The essentials in brief:
- Where: self-employed workers (autónomos) request the bank account change in Import@ss, through the "Modificación de datos de trabajo autónomo" service.
- When it applies: if the request is made between day 1 and day 13, it covers that month’s contribution; from day 14, it applies from the first day of the following month.
- The debit: the autónomo contribution is charged on the last business day of each month.
- The institution: the new account has to be at a financial institution authorised as a collaborating entity by the General Treasury of Social Security (TGSS).
- The holder: it can be another person, or a company, as long as they give their consent.
You have opened a new account for your business, or you simply want to leave your usual bank, and one loose end remains: the monthly Social Security direct debit. Until it is changed, it keeps going to the old account. Changing the bank account for your autónomo contribution does not require an appointment or a visit to a Treasury office: the procedure sits in Import@ss and is done online.
What does matter is the calendar. The date on which you send the request decides whether this month’s contribution already comes out of the new account or still out of the old one. The cut-off is day 13, and the procedure itself takes four steps.
Why the contribution is paid by direct debit
In the self-employed scheme, paying the contribution by direct debit is not one option among several: it is the established method. Royal Decree 1415/2004, which approves the General Regulation on Social Security Collection, states in its eighth additional provision that self-employed workers must pay their contributions through a direct debit from an account opened at a financial institution authorised to act as a Social Security collection office. That is why changing an autónomo’s account does not mean paying from somewhere else, but telling the Treasury about a new account to charge the debit to.
Once set up, the direct debit stays in force: according to Order TAS/1562/2005, it is valid until it is cancelled, with no need to request it again each month. The charge arrives with a value date of the last business day of each month, and Social Security’s own guide for autónomos sums it up the same way: the contribution is charged to your account on the last business day of each month. The same order makes clear that later changes to the direct debit have identical effects, so the account can be changed again whenever needed, under the same rules. With the direct debit of the autónomo contribution running on its own, the only delicate moment is the change itself.
Changing the autónomo direct debit in Import@ss
Import@ss is the portal of the General Treasury of Social Security for procedures by employees and self-employed workers. To change the autónomo direct debit you use the "Modificación de datos de trabajo autónomo" service, designed, according to its own page, for self-employed workers who are registered and need to report a change. The official guide says it plainly: changing the account, or requesting a direct debit for the contributions, is done through that service.
Before you start, have three things to hand: your way of logging in to Import@ss, the full IBAN of the new account and, if the account is not in your name, the holder’s name and their DNI, NIE or NIF, together with their authorisation. With that, the form is completed in one go and there is no need to log in again halfway through the procedure. These are the steps:
Open the Import@ss website or app and identify yourself. The official app guide lists Cl@ve permanente, Cl@ve móvil, SMS and a digital certificate as ways to log in.
Look for the "Modificación de datos de trabajo autónomo" service. In the app, it sits in your personal area, under "Ver tus datos de autónomo", in the self-employment section.
In the direct debit section, type the IBAN of the new account. If you are not the holder, add their name and the type of document (DNI, NIE or NIF).
Confirm the request and download the receipt the service generates. Note the date: it decides from which month the contribution is charged to the new account.
When the account change takes effect
Social Security’s guide for autónomos sets the cut-off on day 13. If you make the change between day 1 and day 13 of the month, it takes effect in the same month as the request; if you make it from day 14, it applies from the first day of the following month. An account number change requested on the 20th, therefore, does not yet affect that month’s contribution. If you request it on the 5th, on the other hand, the contribution charged on the last business day of that same month already comes out of the new account.
| Date of the request | When it is charged to the new account |
|---|---|
| From day 1 to day 13 of the month | That same month’s contribution |
| From day 14 onwards | The following month’s contribution |
| Example: 20 March | The March contribution is still charged to the old account; the April one, to the new one |
You may come across a different figure on some websites: the General Collection Regulation gives days 1 to 10 as the general rule. The Treasury pages for self-employed workers set out an exception for them, with the cut-off on day 13, and that is the reference Social Security publishes for autónomos. Order TAS/1562/2005 adds one nuance: if the request is filed with the financial institution rather than with the Treasury, it takes effect from the following month.
Worth knowing: the old account should stay open, and funded, until you see the first contribution charged to the new one. That way no Social Security debit is left without an account to be collected from.
Requirements for the new account
Changing the autónomo bank account has few requirements: three conditions to check before you change the account number in Import@ss. None of them requires a visit to an office; all can be checked from home with the account details in front of you.
That last point matters for couples and small companies. If the contribution of a self-employed partner is paid from their company’s account, Social Security accepts it, as long as the company, as holder, authorises it. The same applies if the debit is charged to a relative’s account: their details are entered on the same screen. And if you are unsure about the institution, the list of collaborating entities is on the Social Security website; you can also ask your institution directly whether it acts as a collaborating entity for collecting contributions before you take the step.
Switching banks without losing direct debits
If the change is part of a wider switch of bank, changing the autónomo account with Social Security is only one of the pieces, and the order matters. This list helps you leave nothing behind:
For a few weeks the two accounts run side by side, and that is normal: the Treasury collects the contribution from the account on record, so the old one closes once the first Social Security debit shows up in the new one.
How to check the change has gone through
The first proof is the receipt the service generates when you confirm the request: keep it with your autónomo documents, because it records the date on which you asked for the change. The second is in Import@ss itself: under "Ver tus datos de autónomo" you can check the account on record for the direct debit.
The final proof comes at the end of the month. Since the contribution is charged on the last business day, the first debit in the new account appears on that day of the month in which the change takes effect. Until then, also check the statement of the old account: if the debit is still charged there, check the effective date of the direct debit and the month of the first charge on the receipt.
Your business finances with Vivid
If you are also looking for an account for your day-to-day business, the Vivid account for freelancers is built to keep payments in and out, and taxes, in order. The Standard plan costs €0/month and the account comes with a Spanish IBAN, so clients in Spain pay you to a number starting with ES.
The practical side is the pockets. Each one has its own IBAN, so you can set aside VAT money in one, income tax (IRPF) money in another and, in a third, your fixed costs, without mixing it with what you use for work. Sub-accounts with their own IBAN also accept supplier and service direct debits, and a free tool helps you move them over from your current institution. Opening the account is an online procedure: for an autónomo, an ID card (DNI), the tax identification number and proof of activity are usually enough, and opening usually takes between 10 minutes and an hour.
Vivid in brief: an account for freelancers with a Spanish IBAN from €0/month and pockets with their own IBAN to keep taxes and fixed costs apart. For the autónomo contribution, the account has to be at an institution on the Treasury’s list of collaborating entities, which is worth checking before entering it in Import@ss.
A freelancer account with a Spanish IBAN
Open the Vivid account for freelancers online, with the Standard plan at €0/month and pockets with their own IBAN to keep taxes and costs apart.
Frequently asked questions
Until what day can I change the account for it to apply this month?
Until day 13, and to be safe, within the first ten days of the month. According to Social Security’s guide for autónomos, a change made between day 1 and day 13 takes effect in the same month; from day 14, from the first day of the following month. If the request is filed with the financial institution, it takes effect from the following month.
Can the account be in someone else’s name?
Yes. The autónomo does not have to be the holder, but the holder’s consent is needed and their name and the type and number of their document have to be entered. Social Security also allows the holder to be a legal entity, for example a company.
Which institutions does Social Security accept?
The account has to be at a financial institution authorised as a collaborating entity for this payment method by the General Treasury of Social Security. The Treasury publishes the list of collaborating entities, and it is the reference before you enter the new account.
When is the autónomo contribution charged?
On the last business day of each month. That is what Social Security’s guide for autónomos states, and Order TAS/1562/2005 sets that same value date for contributions paid by direct debit.
Can I change the direct debit from my phone?
Yes. The official guide to the Import@ss app lists the bank account among the details that can be changed under "Ver tus datos de autónomo", with access through Cl@ve permanente, Cl@ve móvil, SMS or a digital certificate.
How many times can the account for the contribution be changed?
The official sources checked set no maximum. Order TAS/1562/2005 says later changes to the direct debit have identical effects, and the autónomo guide applies the day-13 cut-off to each change.
Does the autónomo account change with Social Security also apply to the tax authority?
The Social Security pages only describe the change with the Treasury and do not mention the Agencia Tributaria, which is a separate administration. If the tax authority also charges or refunds amounts, its website shows which account it holds.
This article provides general information and does not constitute legal, tax or employment advice. The deadlines and requirements come from the pages of the General Treasury of Social Security and the rules published in the BOE, and may change; it is worth checking the official information before carrying out the procedure. Vivid Money S.A. is an e-money institution authorised by the CSSF (Luxembourg); its branch in Spain is registered with the Banco de España under number 6731.
