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Key facts

• Draw: 22 December 2026. Press reports based on the lottery operator's campaign launch say the draw is on 22 Dec, shares out EUR 2,870 million in prizes (98 million more than last year), and that tickets (décimos) are already on sale (Europa Press via ondavasca.com and zaragozala.com, read 22 Oct 2026).
• Top prize: the same reports give EUR 400,000 per décimo for El Gordo (EUR 4 million per series), unchanged from last year. They also say the price of the décimo does not change this year. We do not print the euro price because we could not read it on a page we could fetch: check it on the operator's site or at the point of sale.
• A décimo is one tenth of a number in a series. Prizes are paid per décimo, which matters for tax (below).
• Who runs it: the Agencia Tributaria describes the lotteries as "organizadas por la Sociedad Estatal Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (SELAE)", and SELAE is the body that pays the prizes.

How to buy legitimately

Buy from the official operator, SELAE (Loterías y Apuestas del Estado): its websites are selae.es and loteriasyapuestas.es, and it sells through licensed lottery shops (administraciones de lotería). These sites block automated checks, so we could not read them for this guide: open them in your own browser and type the address yourself. This section is our advice, not a quote from an official page.

Scam warning

• Do not buy from links in messages, social media or ads. Type the official address yourself.
• Nobody legitimate asks you to pay a fee or tax to collect a prize. As the AEAT page below shows, tax is withheld by SELAE when the prize is paid.
• Do not send photos of your décimo or your bank details to strangers. Keep the paper ticket safe: it is the proof.
• Be careful with resales of décimos and with "you won" messages about a draw you did not play.

Prize tax: what the Agencia Tributaria says

AEAT news item of 15 Dec 2025 (Spanish, our translation): "Estarán exentos los premios cuyo importe íntegro sea igual o inferior a 40.000 euros. Los premios cuyo importe íntegro sea superior a 40.000 euros solo tributarán respecto de la parte del mismo que exceda de dicho importe." That is: prizes of EUR 40,000 or less are exempt, and larger prizes are taxed only on the part above EUR 40,000. "El porcentaje de retención o ingreso a cuenta será del 20 por ciento." The AEAT example: a EUR 100,000 prize is taxed at 20% on EUR 60,000, so EUR 12,000 is withheld and EUR 88,000 is received.

• Per décimo: the tax is applied separately to each décimo, fraction or coupon.
• Withheld at payment: SELAE withholds it. Residents (IRPF) and non-residents who had it withheld "no tendrán que presentar ninguna otra autoliquidación" (do not have to file anything else). Non-residents can ask for a refund under a double-taxation treaty.
• Shared prizes (friends, colleagues, peñas): the EUR 40,000 exemption is divided among the beneficiaries in proportion to their share, and whoever collects must be able to show to the tax agency that the prize was shared, so each winner and share must be identified.
• Which year: the AEAT IRPF manual page says "En el ejercicio 2025" prizes up to EUR 40,000 are exempt, and an AEAT analysis of 26 Feb 2026 says the rate "siempre ha sido del 20%" and the threshold is "los 40.000 euros actuales". We found no AEAT page specific to the 2026 draw, so check the AEAT pages below before you collect.

If you are new in Spain

Many workplaces and neighbourhoods share a number (participaciones or "lotería de empresa"). It is a social custom, not a requirement. If you join one, ask for the share in writing and see the shared-prize rule above. Not a financial recommendation: only play what you can afford to lose.

FAQ

• When is the draw? 22 December 2026, according to press reports of the operator's campaign launch (Europa Press, read 22 Oct 2026). Confirm on the official site.
• How much tax on a prize? According to the Agencia Tributaria: prizes up to EUR 40,000 per décimo are exempt; the part above is taxed at 20%, withheld at payment. Example: EUR 100,000 gives EUR 88,000 net.
• Do I need to file a tax return for the prize? The AEAT says residents and non-residents who had the withholding applied do not have to file anything else for it.
• Where do I buy a décimo? From the official operator SELAE (selae.es, loteriasyapuestas.es) or a licensed lottery shop. Do not buy from links in messages.

Sources

• AEAT news item, Premios del sorteo de la lotería de Navidad (15 Dec 2025; 40,000 euros exempt, 20 per cent, example, shared prizes): https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/todas-noticias/2025/diciembre/15/premios-sorteo-loteria-navidad.html
• AEAT IRPF 2025 manual, Gravamen especial sobre los premios de determinadas loterías y apuestas: cuantías exentas: https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/ayuda/manuales-videos-folletos/manuales-practicos/irpf-2025/c02-irpf-cuestiones-generales/sujecion-irpf-aspectos-materiales/delimitacion-negativa-hecho-imponible-rentas-sujetas/gravamen-especial-sobre-premios-determinadas-apuestas.html
• AEAT, Evolución en los últimos años del gravamen de loterías (26 Feb 2026; rate always 20%, threshold now 40,000): https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/informacion-institucional/puede-interesar/analisis/2026/febrero/26/evolucion-ultimos-anos-gravamen-loterias.html
• Press, Los décimos de la Lotería de Navidad 2026 ya están a la venta (Europa Press via ondavasca.com; draw date and prize total): https://www.ondavasca.com/los-decimos-de-la-loteria-de-navidad-2026-ya-estan-a-la-venta/
• Press, Ya están a la venta los décimos de la Lotería de Navidad 2026 (zaragozala.com; prize per décimo, price unchanged): https://zaragozala.com/actualidad/ya-estan-a-la-venta-los-decimos-de-la-loteria-de-navidad-2026/
• Official operator SELAE: https://www.selae.es and https://www.loteriasyapuestas.es (both returned 403 to automated requests on 22 Oct 2026, so nothing is quoted from them).
• Omitted for lack of a readable official source: the euro price of the décimo, the last day of sale and the prize collection deadlines.

Last checked: 2026-10-22.