The company certificate: the key document to claim unemployment benefits

The company certificate is an official document that the company issues and communicates to the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) when an employee's employment relationship ends. It is not generated by the worker: the company issues it automatically, without the employee having to request it.

It serves two essential purposes. Firstly, it proves the reason for termination, meaning whether that termination gives rise to the so-called legal situation of unemployment (dismissal, end of a temporary contract, collective dismissal). Secondly, it includes the unemployment contribution bases for the last 180 days, which the SEPE uses to calculate the regulatory base and, with it, the amount of the unemployment benefits.

Without this document, the SEPE cannot recognise or calculate the contributory benefit. That is why it is considered the key piece of the entire unemployment process. Managora adapts to your situation: if you are the company, we prepare and submit the certificate via Certific@2 and verify that the contribution data is correct; if you are the employee, we check that the company has sent it, claim it and submit the declaration of missing documentation if it is absent.

The obligation always falls on the company, regardless of its size or the regime of the Seguridad Social (the Spanish social security system) in which it is registered. Since the Orden ESS/484/2013 (the Spanish Ministerial Order), the old exemption for companies with fewer than 10 employees no longer exists: all are obliged.

The submission is electronic and mandatory through Certific@2, the application on the SEPE electronic headquarters. A digital certificate, RED authorisation system or authorised user is required. The paper certificate (official form) is only accepted exceptionally, when electronic submission is not possible, and in that case the company must hand it to the employee.

The general deadline is 10 days, counted from the day following the one on which the termination (the legal situation of unemployment) occurs. The company must also provide the employee with a copy or proof of submission, usually along with the final settlement. Managora handles the submission within the deadline to avoid delays and penalties.

The certificate identifies the company (NIF and contribution account code) and the employee (name and affiliation number), and includes the periods of quoted occupation, with the registration and deregistration dates.

The most important section is the contribution bases for the unemployment contingency of the last 180 days. With the average of these bases, the SEPE sets the regulatory base for unemployment benefits. It also states the exact reason for termination, using a code that indicates whether it generates the right to a benefit, and other data such as the type of contract, working hours, or paid and untaken holidays pending payment.

It is advisable to check that the declared bases match those actually contributed: an error here reduces the amount of the unemployment benefits. Managora cross-checks the certificate with the working life report and the real bases before approving it.

The fact that the company fails to comply does not make you lose your right to unemployment benefits. The first step is to check, when applying for the benefit at the SEPE electronic headquarters, if the certificate is already recorded as sent.

If it is not recorded, you can still apply for unemployment benefits by submitting a declaration of missing documentation, a form in which you explain that the company has not given you the certificate. From then on, it is the SEPE itself that requests the document from the company. In parallel, you can file a complaint with the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate, which usually speeds up the company's compliance to avoid the penalty.

It is important not to miss the deadline to apply for unemployment benefits (15 working days from the termination) even if the certificate is missing: you apply within the deadline and the SEPE claims the document later. Managora claims the certificate from the company, submits the declaration of missing documentation and, if necessary, the complaint to the Inspectorate, so that you get paid as soon as possible.

This is a common confusion. The working life report is issued by the General Treasury of the Seguridad Social (TGSS) and reflects the registrations, deregistrations and days contributed throughout your entire working career, but it does not indicate the reason for termination or the contribution bases of the last 180 days for unemployment purposes.

The company certificate, on the other hand, is specific to unemployment: it certifies that the contract has ended in a situation that gives the right to a benefit and provides the exact bases to calculate it. That is why the working life report does not replace the certificate, even though the SEPE cross-references data with the TGSS.

In practice, they complement each other: the working life report serves to prove the contributed period (the minimum qualifying period) and the certificate to prove the reason for termination and the amount.