Remote Work Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Teletrabajo)

A Remote Work Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Trabajo a Distancia) is a mandatory written document under Article 7 of Ley 10/2021, de 9 de julio, de trabajo a distancia — Spain's dedicated telework law — that must be signed by both the employer (empresario) and the worker (trabajador) whenever remote work (trabajo a distancia) represents at least 30% of the working day over a reference period of three months, or the equivalent proportional percentage for fixed-term contracts of shorter duration. The Acuerdo de Teletrabajo is distinct from and supplementary to the existing employment contract (contrato de trabajo) — it cannot modify the worker's salary, professional category, or other essential contractual terms, but must address the specific conditions under which remote work is performed.

Ley 10/2021 defines trabajo a distancia (Article 2) as work performed regularly from the worker's home or any location chosen by the worker, using or not using information and communications technology (ICT) tools provided by the company. Teletrabajo is a subset of trabajo a distancia characterised by exclusive or predominant use of ICT. The law applies to all workers in Spain regardless of nationality or the employer's nationality, provided the employment relationship falls under Spanish law — it covers workers governed by the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (RDL 2/2015), public employees covered by separate administrative regulations, and workers of companies based in other EU member states who habitually work in Spain under Directiva 96/71/CE on posted workers.

The voluntariness principle (voluntariedad) is a cornerstone of Ley 10/2021 — remote work arrangements are voluntary for both employer and worker, and the employer may not sanction or disadvantage a worker who refuses to work remotely (Article 5 Ley 10/2021). Conversely, the worker cannot unilaterally impose remote work on the employer. The reversibility of the arrangement (reversibilidad) under Article 5 means that either party may return to in-person work under the conditions agreed in the acuerdo de teletrabajo or the applicable convenio colectivo (collective bargaining agreement).

The Acuerdo de Teletrabajo must be submitted to the Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) within 10 days of its execution under Article 7.3 Ley 10/2021, following the same Contrat@ electronic procedure used for employment contracts. Failure to submit constitutes a minor administrative infraction under the Real Decreto Legislativo 5/2000 (Ley de Infracciones y Sanciones en el Orden Social — LISOS), sanctioned with fines from €60 to €625.

Workers' representatives (comités de empresa, delegados de personal, y secciones sindicales) retain full information and consultation rights under Article 19 of Ley 10/2021 — the employer must inform and consult workers' representatives before implementing any remote work policy, and the criteria for remote work access must be included in the applicable convenio colectivo or company agreement (acuerdo colectivo) where one exists. The Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (ITSS) has specific powers under Article 22 Ley 10/2021 to monitor compliance, including inspecting the worker's remote workspace (with prior notice) to verify occupational health and safety standards under Ley 31/1995 de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales.

The legal framework governing the Remote Work Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Teletrabajo) in Spain draws on several key statutes and regulatory bodies. Under the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (ET) RDL 2/2015, Spanish employment law governs contracts, dismissals, and working conditions. The Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) administers social security contributions. The Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) manages unemployment benefits. The Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social enforces labour compliance. The Juzgados de lo Social hear employment disputes under the Ley Reguladora de la Jurisdicción Social (Ley 36/2011). Parties executing a Remote Work Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Teletrabajo) in Spain should confirm the document reflects current law, including any amendments enacted since the original drafting date. The Ley 10/2021, de 9 de julio, de trabajo a distancia, Article 7 sets the foundational requirements.

A Remote Work Agreement Spain is required by law under Article 7 of Ley 10/2021 whenever an employee works remotely for 30% or more of their working time over a three-month rolling period — no written acuerdo de teletrabajo means the arrangement is technically irregular and exposes the employer to LISOS administrative sanctions.

The agreement is needed when an employer formalises a hybrid work arrangement (trabajo híbrido) — for example, three days in office and two days at home per week — which exceeds the 30% threshold. Even if the employer has an informal policy of allowing occasional home working, once it crosses the 30% threshold consistently it becomes legally subject to Ley 10/2021.

An Acuerdo de Teletrabajo is required when recruiting a new worker who will work predominantly or entirely remotely — the agreement must be signed before the commencement of work and submitted to SEPE within 10 days, alongside the main employment contract registration through Contrat@.

The agreement is needed when an existing in-person worker requests to transition to remote work — Article 5 of Ley 10/2021 grants workers the right to request the transition to remote work under conditions established in the applicable convenio colectivo, and the employer must give reasons in writing if the request is rejected.

A Remote Work Agreement is required when a worker with caring responsibilities for children under 12 or dependants (personas dependientes) requests remote work under Article 34.8 of the Estatuto de los Trabajadores — a right reinforced by Ley 10/2021 and the jurisprudencia of the Juzgados de lo Social and Tribunal Supremo on work-life balance (conciliación de la vida laboral y familiar).

The agreement is also needed when a company implements a collective remote work policy (política de teletrabajo) as part of a Company Agreement (acuerdo colectivo) negotiated with the comité de empresa — individual acuerdos de teletrabajo must then be signed with each affected worker based on the collective framework, confirming both collective and individual compliance with Ley 10/2021.

Parties in Spain should prepare a Remote Work Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Teletrabajo) proactively rather than waiting for a dispute to arise. Courts interpret agreements based on the written terms rather than oral representations. Under the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (ET) RDL 2/2015, Spanish employment law governs contracts, dismissals, and working conditions. The Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) administers social security contributions. The Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) manages unemployment benefits. The Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social enforces labour compliance. The Juzgados de lo Social hear employment disputes under the Ley Reguladora de la Jurisdicción Social (Ley 36/2011). Where the transaction involves regulated activities, prior approval from the relevant authority may be required before execution.

A valid Remote Work Agreement Spain under Article 7 of Ley 10/2021 must contain all of the following mandatory elements — omission of any statutory element renders the agreement incomplete and may constitute a LISOS infraction.

Identification of Parties: Full legal name, NIF/DNI, and address of both the employer and the worker. The agreement must reference the existing employment contract — its date of execution, type (indefinido, temporal), and registered reference number with SEPE — to make clear that the acuerdo de teletrabajo supplements rather than replaces it.

Inventory of Equipment and Tools: A detailed list of all equipment (equipos) and tools (herramientas) provided by the employer for remote work — laptop model, corporate mobile phone, access credentials, software licences, ergonomic equipment — and the conditions under which the employer will maintain and replace this equipment under Article 11 Ley 10/2021. The employer bears the cost of provision and maintenance of all equipment required for remote work.

Expense Compensation: The agreed compensation for work-related expenses incurred by the worker — internet connectivity costs, electricity consumption, consumables — under Article 12 of Ley 10/2021, which requires that the employer compensate or cover all expenses directly caused by remote work. The method and amount of compensation must be agreed — either a fixed monthly flat-rate payment (cantidad a tanto alzado) or a documented reimbursement system — and must comply with the applicable convenio colectivo, which may set minimum compensation amounts.

Percentage and Distribution of Remote Work: The agreed percentage of working time to be performed remotely — expressed as days per week or month — and the distribution between remote work (trabajo a distancia) and in-office work (trabajo en el centro de trabajo). Any arrangement for modifying this distribution over time or upon notice from either party.

Work Location: The specific address or addresses from which the worker may perform remote work — the worker's habitual domicile (domicilio habitual) and any alternative locations agreed. Article 7.b Ley 10/2021 requires the work location to be stated — it may not be a blank cheque for the worker to work from any location without employer consent, as this creates tax, social security, and data protection implications.

Working Hours and Availability Schedule: The agreed working hours (horario de trabajo) and, where applicable, the flexible time window (franja de disponibilidad o franja horaria de disponibilidad) during which the worker must be contactable — Article 13 Ley 10/2021 requires availability periods to be recorded. For part-time or flexible schedule workers, the specific hours of availability during remote work days must be defined.

Right to Disconnect: An express clause implementing the worker's right to digital disconnection (derecho a la desconexión digital) under Article 18 Ley 10/2021 and Article 88 of Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD) — specifying that the employer will not contact the worker outside agreed working hours and that the worker is not obliged to respond to communications (email, WhatsApp, calls) outside those hours. The protocol for urgent exceptional communications outside hours must be agreed.

Occupational Health and Safety: A statement of the employer's occupational health and safety obligations under Ley 31/1995 de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales, including the risk assessment (evaluación de riesgos) of the worker's home workspace, requirements for ergonomic setup (ergonomía) of the workstation, and the protocol for the worker to report incidents or accidents at the remote workplace. Accidents occurring during remote working hours at the worker's remote location are treated as occupational accidents (accidentes de trabajo) under Real Decreto Legislativo 8/2015 LGSS.

Data Protection and Confidentiality: A clause addressing the protection of company data and personal data processed during remote work — compliant with Article 87 Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD) and Reglamento (UE) 2016/679 (RGPD), including the obligation to use company-approved VPN (red privada virtual), prohibitions on using personal devices for company data processing without express authorisation, and the employer's right to implement monitoring measures (control empresarial) in accordance with Article 20 bis ET — monitoring must be proportionate and workers must be informed.

Reversibility Conditions: The agreed conditions and notice period for either party to revert to full in-person work — Article 5 Ley 10/2021 guarantees reversibility under the conditions agreed in the acuerdo or the applicable convenio colectivo. The notice period for reversibility should be specified — typically 15 to 30 days — to allow the worker or employer to make practical arrangements.

Forms-legal.com provides this Remote Work Agreement Spain template as a practical starting point. Employers should confirm the acuerdo de teletrabajo is aligned with the applicable sector convenio colectivo — many convenios now contain specific telework chapters that may supplement or improve on the Ley 10/2021 minimums — and should submit the signed agreement to SEPE within 10 days of execution through the Contrat@ system.

Under the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (ET) RDL 2/2015, Spanish employment law governs contracts, dismissals, and working conditions. The Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) administers social security contributions. The Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) manages unemployment benefits. The Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social enforces labour compliance. The Juzgados de lo Social hear employment disputes under the Ley Reguladora de la Jurisdicción Social (Ley 36/2011).