Sick as an Autonomo: What the Mutua and Sick Pay Cover
Sandor Farkas
Founder and editor of Mallorca Plus
Helps expats and residents navigate authorities, housing and everyday life on Mallorca.
If you get sick as an autonomo on Mallorca, a lot works differently than for an employee. Your sick pay does not come from a client, it comes from your mutua, and the amount depends on the contribution base you chose. You still have to keep paying your Seguridad Social contributions yourself for the first few weeks, and you only have a few days to file a declaration about what happens to your business while you are off. Miss these deadlines and you risk a reduced or fully suspended payment. This post explains how the sick leave process works, how much money you actually get, and what to watch out for during the baja.
At a glance
As an autonomo you get 60 percent of your contribution base from the fourth day of illness, and 75 percent from day 21. You keep paying your own contributions for the first 60 days, after that the mutua takes over (Art. 309.2 LGSS). You have 15 days to declare what happens to your business, or the payment gets suspended.
What is the baja medica for autonomos?
The baja medica is the official sick leave certificate in the Spanish social security system. For autonomos it triggers the Prestacion por Incapacidad Temporal, the sick pay your mutua pays once a doctor certifies you unfit for work and the certificate is submitted electronically.
The mutua colaboradora con la Seguridad Social that your autonomo contribution is registered with handles this, not Social Security itself. The basics of registering and choosing your contribution level are covered in our autonomo guide. One distinction matters for how much sick pay you get: an ordinary illness or an accident in your free time counts as contingencia comun, while a work accident or occupational illness counts as contingencia profesional. The second pays out from the day after the accident, the first only from the fourth day.
How to report sick
Book a doctor's appointment
Get an appointment at your Centro de Salud or directly with your mutua. If you are unfit for work, the doctor issues the parte de baja and submits it electronically.
File the declaration on how your business continues
Within 15 days of the baja starting, tell your mutua whether your business pauses or whether someone else runs it in the meantime.
Attend your follow-up appointments
Show up for check-ups regularly until you recover. The doctor issues the parte de alta at the end, which closes the baja.
Check the payment
The mutua usually transfers sick pay monthly. If there are delays or questions, calling your mutua directly is worth it.
How much sick pay do you get?
The amount is based on your contribution base, the figure you chose with your contribution bracket. Divided by 30 it gives your daily base, of which a percentage is paid out as sick pay.
| Posten | Kosten | Dauer |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 to 3 | 0 EUR | no entitlement |
| Day 4 to 20 | 60% of the base | contingencia comun |
| From day 21 | 75% of the base | contingencia comun |
| From the next day | 75% of the base | work accident |
A worked example: someone in bracket 1, meaning an estimated net income up to 670 EUR and the 2026 minimum contribution of 200 EUR a month, has a base of around 636 EUR. Divided by 30, that is roughly 21 EUR a day. For the first three weeks that works out to about 13 EUR a day in sick pay, and around 16 EUR a day from day 21. Anyone who voluntarily chose a higher base gets proportionally more. More on the 15 contribution brackets and picking the right one is in our post on autonomo contributions 2026.
Contributions, deadlines and what is off-limits during the baja
You keep paying your own autonomo contribution for the first 60 days of the baja. Only from day 61 does the mutua, or the relevant administrative body, take it over for as long as the incapacity lasts. This is set out in Article 309.2 of the Ley General de la Seguridad Social and runs automatically, without a separate application.
You still have to hit the deadline for the declaration on how your business continues. Social Security requires it within 15 days through the official form. Miss it, and your sick pay is suspended until you file it.
Warning: no invoices for the activity you are off sick from
During the baja you should not issue invoices for the activity you are on sick leave from. That counts as a sign you are actually fit to work, and the mutua can cancel your sick pay because of it. An independent side activity you already had running from home before the baja can be exempt from this, but check with your mutua beforehand.
Frequently asked questions
Conclusion
As an autonomo you are not unprotected when you fall ill, but the rules differ clearly from those for employees. Three things matter most: the 60 days during which you still pay your own contribution, the 15-day deadline for the declaration on your business continuation, and holding back on invoices for your own sick-listed activity. Know these three points and you get through the baja medica without an unpleasant surprise.
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