What is due to you when a fixed-term contract ends
Updated: October 2026Sources: Estatuto de los Trabajadores (BOE) · CGPJ guide v0.6 · Ley General de la Seguridad Social (BOE) · SEPE amountsWho is behind this
12 days per year, except for replacement and training contracts
When a fixed-term contract for production circumstances (circunstancias de la producción) ends, you are entitled to severance pay of 12 days’ pay per year, in proportion to the days worked (art. 49.1.c ET). If the contract started before 2015, it is fewer days: 8 if it started in 2011 or earlier, 9 in 2012, 10 in 2013 and 11 in 2014 (transitional provision 8.ª ET). Contracts signed before 4 March 2001 carry no such severance pay (transitional provision 8.ª.2 ET).
Contracts to replace another person (sustitución) and training contracts (formativos) carry no severance pay (art. 49.1.c ET). That is why the calculator asks you the type of contract right after the reason.
Art. 49.1.c ET · DT 8.ª
Notice for contracts of more than a year
If the contract lasted more than a year, as can happen with a replacement contract, the employer has to give you at least 15 days’ notice of its end (art. 49.1.c ET). The review counts the days of that notice you were not given as still to be paid. Each day is worth between your monthly pay / 30 and your annual pay / 365, depending on how the employer counts it.
Art. 49.1.c ET
Examples: 3, 6 and 12 months
A contract for production circumstances lasts at most 6 months, or up to a year if your sector’s collective agreement extends it (art. 15.2 ET).
Contracts for production circumstances ending on 30 September 2026, with 1.500 € gross a month and two extra payments of 1.500 €.
| Length | Severance pay |
|---|---|
| 3 months | 174,02 € |
| 6 months | 346,15 € |
| 12 monthsonly if your sector’s collective agreement extends it | 690,41 € |
Each severance payment is the days of the contract × 12 / 365 days’ pay, at 21.000 € / 365 each. The final settlement also adds the last month’s pay, holiday and extra payments, which the calculator reviews with your details.
A fixed-term contract that goes beyond its maximum length may in fact be a permanent one (art. 15.4 ET), and its end would then be a dismissal. Only contracts for a specific project or service (obra o servicio) signed before 31 December 2021 could last longer (transitional provision 3.ª of Real Decreto-ley 32/2021).
Art. 15 ET
If the contract ends while you are on sick leave
The review calculates the final settlement with the dates, pay and holiday days you enter. It does not take into account the sick leave or what happens to its benefit when the contract ends: we do not check that.
And unemployment benefit
The end of a fixed-term contract is a legal situation of unemployment, unless you were the one who ended it (art. 267.1.a.6.º LGSS). How long the benefit lasts depends on the days of contributions in the last 6 years: you will find it in How much unemployment benefit you are entitled to depending on the time worked.
Art. 267 LGSS
Frequently asked questions
Am I entitled to a final settlement if my contract ends?
Yes. When any contract ends, what is due to you is pay for the days worked in the last month, untaken holiday and the accrued part of any extra payments (pagas extra) not spread over the monthly payslips (art. 49.2 ET).
How much severance pay is there when a fixed-term contract ends?
12 days' pay per year, in proportion to the days worked (art. 49.1.c ET). If the contract started in 2011 or earlier it is 8 days; in 2012, 9; in 2013, 10; and in 2014, 11 (transitional provision 8.ª ET). Replacement (sustitución) and training (formativo) contracts carry no severance pay, nor do those signed before 4 March 2001 (transitional provision 8.ª.2 ET).
Do they have to tell me in advance that the contract is ending?
If the contract lasted more than a year, the employer has to give you 15 days' notice (art. 49.1.c ET). The review counts the days of that notice you were not given as still to be paid.
What if my contract ends while I am on sick leave?
The review calculates the final settlement with the dates, pay and holiday days you enter. It does not take into account the sick leave or what happens to its benefit when the contract ends: we do not check that.
Does the end of a contract give you unemployment benefit?
Yes, unless you were the one who ended the contract (art. 267.1.a.6.º LGSS). You also need 360 days of contributions in the last 6 years, which can come from several contracts.