitlement to an orphan's pension.
  • Or, alternatively, is less than 1.5 times the amount of the Minimum Professional Wage in force at the time of death. This requirement must apply both at the time of the causal event and during receipt of benefits. The specified limit will increase by 0.5 times the amount of the MW in force for each child in common entitled to an orphan's pension and living with the survivor.

Earnings from work, capital gains and assets, according to the terms under which they are calculated for the recognition of the minimum pension supplements, will be considered as income.

Exceptionally, however, entitlement to a widow's or widower's pension shall be granted, with effect from the first day of the month following the month in which the application is made, to a person who was part of a domestic partnership at the date of death of the originator, where the following circumstances apply:

• That upon the death of the originator, meeting the registration and contribution requirements, they could not have been entitled to the widow's or widower's pension
• That the existence of the domestic partnership at the time of the death of the originator is accredited in the following terms:
  • The registration of the de facto couple in one of the specific registries of the Autonomous Communities or Town Councils of the place of residence or the signing of a public record that certifies the establishment of this couple, in both cases, for a minimum of 2 years before the date of death of the originator.
  • That, on the date of death and during the 2-year period referred to in the previous paragraph, neither of the partners was unable to marry or was not married or in a domestic partnership with another person.
  • Stable and patently obvious cohabitation at the time of death of the originator, for an uninterrupted period of no less than 5 years. This requirement does not apply if there are children of both spouses.
• The beneficiary is not entitled to a contributory Social Security pension.
• Applying within the calendar year 2022.
  

For the purposes of these benefits, assimilated contributor situations are:

• The legal state of unemployment, full and subsidised, and involuntary unemployment upon completion of the contributory or welfare benefits, as long as the person remains registered as unemployed at the employment office.

• The situation of the worker during the period corresponding to paid annual holidays that were not taken before the contract ended.

• Forced leave.

• The period of time the worker remains on leave to care for a child, fostered minor or other family members that exceeds what is considered as the effective contribution period in article 237 of the LGSS.

• Transfer of the employee by the company outside of Spain.

• Signing of a special agreement of any type.

• Periods of inactivity between seasonal jobs.

• Prison terms served as a result of the cases outlined in the Amnesty Act 46/1977, of 15 October, under the terms governed by Law 18/1984, of 8 June.

• The periods when aid is received for early retirement and before ordinary retirement.

• A situation of temporary disability that continues after the contract has expired.

• The situation of extended conditions of temporary disability.

• For workers affected by toxic syndrome who, as a result of this, stopped their job or professional activity at a particular time during the year, without it being possible to resume their job during that year and who were affiliated to one of the Social Security schemes, the assimilated situation will be understood with regard to the scheme that the workers were in when they finished work and for the common contingencies.

• The period that the employment contract is suspended due to the worker's decision to stop working as a result of gender-based violence.