Asturias court orders woman to repay €16,365 in overlapping benefits

A court in Asturias, northern Spain, has confirmed that a woman must repay €16,365.93 in regional assistance she received while also being entitled to the national minimum living income.

The Asturias High Court upheld a ruling by a social court in Oviedo, rejecting her appeal.

The woman had received the region’s basic social salary, a regular payment for households without enough resources to meet basic needs.

She applied for the national benefit after the regional government asked her to do so, but it was initially denied.

In 2023, a court recognized her right to the national benefit from July 2020, and Spain’s Social Security agency paid her €20,147.99 in arrears.

The regional administration then reviewed her payments and treated the two benefits as incompatible for overlapping periods.

The ruling says the national benefit is not excluded when calculating household resources for the regional payment, so the regional assistance must be repaid.