One of the most important concepts that you must take into account in your work, especially in the payroll and in your contract, are the contribution groups. Do you know what they are?
These influence your salary since it is the way in which the employer classifies the workers based on the tasks they perform. Of course, it may also be the case that the employer classifies you in the wrong group, for example when you do other types of tasks that are more typical of a higher or lower group. Do you want to know so it doesn't happen to you? We tell you everything.
What are the contribution groups
Before we tell you anything else about quote groups, we need you to really understand what they are. And in this case, the contribution groups refer to the way in which salaried workers are classified (ie, employed by others) according to the type of work they do.
In other words, We are talking about a classification carried out by Social Security to group workers according to the functions they perform and the job position they occupy. In this way, it establishes what its contribution bases are in a scale from minimum to maximum.
How many quote groups are there currently?
If you want to know exactly all the contribution groups that exist in Spain, here we leave you the list of them together with the minimum and maximum bases they have:
- Engineers and graduates: €1.547-4.070,10/month.
- Technical engineers, experts and qualified assistants: €1.282,80 – €4.070,10/month.
- Administrative and workshop managers: €1.116-4.070,10/month.
- Non-qualified assistants: €1.108,33-4.070,10/month.
- Administrative officers: €1.108,33-4.070,10/month.
- Subordinates: €1.108,33-4.070,10/ month.
- Administrative assistants: €1.108,33-4.070,10/month.
- First and second class officers: €37-135,67/day.
- Third class officers and specialists: €37-135,67/day.
- Laborers: €37-135,67/day.
- Workers under 18 years of age (regardless of their Social Security professional category): €37-135,67/day.
Where does the quote group appear?
Normally, when an employment contract is signed, the contribution group must be indicated in the clauses themselves. In addition, it must also appear on the payroll. In some companies or sectors in which there are collective agreements as well, since they define the characteristics, functions and qualifications necessary for each professional group.
Therefore, we can say that you have several ways to find your contribution group.
What is the contribution group for?
The wage earners contribution group has two main functions. On the one hand, determine the salary and contribution bases.
As we have told you before, these groups have a scale (from minimum to maximum) for each one, that is, that the remuneration of that person in the group they are in is set at a minimum and maximum ceiling. In other words, the salary must be between that scale. And depending on this, the company must pay Social Security contributions.
On the other hand, the contribution groups are also used to describe what the functions of each group are and what would have to be done to promote to a higher group. For example, imagine that you are in the group of Third Class Officers and Specialists. And you want to go up to the one immediately above, the first and second. In this case, a series of requirements would be established to do so and, once they are met, you can request a job promotion (as long as the company allows and accepts it).
Listing group and professional category
One of the confusions that is often generated with contribution groups has to do with equalizing them or thinking that they are the same as the professional category. Actually, they are two very different concepts from each other.
La Professional category of a worker has to do with the training or degree that worker has. And what the contribution group does is focus on the functions it carries out in the job position it is in.
Also, you should know that the contribution group has nothing to do with the salary that a worker receives, but affects the contributions. It is the category that determines the salary that that worker will receive (although in many cases, the degree that one has has no influence because he performs a job for which less training is required than the one he has).
We give you an example. Imagine that you are a technical engineer. You have a good degree and you are looking for a job. The one he offers you is administrative assistant and you decide to take it. At that time, even if you have a higher degree (which includes you in contribution group 1), in reality you will be in group 7 because the functions that you are going to perform at work correspond to those of this group.
The same would happen with salary. This would be related to the functions you perform, not so much with the training you may have.
Are there contribution groups in the self-employed?
As you have seen, the contribution groups are "exclusive" for employees. But if you are self-employed, or you know people who are, one of the questions that may assail you is to know if they have something similar in Social Security.
The The self-employed are listed because they are registered in the Special Scheme for self-employed workers. However, Social Security does not establish any classification to divide these workers. In other words, it is the same to be self-employed without a degree as with an important degree (a degree, postgraduate, master's, doctorate...). Therefore, in this case they do not affect these groups.
Now the issue of what the contribution groups are should be much clearer to you and, above all, if you are a salaried worker, in your payroll you will be able to see the number in which you are framed to be able to check if it is the correct one for the functions that you carry out or not. If not, you can always talk to the company to see if they can place you in the correct one (which, as we have told you, does not have an impact on salary itself, but on Social Security contributions).