Notice of reduced working hours to care for a child or relative (Spain)
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For an employee in Spain caring for a child under twelve, a person with a disability or a relative who cannot look after themselves, who wants to work fewer hours. The letter gives notice of the reduction (between one eighth and one half, with pay cut in proportion), the hours chosen within the ordinary working day and the dates, with the fifteen days' notice of art. 37.7 of the Spanish Workers' Statute. It is handed over against a receipt, sent by certified letter or by burofax. In Spanish.
- Made for use in Spain
- Last updated October 20, 2026
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You want to work fewer hours in Spain to look after your child.
- You care for an elderly parent who cannot manage alone and need more time.
- Your company says it cannot cut your hours and you want to give notice in writing.
- You want to choose shorter hours within your usual working day.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employee
- Employee's address
- Employee's DNI or NIE (Spanish identity number)
- How the letter is sent (printed above the recipient)
- Employer (company name or, for an individual, full name)
- Employer's postal address (street and number, postcode and town on separate lines)
- City
- Date
- Ground for the reduction in hours
- Relationship to the person cared for
- Current working time and hours
- Reduction requested (between one eighth and one half)
- Proposed hours within the ordinary working day
- Requested start date
- Requested end date
- Collective agreement that applies
Common questions
- Can a Spanish employer refuse reduced hours to care for a child under twelve?
- It cannot refuse the right if the conditions of art. 37.6 of the Spanish Workers' Statute are met: it is the employee's individual right. What it can dispute is the chosen hours or the period; the disagreement is then settled by the labour section of the Tribunal de Instancia in a fast-track procedure (art. 139 of the Spanish Labour Procedure Act).
- By how much can working hours be reduced in Spain, and what happens to pay?
- Between one eighth and one half of the daily working time, and pay falls in the same proportion (art. 37.6 of the Spanish Workers' Statute). For example, a reduction of one eighth means seven eighths of the salary. The reduced hours are chosen within the ordinary working day; the collective agreement may set criteria for fixing them.
- How does a reduction of hours differ from an adaptation of working time in Spain?
- The reduction of art. 37.6 of the Spanish Workers' Statute cuts hours and pay in proportion, and the employer cannot refuse it if the conditions are met. The adaptation of art. 34.8 changes the hours, their distribution or the place of work without cutting hours or pay, but it is a right to request and negotiate it. There is a separate request for the adaptation.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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