The reform proposal concerns Spain’s gender-gap pension supplement, which pays €36.90 per child in each of 14 annual payments, subject to statutory eligibility rules. The current mechanism applies from the first child and stops increasing after four. FEDMA wants the cap removed so each additional child would raise the amount. The current supplement replaced the earlier maternity supplement in February 2021; pensions recognized under the previous scheme from 2016 to 2021 were generally covered from the second child.
The proposal is part of the Madrid federation’s report Cada hijo cuenta en la jubilación, published on 5 November 2026, which sets out eight changes for political parties and parliamentary groups. The recommendations have not been adopted. They are intended to recognise how years spent raising children can affect pension contributions and retirement income. Career breaks and reduced working hours can leave contribution gaps, particularly for mothers in large families.
Under the figures in the report, a mother with five children receiving the full supplement would gain €516.60 a year if the cap were lifted. The additional amount would be €1,033.20 for six children and €2,066.40 for eight, compared with the current maximum. Reporting by El Confidencial Digital put the distribution of pensions receiving the supplement at 51% for beneficiaries with two children and 23.6% with one; the figures were 17.4% for three children and 8% for four or more.
FEDMA cites official figures showing 23,015 large-family certificates in force in Spain for households with five or more children. It argues that removing the cap would not go far enough: the report also proposes a personal retirement benefit for each child born or adopted. Both parents could receive it, without first qualifying for a contributory pension or holding a current large-family title when their children are adults. FEDMA also proposes a minimum protection floor for people whose retirement income is insufficient. It would fund the measures through the General State Budget and grant recognition automatically, without complex administrative procedures.
The federation’s other central proposal concerns contribution records. It wants up to 270 days per child to count as protected contribution time during the six years after a birth or adoption, including for a parent who had not previously been employed. The period would affect eligibility for retirement and the calculation of its amount.
Existing Spanish rules also recognize certain childbirth- and childcare-related periods as contributions, but these credits are conditional rather than automatic for every parent who has raised a child. A qualifying interruption linked to childcare can count for up to 270 days per child, without exceeding the actual interruption; the credit is generally assigned to one parent, with priority for the mother unless she waives it. FEDMA’s proposal would extend recognition to care periods even where there was no previous employment.
FEDMA says care-related breaks can leave parents, particularly mothers in large families, with interrupted careers and reduced hours that may result in insufficient contributions. Some reach retirement with a reduced pension or without entitlement to a contributory benefit. The report also calls for protection for people already retired who lack sufficient income.
The pension campaign is separate from the school complaint brought by families in Majadahonda, covered in earlier family reporting. For its proposed pension changes, FEDMA is asking parties to establish a technical working group during the first 100 days and introduce a legislative initiative within six months. The report says the changes would require dedicated public funding and a gradual rollout.
