Personal Days in Spain (Asuntos Propios): What They Are, Whether They Are Mandatory and How to Manage Them
What are personal days (asuntos propios)?
Personal days, known in Spain as asuntos propios, are days off that an employee can use for personal matters without having to justify the reason. Unlike holidays, they are usually taken occasionally and, depending on the collective agreement, may be paid or unpaid.
Their key feature is free use: the employee does not have to prove a cause and simply requests them following the company's internal procedure.
Are they mandatory under Spanish law?
The Workers' Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores) does not grant a general right to personal days. They do not appear in the list of statutory paid leave in Article 37. Their existence therefore depends on:
- The applicable collective agreement, which is the most common source.
- The employment contract or individual agreements.
- Internal policies or voluntary company benefits.
If your collective agreement does not mention them and there is no agreement, the company is not obliged to grant them.
Difference from statutory paid leave
It is important not to confuse the two concepts:
- Statutory paid leave (permisos retribuidos) under Article 37 of the Workers' Statute covers specific causes (marriage, death of a relative, public duties, etc.) and must be justified.
- Personal days require no proof of cause, and their number and pay depend on the collective agreement or internal arrangement.
How to manage them in your company
- Check the collective agreement to see how many days apply and whether they are paid.
- Define a clear request procedure with notice periods.
- Set rules on carry-over and expiry (for example, within the calendar year).
- Record every day taken to keep an accurate balance.
Recording and its link to time tracking
Although personal days are not part of effective working time, they affect the work calendar and should be recorded alongside other absences. A system such as RegulaKit links the work-time record with holiday and absence management, avoiding balance errors.
Keeping orderly records of leave and personal days reduces conflict and reinforces compliance with Spanish labour rules. To estimate the cost of a labour breach, try our fines calculator.
Best practices
- Communicate the personal-day policy in writing to all staff.
- Centralise requests in a single tool to avoid scattered emails.
- Generate regular reports of the available balance per employee.
Transparent management of personal days builds team trust and simplifies HR work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are personal days mandatory under Spanish law?
No. The Workers' Statute does not grant a general right to personal days; they depend on the collective agreement, the contract or the company's internal policies.
Do you have to justify personal days?
No, you do not need to prove the reason, unlike statutory paid leave under Article 37, which covers specific causes and must be documented.
Are personal days paid?
It depends on the collective agreement or internal arrangement: they may be paid or unpaid, and the number of days is also set by the source that grants them.
How do they differ from holidays?
Holidays are a statutory minimum of 30 calendar days per year, while personal days are occasional, freely used days that depend on the collective agreement.
How should they be recorded?
They should be reflected in the work calendar alongside other absences, ideally with a tool that tracks the available balance per employee.