Former professional athletes will be able to recover years of contributions that do not appear in their work history and that may be important for their retirement. The measure will come into force on December 25, 2026, according to Royal Decree 739/2026, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on September 25.
The rule affects those who competed professionally before their sport was incorporated into the General Social Security System. This system is what allows contributions to be accumulated to access a public pension. The measure includes cyclists, basketball players, handball players, and other professional athletes, but excludes footballers, who have specific regulations.
The objective is to recognize the years of work that many athletes from the eighties and nineties could not add to their contribution history. This does not mean that they will receive a payment for those years, but rather that they will be able to count on more time contributed to calculate their pension.
Which athletes can recover years of contributions for retirement?
To benefit from this measure, it is necessary to have resided in Spain, to have habitually carried out the sports activity in national territory, and to have had a professional contract. It is not enough to have practiced a sport as an amateur.
The period that can be recognized depends on each discipline. The decree takes March 15, 1980, as a reference and establishes different deadlines: cyclists will be able to claim periods prior to February 1, 1992; basketball players, those prior to August 1, 1993; handball players, those prior to January 1, 1998; and other professional athletes, those prior to June 1, 2003.
The recognized years can help those who do not reach the minimum contribution necessary to receive a contributory pension or serve to improve the amount received by those who already meet the requirements. Also, people who are already retired will be able to benefit, having the possibility to request a review of their benefit.
How to request recognition of years worked and what it costs
The recognition of years of sports career will not be automatic. Those interested will have to submit an application to the National Social Security Institute (INSS), in person or electronically, and demonstrate that they worked as professionals during the period they want to recover.
To do this, they must provide a certificate from the club or sports entity stating the years of activity. If the club has disappeared or does not keep the documents, the corresponding sports federation may accredit that time worked. Periods that coincide with other years already contributed will not be counted twice. In addition, recovering this time will not oblige former athletes to pay overdue contributions: the cost will be assumed by the Higher Sports Council (CSD), which will pay the corresponding amount in a single payment. To calculate it, the minimum contribution bases of each period will be used.
In the case of those who already receive a pension, the INSS may review the amount if it accepts the new periods. The modification will take effect from the first day of the month following the application, although it will become effective when the CSD pays the corresponding cost. Then, the pensioner may receive the new amount and the accumulated differences from that date.
Although the decree has already been published, we will have to wait until December 25, 2026 for it to come into force and for the procedures to begin.
