SEPE self-employment help: unemployment capitalisation and compatibility

What you need

1. Cl@ve, certificado digital or DNIe to enter the SEPE sede.
2. Project brief (memoria explicativa): what you’ll do, how much it costs, where the money comes from and when you start.
3. Quotes or proforma invoices for the investment (equipment, licences, rent, vehicle if relevant).
4. Your benefit data: how much unemployment time you have left (you’ll see this in your SEPE expediente).
5. If joining a cooperative/society: estatutos and certificates proving your incorporation and contribution.

Documentation

• Online application for pago único or compatibilidad (done at sede.sepe.gob.es).
• Memoria explicativa and investment plan with detailed amounts and timetable.
• Quotes/proforma invoices showing provider, concept and price.
• If joining a sociedad/cooperative: escritura/estatutos and certificate of contribution/conditions of joining.
• After approval: alta en RETA (importass.seg-social.es) and alta censal (Modelo 036/037) at sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es.
• Final invoices and proof of payment (transfers/cards) for the investment.

Step by step

1. Check your remaining unemployment on the SEPE sede and choose: capitalise (they pay you up front) or compatibilize (you keep monthly payments while registering).
2. File the application on sede.sepe.gob.es: choose the option (investment, contributions or mixed), upload the memoria and quotes. Do it before you start the activity.
3. Wait for the resolution. It usually takes 1–4 weeks. Watch notifications so you don’t miss a requerimiento.
4. If it’s capitalisation: after the resolution, register on RETA (importass.seg-social.es) and submit Modelo 036/037 (sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es) within the deadline they give you (common: 1 month).
5. Buy what you planned and pay traceably. Get invoices in your name and keep proofs of payment.
6. Upload the justifications to your SEPE expediente: final invoices, payments, RETA and censo registrations. If you took the quota option, then justify monthly with RETA receipts.
7. If it’s compatibility: file the request within 15 days of your RETA registration. SEPE can keep paying your benefit (up to the legal limit) while you contribute.

Tricks that save time

• Write a clear, realistic memoria. No novel, but do include numbers: what you’ll buy, how much and why.
• Vehicle: if you need one, justify it thoroughly (activity, routes, real professional use). Mixed-use vehicles are checked closely.
• Ask for invoices as soon as you have the resolution. If you miss the deadline, you’ll have to fight for an extension.
• Light PDFs and clear file names. The SEPE site chokes on huge files.
• Keep everything for 5 years. Hacienda and SEPE might ask for documents if they audit.

Common mistakes that can derail your application

1. Registering in RETA or signing deeds before requesting capitalisation: almost automatic denial.
2. Submitting only proformas and not uploading final invoices and proof of payment after the grant.
3. Requesting compatibility late (after 15 days): it will be rejected.
4. Paying cash: no bank trace, they can void it.
5. Changing the investment without notice: if you buy something different from the memoria, justify it in writing; otherwise you risk repayment.
6. Confusing options: you can’t keep getting monthly benefit and at the same time have cashed the full lump sum.