What this letter is
It is a communication from the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS) (National Social Security Institute) about your Ingreso Mínimo Vital (IMV) (minimum living income). It can be good news, like the resolución de concesión (approval decision), or it can ask something of you: documents, paying money back or explaining a change. The most common ones are approval, denial, a change in the amount, suspension, termination and cobro indebido (overpayment).
How to read it: the key parts
| What you see on the letter | What it means |
|---|---|
| Dirección Provincial del INSS (INSS Provincial Office) | Who decides and who you address. |
| Nº de expediente (case number) | Your IMV reference. Always use it. |
| Resolución (decision: estimatoria, denegatoria, de suspensión, de extinción, de revisión = approval, denial, suspension, termination, review) | What the INSS has decided. |
| Unidad de convivencia (household unit) | The people the INSS counts in your household. Check they are right. |
| Cuantía mensual and fecha de efectos (monthly amount and effective date) | How much you receive and from when. |
| Complemento de ayuda para la infancia (child support supplement) | The extra for children under 18, if you get it. |
| Importe indebido / Período (overpaid amount / period) | What they’re asking you to pay back and for which months. |
| Pie de recursos (appeals note) | The deadline and the body for the prior claim. |
What deadline you have
- Reclamación previa (prior claim) against any decision: 30 days from notification (art. 71 of Law 36/2011). Check the exact deadline in the appeals note.
- Overpayment notice: 15 days to submit objections and documents (RD 148/1996).
- Overpayment decision: 30 days to pay it all at once. If you don’t, the deductions set out in the decision are applied.
- Request for documents: the deadline stated in the letter. If you don’t provide them, your case may lapse.
Example: you are notified of a denial on Monday the 6th. The 30-day period starts on Tuesday the 7th.
Remember: you must report any change in your household or income within 30 calendar days.
What you can do
| Option | When it makes sense | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Check the details | Always | If something doesn’t add up, you already have your ground. |
| Reclamación previa (prior claim) | If they deny, suspend or reduce it without good reason | The INSS replies within 45 days; after that, the Social Court. |
| Object to the overpayment notice | If you reported the change in time or the calculation is wrong | They consider it before deciding. |
| Pay within 30 days | If the overpayment is correct and you can | The debt is closed. |
| Accept deductions | If you are still being paid and can’t pay all at once | Part is deducted every month. |
| Do nothing | Never | You lose deadlines and the debt may go to enforced collection. |
What happens if you do nothing
- The decision becomes firme (final) and you can no longer challenge it.
- A suspension that lasts a year can end in extinción (termination) of the IMV.
- If you owe money and don’t pay, and no deductions are possible, the debt goes to the Tesorería (Social Security Treasury), with surcharges and possible embargo (seizure).
- If you don’t provide the documents requested, your application may caducar (lapse).
Common mistakes
- Not reporting a job, a house move, or someone joining or leaving the household.
- Missing the 30-day deadline for the prior claim.
- Not checking who is listed in your household unit.
- Going to court without first filing the prior claim.
- Thinking a suspension letter is final: if you fix the problem, payments can resume.
How to respond, step by step
- Read the subject and note the deadline.
- Log in to the Social Security online portal (sede electrónica) with Cl@ve, a certificate or DNIe. If you have no digital ID, book an appointment at a Social Security service centre (CAISS).
- Submit the prior claim or objections addressed to the INSS Provincial Office that signs the letter.
- Attach evidence: padrón (local census registration), contracts, proof that you reported changes.
- Keep the submission receipt.
Sample text (write it in Spanish):
Expediente IMV n.º [número]. D./D.ª [nombre], DNI/NIE [número], presento reclamación previa contra la resolución notificada el [fecha], porque [motivo: mis ingresos de 2025 eran…/en mi hogar viven…]. Adjunto [documentos]. Solicito que se revise y se reconozca mi derecho.
(In English: IMV case no. [number]. I, [name], DNI/NIE [number], file a prior claim against the decision notified on [date], because [reason: my income in 2025 was… / the people living in my household are…]. I attach [documents]. I request that it be reviewed and my entitlement recognised.)
Cartamiga tip: report every change in your household or income within 30 days, even if it seems small. It’s the best way to avoid overpayment letters later on.