Summer activities

Bear in mind that anyone who would like to apply for a subsidy must first register for their chosen activity, following the instructions in the “Registration” section of this website. 

Under no circumstances may a subsidy application be made if you have not previously booked a place on the activity in question.

You must submit one application for each child, given that the same application cannot be used for all siblings. 

The subsidy application process involves an online procedure at the Barcelona City Council Virtual Procedures Office. You need to have an idCAT Mòbil-type digital certificate or higher. 

Should you not have either idCAT Mòbil or any other digital certificate, you can book an appointment at one of the Citizen Help and Information Offices by calling 010 (toll-free). You can make an appointment in advance starting on 27 March. 
 

Alternatively, you can authorise another person who does have a digital certificate to apply in your name via one-off representation.

To make the application, you need to have:

• The child’s student identifier (IDALU) number. You can get that from the school or education centre. Should the child for whom you are requesting the subsidy not go to school, or if they do not have an IDALU number for any other reason, you must tell the activity organiser that.
• The activity code for which you are requesting the subsidy. The activity organiser will provide that when you formally register for it.
• The net annual income in 2023 of the applicant and, where applicable, of the spouse and any children over the age of 18 and under 25.

After completing this procedure, the applicant will be able to download confirmation that the application has been sent correctly and they will also receive a confirmation email.

Only one activity per child will be subsidised.
 

Change of activity

If you wish to change the activity or days for which you have requested the subsidy, you will be able to make a new application for the activity and days you want while the subsidy application period remains open. Once the application period has closed and the provisional decision has been published, you will no longer be able to change the activity for which you have requested the subsidy (unless the activity organiser cancels it or due to force majeure).

Requirements for getting the subsidy

There are basically two requirements for you to be able to get the subsidy:

1. Income requirement: you must not exceed the net annual incomes established per citizen and cohabitation unit.
2. Requirement of registration in the municipal register: both the person applying for the subsidy and the child beneficiary must be registered residents of Barcelona, although there are several exceptions of this requirement.

The beneficiaries must be between the ages of 1 and 17. Children or adolescents with a recognised disability of 33% or higher who take part in the activities will be able to apply for a subsidy if they are 21 or under.

All the children belonging to the cohabitation unit that meet the requirements can get the subsidy, as there is no limit to the subsidies that can be awarded. Nor is there a limit on the subsidies that may be made to each cohabitation unit. 

Children with special educational needs (SEN) registered as living outside Barcelona but who attend school in the city may also opt for a subsidy, stating their situation in the application comments section.

Children who are not on the Barcelona residents’ register but whose parents are divorced or legally separated and the parent applying for the subsidy, but not the other, is a registered city resident may make a subsidy application, provided they submit the divorce ruling or any official document that provides proof of the visiting arrangements or share custody of the child. Thus the application must be made by the parent who is a registered Barcelona resident.

Assistance will cover a maximum of 10 days per child for activities that take place in Barcelona, with the exception of summer nursery schools and adapted activities without overnight stays, in which case assistance will cover a maximum of 14 days per child. Activities that take place outside Barcelona (camps, routes, overnight camps, etc.) will be subsidised up to a maximum of 14 days per child.

Subsidies will be awarded on the basis of the disposable income of each member of the cohabitation unit, in accordance with the following bands:
 

The personal disposable income per member of the cohabitation unit will be calculated by adding the annual net income declared for the tax year 2023 – general net taxable income (box 0500) of the personal income tax (IRPF) return, if filed – of each of its members and dividing the resulting figure by the total number of members of this cohabitation unit, taking into account that:

• Each member of a cohabitation unit with a disability officially recognised by the Catalan Government of at least 33% will count as two members. The City Council will check this circumstance ex officio for each applicant and may request documentation to prove it regarding the other members of the cohabitation unit.
• In the case of single-parent families with a valid official card issued by the Catalan Government that accredits their situation, the adult concerned will also count as two members. The City Council will check this circumstance ex officio.

If no tax return is filed, it must be calculated according to the annual net income for the tax year 2023 declared in the subsidy application.

Only the following members shall be taken into account when calculating the income of the cohabitation unit:

• The applicant
• Their spouse, common-law partner or person they live with in a similar relationship (if there is one)
• The beneficiary child
• The applicant’s other children under the age of 25 (if any)
• The children under the age of 25 of their spouse, common-law partner or person they live with in a similar relationship (if any)

It is essential that all these people are registered at the same address.

 

Decision

The City Council will decide on the applications submitted and will publish the provisional list of subsidy recipients in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona (BOPB). The provisional decision will only state if the subsidy has been awarded or denied and, in the event that it has been awarded, which percentage band it is in (up to 30%, up to 60%, up to 90%). The provisional decision result will also be notified by SMS and email. 

If the provisional decision is to deny the subsidy, the interested parties may submit arguments against the decision for up to 10 working days, counting from the day following its publication in the BOPB. Should they not do so, it will be assumed that they are in agreement.

The definitive list of beneficiaries will be published the week of 9–13 June. The final decision on the application will also be notified by means of a text message and an email to the interested parties.

Amount and percentage of the subsidy

The actual percentage of the subsidy will be calculated on the basis of the number of applications awarded in each of the bands, but this percentage will not exceed 30%, 60% and 90%, respectively. If the budget amount allocated to a band is not sufficient to cover all the applications awarded the maximum percentage of that band, the percentage of the subsidy will be reduced as much as necessary to cover all those awarded. All the subsides awarded in the same band will be reduced to the same percentage, regardless of the price of the activity.

The reference figure that will be taken into account when applying the subsidy percentages to calculate the amount of the subsidy will be the maximum price set by the City Council for activities that take place in Barcelona, and the maximum recommended price for activities that take place outside Barcelona.

What SMS messages will I receive on the decision regarding my subsidy application?

That is to say, initially, when the provisional decision is published, the applicant will receive an SMS informing them of the band of the subsidy awarded. An example similar to the message you will receive: “Summer Holiday Campaign subsidy awarded to the child [child’s name] with a percentage up to 30% / up to 60% / up to 90%”. If the subsidy is denied, the reason will be explained. The message with the definitive decision will inform the applicant of the specific percentage of the subsidy and the corresponding amount. 

Payment of the subsidy

The subsidy will not be paid directly to the family but to the activity organiser, and it is that entity which gives the family a discount on the activity price equal to the amount of the subsidy. Therefore, to benefit from the subsidy, you will have to contact the organisation where you have registered your child, as it is they who have to tell you the final price you will have to pay after registering, taking into account that the amount of the subsidy has to be discounted from the final price of the activity.

Paying for the activity

To finalise registration, you have to contact the activity organiser and pay the difference between the subsidy awarded and the activity price, where applicable.

If a subsidy is requested, the organisation can request advance payment of up to 10% of the price of the activity for the days for which the subsidy is being requested, i.e. the remaining amount that the subsidy will not cover (given the maximum subsidy is 90%). If they request this advance payment, you will have a period of 10 working days to pay it. If, after that period, you have not paid this 10%, the organisation may no longer keep your place.

If the subsidy is not awarded in the end, you may ask for this advance payment of 10% to be reimbursed.

Important!

Once the activity has begun, the people to whom the subsidy has been awarded will receive an SMS from Barcelona City Council with a link to confirm whether the child has taken part in the subsidised activity.

Cancellation and withdrawal

Should the organisers cancel the activity, a child that is a beneficiary of the subsidy may use it to take part in another activity, different to the one the subsidy was awarded for, so they do not lose the right to enjoy it. In such a case, the percentage of the subsidy will not vary but the amount of the subsidy awarded will be updated in line with the price of the activity the child actually does.

If you don’t take part in the activity and do not benefit from the subsidy awarded in the end, you must notify the organiser and the City Council as soon as possible. Nevertheless, even if the City Council has not been notified of the waiver or withdrawal, if the child does not participate in the subsidised activity, the organiser will not be paid.