Our own research: 407 autónom@s on cost, paperwork, and whether they would do it again

The State of Freelancing in Spain 2026 is published. It is Remote Work Europe’s own research: 407 valid completed responses, collected between 7 and 20 September 2026, from people registered as autónomo in Spain.

The headline finding is a contradiction rather than a complaint. 79% agree that everything in Spain is set up to favour employees over the self-employed – with the cuota, the tax treatment and the relationship with Hacienda named most often. 80% say they could not handle the paperwork without paying someone, and 77% live with anxiety about making a mistake with Hacienda.

And yet 61% intend to stay in Spain indefinitely, and 54% say the quality of life here compensates for earning less than they could elsewhere.

The sample matters and we describe it plainly rather than burying it: 86.7% do not hold Spanish nationality, and 84% identify as migrants building a life in Spain rather than as temporary expats. 85% say their best-paid work comes from outside Spain. This is a portrait of a specific, internationally-connected group, not of the autónomo population as a whole.

Open responses sharpened it. Of 276 people who said what they would change, 219 named cost, tax or administrative complexity.

Read the full report · Léelo en castellano (AI-assisted translation, not yet reviewed by a native speaker)

Transparency. The research was sponsored by Xolo. The question design, the analysis and the conclusions are Remote Work Europe’s alone, and the methodology section sets out exactly what was asked, what the base was for every figure, and what we deliberately do not claim.