What this letter is
The Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) (State Public Employment Service) manages unemployment benefits (el paro) and allowances. Its most sensitive letters are three: the comunicación de cobro indebido (overpayment notice), which asks you to pay money back; the suspensión o extinción (suspension or termination) of your benefit; and the propuesta de sanción (proposed penalty), for example for not renewing your job-seeker registration or missing an appointment. There are also good letters, like the decision granting you the benefit. Always read the subject first.
How to read it: the key parts
| What you see on the letter | What it means |
|---|---|
| Dirección Provincial del SEPE (SEPE Provincial Office) | The office handling your case and the one you address. |
| Asunto (subject: Comunicación de cobro indebido, Resolución, Suspensión, Inicio de procedimiento sancionador) | The type of letter. It sets the deadline and what you can do. |
| Nº de expediente / DNI/NIE (case number / ID number) | Your reference for objecting or paying. |
| Período (period) | The days or months affected. |
| Motivo or Hechos (reason or facts) | Why they are claiming money or penalising you: unreported work, income, going abroad… |
| Importe del cobro indebido (overpaid amount) | What you have to pay back. |
| Forma de reintegro (repayment method) | Payment at a bank or deduction from your benefit. |
| Pie de recursos (appeals note) | The deadline for objections or for the prior claim. |
What deadline you have
It depends on the type of letter:
- Inicio de reintegro (start of repayment, overpayment): 10 days to object (art. 33 RD 625/1985).
- Resolución de cobro indebido (overpayment decision): 30 days to repay and another 30 days to file a reclamación previa (prior claim), from the day after notification.
- Inicio de procedimiento sancionador (start of penalty procedure): 15 working days to object (art. 37 bis RD 928/1998). The benefit may be suspended as a precaution.
- Suspensión o extinción (suspension or termination): check the appeals note. Usually it is a prior claim within 30 days.
If you receive the notification on the SEPE portal or in DEHú and don’t open it within 10 calendar days, it is treated as notified.
Example: you are notified of the overpayment decision on 2 September. You have 30 days counted from the 3rd to pay or file a claim.
What you can do
| Option | When it makes sense | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Submit objections (alegaciones) | If the SEPE has made a mistake or you already reported the change | They take it into account before deciding. |
| Pay within 30 days | If the debt is correct | It’s closed without a surcharge. |
| Ask to pay in instalments (fraccionamiento) | If you can’t pay all at once | Up to 5 years, with interest. |
| Accept the deduction | If you are still receiving benefit | It’s deducted from your payments. |
| Reclamación previa (prior claim) | If you disagree with the decision | They reply within 45 days; after that, the Social Court. |
| Do nothing | Never | Surcharge, enforced collection and seizure. |
What happens if you do nothing
- After the 30 days, if it can’t be deducted from your benefit, the debt goes to the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (Social Security General Treasury).
- The TGSS collects it through the vía de apremio (enforced collection), with a recargo (surcharge) and interest, and can embargar (seize) accounts or wages.
- If you don’t object to a proposed penalty, the penalty is imposed as it stands. It can mean losing days of benefit or all of it.
Common mistakes
- Confusing the notice of start with the decision: the deadline is different.
- Asking for instalments too late. After the 30 days a surcharge is added.
- Objecting without evidence, such as the contract or proof that you already reported the change.
- Not reporting a short job or a trip and hoping the SEPE won’t find out.
- Going to court without filing the prior claim first.
How to respond, step by step
- Read the subject and note the deadline.
- Log in to the SEPE online portal (sede electrónica) with Cl@ve, a certificate or DNIe, or use the general electronic registry.
- Submit your objections or prior claim addressed to the SEPE Provincial Office, with evidence.
- To pay, use the payment letter or the document indicated in the decision. Keep the receipt.
- To pay in instalments, submit the request within the 30 days and explain your financial situation.
Sample text (write it in Spanish):
Expediente [número]. D./D.ª [nombre], DNI/NIE [número], presento reclamación previa contra la resolución notificada el [fecha], por la que se declara un cobro indebido de [importe] €, porque [motivo: comuniqué el alta en mi nuevo trabajo el día…]. Adjunto [documentos]. Solicito que se deje sin efecto.
(In English: Case [number]. I, [name], DNI/NIE [number], file a prior claim against the decision notified on [date], declaring an overpayment of €[amount], because [reason: I reported starting my new job on…]. I attach [documents]. I request that it be set aside.)
Cartamiga tip: if the overpayment is correct and you can’t pay, ask for instalments within the 30 days. It’s cheaper than letting the debt go to Social Security with a surcharge.