Cash Flow

From 80 to 400 euros a month: how to prepare your finances for when the tarifa plana ends

May 26, 2026

When you registered as an autónomo (self-employed worker), the tarifa plana (the reduced flat-rate Social Security contribution for new freelancers) was probably the best news in the whole process. Eighty euros a month for your Social Security contribution. Nothing. A huge relief in the first few months, when income is still on its way and every euro counts.

The problem is what comes afterwards. Because the tarifa plana ends. And when it ends, it doesn’t go up a little: it multiplies by four or five all at once. And it coincides precisely with the moment when many autónomos start to have real income, so the blow gets mixed up with the first sizeable quarterly IVA (VAT) and IRPF (personal income tax) payments.

How Much Money Will I Have in Three Months? How to Build a Cash Flow Forecast as a Freelancer

April 1, 2026

There’s one question every freelancer should be able to answer in under thirty seconds: how much money will I have in my account three months from now?

If it takes you longer, or if the answer is “I have no idea,” you have a visibility problem. Not necessarily a money problem, but an information problem. And that distinction matters a lot.

A cash flow forecast isn’t accounting. It’s not for the Spanish Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria). It’s for you: to know whether you can afford that expense, whether you’ll sail comfortably through the end of the quarter, or whether there’s a rough month on the horizon you’d better prepare for.