Status awarded to families consisting of one or more children under the age of 21, or under the age of 26 if they are studying, who live together and are financially dependent on a single person.
The title of single-parent family confers various benefits, tax advantages and reductions. There is an individual card for each of the beneficiary members.
Beneficiaries:
In order to be recognised as a single-parent family, it is necessary for the children:
- To be under 21 years of age or disabled or unable to work, or to be under 26 years of age and studying. The studies must be university education in any of its various cycles and modalities, higher vocational training, specialised education of a level equivalent to university or professional education in publicly or privately funded centres, or any other of a similar nature, or they may be studies aimed at obtaining a job. There is no age limit for disabled children, as long as they live with the family.
- Live with the parent and are financially dependent. It is understood that the temporary separation of a period of two years or less (due to studies, work, medical treatment, rehabilitation or other similar causes, including cases of force majeure, deprivation of liberty of the parent or children or internment in accordance with the regulations governing the criminal responsibility of minors) does not break the cohabitation between the parent and the children, even if it is the consequence of a temporary move abroad.
Single-parent families are deemed to be families consisting of the following:
- A parent, with dependent children, who lives together with another person or with other persons with whom he/she is neither married nor in a stable partnership.
- A widow or widower or in a similar situation, with financially dependent children, without taking into account the receipt of widow’s and/or orphan’s pensions.
- A parent who has custody of the children and who does not receive court-established maintenance or who receives it but it is less than half the amount of the Catalan Income Sufficiency Indicator (IRSC) in force per month for each child.
- A parent with dependent children who has suffered violence as defined in Law 5/2008, of 24 April, on the right of women to eradicate gender-based violence.
- A parent with dependent children who has been abandoned by the other parent or live-in partner.
- A parent with dependent children when the other parent is in a situation of deprivation of liberty, a situation of hospitalisation or in other similar situations for one year or more.
A single-parent family loses this status when the head of the family unit marries another person or enters into a stable partnership as defined by the Catalan civil legislation, or no longer meets any of the established requirements.
The status of the minor under guardianship or pre-adoptive or simple foster care on a permanent basis or with a duration of more than one year with whom the child lives, and the status of the guardian and the foster carer is considered equal to that of the parent.
Foreigners from non-EU countries are entitled to recognition of the status of single-parent family as long as all the members of the family, who are entitled to this status, are legally resident in Catalonia.
Age:
That the children are under 21 years of age or have a disability equal to or greater than 33% or are incapable of working, or are under 26 years of age when studying.
Registration in the municipal register: Yes, in Catalonia.
Necessary documentation:
- DNI (Spanish national identity document)/NIF (Tax ID code)/NIE (Identity number for foreign nationals) of the parent applicant and of the children over 18 years of age who are part of the family unit.
- Complete family book(s) or ruling, notarial act or administrative resolution of the adoption, only if this document has not been previously submitted to the Catalan Foster Care and Adoption Institute or if it does not appear in the family book; or judicial resolution of guardianship, or administrative resolution of foster care.
Recognised disability:
A disabled person is defined as a person with a recognised degree of disability equal to or greater than 33% and a person unable to work is defined as a person with an absolute permanent disability or severe disability.
Victim of domestic violence:
A parent with dependent children who has suffered violence as defined in Law 5/2008, of 24 April, on the right of women to eradicate gender-based violence will be considered to be a single parent family.
Incompatibilities:
Families recognised as both a large family and a single-parent family are granted each status, which are compatible, although benefits of the same kind or nature are not cumulative, unless otherwise stated.
Amount and frequency:
- Fees: There are no fees associated with this procedure.
- Deadlines: It can be applied for at any time.
- Validity of the status: The status is valid for four years, but when the oldest child reaches the age of 21, it is valid for two years as a general rule.