€1,800 a month without working: Spain's minimum income clashes with banks
A young recipient of €1,800 from Spain's Ingreso Mínimo Vital complains that La Caixa charges him fees for not depositing a salary: "I don't plan to work." The debate over benefits…
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
€1,800 a month without working: Spain's minimum income clashes with banks
A young recipient of Spain's Ingreso Mínimo Vital (IMV, a minimum living income) of €1,800 per month has sparked a viral complaint against La Caixa over the fees it charges him. His argument: "I don't plan to work in my life, I'll never have a salary deposited." The case, shared on social media, reignites the debate over banks' requirements for waiving fees and the sustainability of social benefits.
€1,800 from the IMV: is it possible without working?
The amount of €1,800 per month is far above the average IMV payment (around €565 per person in 2025). To reach it, the recipient would have to belong to a large household or accumulate supplements. However, the figure has not been independently verified. What is recurring is the complaint from recipients who, having no salary, fail to meet the requirement of depositing regular income that many banks demand to waive maintenance fees.
Banks versus the IMV: an administrative mismatch
Historically, financial institutions have required a deposited salary or pension to rebate fees. Periodic IMV transfers are not always considered recurring income for commercial policy purposes, which produces situations like the protagonist's: receiving a substantial benefit and still having to pay fees. Banks have been adjusting their criteria, but the rigidity remains a source of conflict.
The deeper debate: employment incentives and migration
Beyond the fees, the case fuels an old controversy. On one side, some argue the system allows some recipients to live without working, which discourages entering the labour market. On the other, it is argued that the IMV is a right for those who meet the requirements and that the problem is not the benefit but the lack of decent jobs. The discussion overlaps with the migration phenomenon: the original thread suggests that native citizens face bureaucratic obstacles to accessing the IMV, while migrants obtain it more easily—a claim that lacks official statistical support.
No salary, no job: a personal choice
The explicit declaration of not wanting to work or deposit a salary is a rarity that has drawn attention. In countries such as the Netherlands or Denmark, similar universal benefits coexist with high employment rates; the key lies in supplements and taxation. In Spain, the IMV was conceived as a temporary safety net, but cases like this feed the perception that it has become a permanent income for some. Until banks recognise the IMV as income equivalent to a salary, the conflict will remain unresolved.
A young recipient of Spain's Ingreso Mínimo Vital (IMV, a minimum living income) of €1,800 per month has sparked a viral complaint against La Caixa over the fees it charges him. His argument: "I don't plan to work in my life, I'll never have a salary deposited." The case, shared on social media, reignites the debate over banks' requirements for waiving fees and the sustainability of social benefits.
€1,800 from the IMV: is it possible without working?
The amount of €1,800 per month is far above the average IMV payment (around €565 per person in 2025). To reach it, the recipient would have to belong to a large household or accumulate supplements. However, the figure has not been independently verified. What is recurring is the complaint from recipients who, having no salary, fail to meet the requirement of depositing regular income that many banks demand to waive maintenance fees.
Banks versus the IMV: an administrative mismatch
Historically, financial institutions have required a deposited salary or pension to rebate fees. Periodic IMV transfers are not always considered recurring income for commercial policy purposes, which produces situations like the protagonist's: receiving a substantial benefit and still having to pay fees. Banks have been adjusting their criteria, but the rigidity remains a source of conflict.
The deeper debate: employment incentives and migration
Beyond the fees, the case fuels an old controversy. On one side, some argue the system allows some recipients to live without working, which discourages entering the labour market. On the other, it is argued that the IMV is a right for those who meet the requirements and that the problem is not the benefit but the lack of decent jobs. The discussion overlaps with the migration phenomenon: the original thread suggests that native citizens face bureaucratic obstacles to accessing the IMV, while migrants obtain it more easily—a claim that lacks official statistical support.
No salary, no job: a personal choice
The explicit declaration of not wanting to work or deposit a salary is a rarity that has drawn attention. In countries such as the Netherlands or Denmark, similar universal benefits coexist with high employment rates; the key lies in supplements and taxation. In Spain, the IMV was conceived as a temporary safety net, but cases like this feed the perception that it has become a permanent income for some. Until banks recognise the IMV as income equivalent to a salary, the conflict will remain unresolved.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (11 replies).
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