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The short answer
Yes, if the family meets the rules. Spain's complemento de ayuda para la infancia (CAPI) is paid under the Ingreso Mínimo Vital law to households with children whose income is below 300% of the IMV thresholds, and the Seguridad Social lists 2026 amounts of €115 a month per child under 3, €80.50 from 3 to 6 and €57.50 from 6 to 18. Nationality is not the test: legal and effective residence in Spain, normally for at least a year before you apply, is.
What the complemento de ayuda para la infancia is
The complemento de ayuda para la infancia, usually shortened to CAPI, is a monthly payment for each child in a household that falls under an income line. It is written into Ley 19/2021, the law that created the Ingreso Mínimo Vital (IMV), and it is managed by the Seguridad Social. Many Nigerian parents assume it only reaches families already on the IMV. The law sets a wider line: article 11.6 opens it to households with minors whose computable income for the previous year is below 300% of the IMV income thresholds in the law's Annex I, and whose net wealth is below 150% of the Annex II limits, subject to an asset test in Annex III. The Seguridad Social describes the same test as income below 300% of the guaranteed amount.
In plain terms, a working family that earns too much for the IMV itself may still fall under the CAPI line. For scale, the Seguridad Social gives the 2026 IMV guaranteed amount as €733.60 a month for a single adult and €953.68 for one adult with one child; the CAPI line sits at three times the guaranteed amount for your household type, measured on the previous year's income. Check the figure for your own household on the Seguridad Social site before you assume you are in or out.
How much it pays per child
Article 13.2.e) of the law sets base amounts per child by the child's age on 1 January (€100, €70 and €50). Those amounts are uprated, and the Seguridad Social's IMV page gives the figures for 2026:
| Child's age on 1 January | Base amount in Ley 19/2021 | Monthly amount per child, 2026 (Seguridad Social) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 | €100 | €115 |
| 3 to under 6 | €70 | €80.50 |
| 6 to under 18 | €50 | €57.50 |
Worked example (illustrative only): a household in Madrid with a two-year-old and a seven-year-old that meets the income and wealth tests would receive €115 + €57.50 = €172.50 a month at 2026 amounts, or €2,070 over a full year. If the younger child turns three before the next 1 January, that child's amount moves to the 3-to-6 band (€80.50 at 2026 amounts), and the household total becomes €138 a month.
One limit to know: the Seguridad Social says the CAPI cannot be combined with the older asignación económica por hijo o menor a cargo for a child without a disability (or with a disability below 33%). If you already receive that allowance, ask which one applies to you.
The residence rule for non-EU parents
Nigerian parents most often fall at the residence step, not the income step. Article 10.1.a) requires the applicant to have legal and effective residence in Spain, held continuously and without interruption for at least the year immediately before the application date. Legal means a valid residence status (for most Nigerians, a TIE-backed permit); effective means you actually live here, which the empadronamiento helps show.
The one-year rule does not apply to children who join the household by birth, adoption, family reunification, guardianship with a view to adoption or permanent foster care. It is also lifted for victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation and for women who are victims of gender violence. A newborn therefore does not need a year of residence in their own right, but the adult applying still needs to meet the rule.
- Keep your TIE valid: a gap between an expired card and a renewal can raise questions about continuous legal residence.
- Stay registered on the padrón at your real address, with every child included.
- Register a child born in Spain promptly, both at the Registro Civil and with Nigeria if you want them to hold Nigerian nationality.
- Keep payslips, contracts and your Spanish tax return for the previous year, since income is assessed on that year.
Income from Nigeria and other complications
The test is on the household's computable income and wealth, not only Spanish wages, and it uses the previous year. Rent from a flat in Lagos, interest on naira savings or dividends from Nigerian shares may be part of that picture, and assets such as land at home may matter for the wealth test. The law's annexes define what counts; if you hold income or property in Nigeria, ask before you apply rather than leave it out. An application that turns out to be wrong can mean repaying what was paid.
Money you send home is a separate question: the law's tests look at the household's income and wealth, and nothing we read treats support paid to parents in Nigeria as a deduction. If the family is close to the line, have a gestor or a social worker at your local servicios sociales look at the figures with you.
What to check before you apply
- Confirm at least one year of continuous legal residence for the adult applicant, with the exceptions above for children.
- Gather the previous year's income for everyone in the household, including any Nigerian income.
- Compare it with the current thresholds for your household size on the Seguridad Social site or simulator.
- Apply through the IMV service on the Seguridad Social sede electrónica (the IMV information line is 020), and keep the receipt of your application.
- Report changes (a new baby, a move, a new job) because the amount and eligibility follow the household.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme does not handle Spanish benefits. Where it helps is the family budget across two countries: a Personal Account holds euros and naira side by side, and Swap shows the rate and the fee before you approve a conversion. Parents who also support relatives at home can read our guide to monthly support for parents in Nigeria, or see how the multicurrency account works.
Related reading: the Ingreso Mínimo Vital for non-EU residents and registering a child born in Spain as a Nigerian citizen.
Questions people ask
Do I need to be on the Ingreso Mínimo Vital to get the child supplement?
Not necessarily. Ley 19/2021 sets the CAPI income line at 300% of the IMV thresholds, so some households that do not qualify for the IMV itself can still qualify for the child supplement.
How much is the complemento de ayuda para la infancia per child in 2026?
The Seguridad Social lists €115 a month for a child under 3, €80.50 from 3 to 6 and €57.50 from 6 to 18, by age on 1 January. The law's base amounts are €100, €70 and €50.
Can a Nigerian with a residence permit apply?
Yes. The rule is legal and effective residence in Spain, normally continuous for at least a year before applying, not Spanish or EU nationality.
Does my baby born in Spain need one year of residence?
No. The one-year rule does not apply to children who join the household by birth, adoption, family reunification or permanent foster care.
Sources
- BOE: Ley 19/2021, de 20 de diciembre, por la que se establece el ingreso mínimo vital (consolidated text, updated 3 Oct 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Seguridad Social: Ingreso Mínimo Vital (2026 amounts) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.