Catalan legítima calculator
In Catalonia the legítima is one quarter of the estate, after debts and adding lifetime gifts, shared equally among the children. Calculate what is due to you.
Worked example
€45,000
Legítima of each child, with two children, assets of €400,000 and debts of €40,000
- Base amount (€400,000 − €40,000)
- €360,000
- One quarter of the base
- €90,000
- Between 2 children
- €45,000
Say who survives and enter the amounts
Amounts are in euros. You do not need to enter names or personal details. The calculation runs in your browser: the firm does not receive or keep it.
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Your browser has it switched off or blocked. Further down, in a table, are the rules of the calculation with examples, and you can always call us on 614 26 26 92.
How much is the legítima in Catalonia?
The Catalan legítima is one quarter of a base amount: the value of the deceased’s assets at death, minus their debts, plus what they gave away in the previous ten years. It is shared equally among the children and, if there are no descendants, among the parents. With a base of €360,000 and two children, each is due €45,000.
- One quarter
- of the base amount is the legítima. Art. 451-5 of the Civil Code of Catalonia
- Children, in equal shares
- are the heirs entitled; with no descendants, the parents, half each. Arts. 451-3 and 451-4
- 10 years
- is the period of gifts added to the base, and also the general limitation period to claim the legítima from the death; some actions lapse after four years. Arts. 451-5.b and 451-27
Who is behind it. The calculator belongs to Ajuridic, which handles inheritance and succession under Catalan civil law. Ajuridic is a general-practice law firm in Barcelona, based at Carrer del Freser, 104 (El Clot, Sant Martí), working in nine areas: family law and divorce, inheritance, immigration, employment, road traffic accidents, medical negligence, civil liability, fines and local government law, and property. It is led by Noemí Ampurdanés Parés, a lawyer registered with the Barcelona Bar (ICAB) under no. 22359, with more than thirty years in practice, and works with notaries, court representatives (procuradores) and expert witnesses. Service in Spanish, Catalan, English and Arabic (Arabic by appointment); support in Filipino if you ask for it when booking.
Checked on 23 October 2026 against the text of Law 10/2008 (Book Four of the Civil Code of Catalonia) published in the BOE (Spain’s official gazette). General information: it does not replace advice on your case.
How the legítima is calculated, step by step
The calculator applies articles 451-3 to 451-10 of Book Four of the Civil Code of Catalonia (Law 10/2008). Example: two children, assets of €400,000 and debts of €40,000, no gifts.
Net value
Assets at death − debts and costs of the last illness and the funeral (art. 451-5.a)
€400,000 − €40,000 = €360,000
Gifts
+ free transfers in the previous ten years, excluding customary gifts, + gifts chargeable to the legítima of any date (arts. 451-5.b and 451-8)
No gifts: the base is €360,000
One quarter
Base amount ÷ 4 (art. 451-5)
€360,000 ÷ 4 = €90,000
Division
Among the heirs counted, in equal shares (arts. 451-3, 451-4 and 451-6)
€90,000 ÷ 2 children = €45,000
What was already received
Subtract what was received as inheritance, legacy or chargeable gift; what is missing is the top-up (art. 451-10)
If €20,000 had already been received: €45,000 − €20,000 = €25,000 still owed
| Base amount | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children | 4 children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €100,000 | €25,000 | €12,500 | €8,333.33 | €6,250 |
| €200,000 | €50,000 | €25,000 | €16,666.67 | €12,500 |
| €400,000 | €100,000 | €50,000 | €33,333.33 | €25,000 |
| €800,000 | €200,000 | €100,000 | €66,666.67 | €50,000 |
Who is entitled to a legítima
All the deceased’s children are entitled, in equal shares, and the descendants of children who died first, were disinherited or unworthy, by stirpes (article 451-3). If no descendant survives, the parents are entitled, half each, or one alone if only one survives (article 451-4). The spouse or partner is not.
What the calculator does not include
- The widow’s quarter (cuarta vidual) of the spouse or partner, which is a different right (articles 452-1 to 452-6).
- Disinheritance, preterition and reduction for excess, which change who is paid and how much.
- Cases where a parent has been disinherited or declared unworthy (articles 451-4.2 and 451-6).
- The time limits: the claim for the legítima and its top-up expires ten years after the death (article 451-27), but the actions to reduce legacies and gifts for excess, to challenge the will for mistaken omission of an heir and to challenge a disinheritance lapse four years after the death (articles 451-24.2, 451-16.5 and 451-20.3).
A right to be paid, not to a specific asset
The legítima gives the right to obtain a patrimonial value from the estate, which the deceased may grant as inheritance, legacy, specific allocation, gift or in any other way (article 451-1). The figure in the calculator is that value, not a particular asset.
What people ask when they see the result
How much is the legítima in Catalonia?
One quarter of the base amount (article 451-5 of the Civil Code of Catalonia). It is not a third or two thirds as in common law. That quarter is divided among the heirs entitled: the children in equal shares, or the parents if there are no descendants.
How is the base amount calculated?
You start from the value of the estate’s assets at the death, deduct debts and the costs of the last illness and the funeral, and add assets given or transferred for free in the ten years before the death, excluding customary gifts, plus gifts chargeable to the legítima of any date (articles 451-5 and 451-8).
Who is entitled to a legítima in Catalonia?
The children, in equal shares, represented by their descendants if they have died, been rightfully disinherited or are unworthy. If no descendant survives, the parents, half each. The spouse or partner is not entitled to a legítima, although they may be entitled to the cuarta vidual (articles 451-3, 451-4 and 452-1).
Do gifts the deceased made in life count?
Yes: those made for free in the ten years before death, excluding customary gifts, are added to the base at their value at death. Gifts chargeable to the legítima always count, whatever their date (article 451-5.b).
How long do I have to claim the legítima?
The claim for the legítima and its top-up expires ten years after the death (article 451-27.1). But it is not the only time limit: the actions to reduce legacies and gifts for excess, to challenge the will for mistaken omission of an heir or to challenge a disinheritance lapse four years after the death (articles 451-24.2, 451-16.5 and 451-20.3). In addition, the limitation period for claims against a parent of the forced heir is suspended while that parent is alive (article 451-27.2). As each case has its own time limits, a lawyer should check them with the documents in front of them.
Is the legítima money or part of the assets?
It is the right to obtain a patrimonial value from the estate, which the deceased may grant as inheritance, legacy, specific allocation, gift or in any other way (article 451-1). It gives no right to a particular asset.
What about the cuarta vidual?
It is a separate right of the surviving spouse or partner who lacks sufficient resources: they may obtain what they need, up to one quarter of the net estate (article 452-1). This calculator does not include it.
Official sources, consulted on 23 October 2026:
Know the time limits before deciding whether to claim
The legítima is claimed with the estate documents in front of you. The general time limit is ten years from the death, but some actions lapse after four years. At the first visit you are told the steps; the preliminary study of the documents may carry a fee, which is quoted before it begins. We work in Spanish, Catalan, English and Arabic (Arabic by appointment).
First visit: conditions*
When confirming the appointment, the firm tells you whether the visit is at no charge or whether, because of the type of matter, a fee applies; in that case, it tells you the scope and amount beforehand, and you decide whether to accept.
*The first visit at no charge covers an initial consultation to discuss the case. It does not include prior document review. If that review is needed, or the matter concerns employment or criminal law, a fee may apply. The firm will disclose the scope and amount beforehand; the client decides whether to accept.