David, a Spanish plumber, started working as self-employed at age 24 and continued in the business after transitioning to retirement, according to testimony collected by the La Linterna program on COPE radio and reproduced by the digital newspaper Noticias Trabajo. The reason was simple: the pension of approximately €500 he received was considered insufficient for the household's needs. David's wife received about €1,000 in pension, totaling approximately €1,500 per month, but the couple felt that amount was not enough. According to David, "if we hadn't invested, it would have been insufficient."
Spanish official data reveals a significant disparity between Social Security schemes. In January of this year, the average retirement pension for self-employed workers was €1,054.39, while in the general scheme it reached €1,724.11, a difference of about €670 per month. In August, the figures rose slightly to €1,062.09 and €1,733.73, respectively. These are statistical averages that do not allow determining how much a person will receive based solely on profession or number of years of activity.
In Portugal, the calculation of the old-age pension for self-employed workers depends on the contributory career and registered earnings. A long career does not, by itself, guarantee a high pension, and may still include penalties or bonuses depending on retirement conditions. It is generally possible to accumulate the old-age pension with work income, including self-employed activity, although exceptions exist, such as when the pension results from conversion of a total disability pension or during three years after an early pension where accumulation with work at the same company is not permitted.
