INPS and family benefits in Italy – Assegno Unico, parental leave, NASpI and pensions
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Since 21 April 2026 you can claim Italy's Assegno Unico child benefit even if you do not live here, provided you work and pay contributions in Italy. Here is what INPS pays families in 2026, how parental leave and NASpI work, and when you can retire.
INPS (the national social security institute) pays almost every family and work benefit in Italy, from the Assegno Unico child benefit to maternity pay, unemployment benefit and pensions. The rules are national; nursery fees, by contrast, are set by each comune (municipality).
Three 2026 changes matter. Since 21 April 2026, you no longer need to be resident and domiciled in Italy to claim the Assegno Unico if you have a job or self-employment registered with an Italian compulsory social security scheme and are up to date with contributions. From 1 July 2026, new private-sector employees join a supplementary pension fund automatically unless they choose otherwise within 60 days. And the working mothers' bonus rises from €40 to €60 a month.
How do you log in and talk to INPS?
You use MyINPS online with SPID (public digital identity system) at level 2, the CIE (electronic identity card) or the CNS (national services card); EU citizens can also use their national digital ID through eIDAS. Since 1 October 2021 INPS gives its own PIN only to people living abroad without an Italian identity document.
The Contact Center is on 803 164, free from landlines, or 06 164 164 from mobiles at your operator's rates, Monday to Friday 8:00–20:00 and Saturday 8:00–14:00. A patronato (welfare advice office) can also file claims for you.
Who can claim the Assegno Unico in Italy, and how much is it?
The Assegno Unico Universale (single universal allowance) is paid monthly for each dependent child, from the seventh month of pregnancy to age 21, with no age limit for a disabled child. From 18 to 21 a child counts only if earning under €8,000 a year and studying, training, working, registered as unemployed or in civil service.
You can claim as an Italian or EU citizen or a family member of one; as a non-EU citizen you need an EU long-term residence permit, or a single work permit or research permit for more than six months. You must also be subject to Italian income tax. Since the 2026 reform, children living elsewhere in the EU count if they are your dependants for Italian tax, and EU citizens working here without living here are paid in proportion to their work in Italy, renewing each year from 1 March. The amount depends on your ISEE (indicator of household economic situation), which you get by filing a DSU (single self-declaration) with INPS.
| Household ISEE | Assegno Unico per minor child, per month, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Up to €17,468.51 | €203.80 |
| Between the two thresholds | Falls from €203.80 towards €58.30 as the ISEE rises |
| €46,582.71 or more, or no ISEE | €58.30 |
| Supplements | Children under 1; children aged 1 to 3 in families with 3 or more children and ISEE up to €46,582.71; disabled children; mothers under 21; both parents earning; large families |
Source: INPS, read 23 September 2026.
Apply between 1 March and 30 June and you are paid with arrears from March; apply later and payment starts the following month. For residents INPS then keeps paying automatically, but you must renew your ISEE and report changes. Claim online, in the INPS Mobile app, through the Contact Center or a patronato. Payment goes to a bank or post-office account or a card with an IBAN, parents can split it 50/50, and it is not taxable.
How much parental leave do you get in Italy?
| Leave | Who | How long | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Congedo di maternità (maternity leave) | Employed mothers; self-employed and Gestione separata mothers are paid without stopping work | 5 months, compulsory for employees | 80 per cent |
| Congedo di paternità (paternity leave) | Employed fathers, and the intentional mother in a female couple registered as parents | 10 working days (20 for multiple births), from 2 months before the due date to 5 months after | 100 per cent |
| Congedo parentale (parental leave) | Employed parents | Up to 10 months between you (11 if the father takes at least 3), each up to 6 (father 7), until the child is 14 | 30 per cent for 9 months; up to 3 months at 80 per cent before age 6, under conditions |
Source: INPS, read 23 September 2026.
Claim maternity leave from INPS with an electronic pregnancy certificate. Give your employer written notice at least five days before paternity leave, which self-employed and Gestione separata fathers cannot take; the intentional mother's right follows Constitutional Court ruling 115/2025. Some older INPS pages still say 12 years; the current limit is 14.
Which other family bonuses can you claim?
| Bonus | Amount | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Bonus asilo nido (nursery bonus), child born from 1 January 2024 | Up to €3,600 a year with ISEE up to €40,000; €1,500 without ISEE or above it | Child under 3 at an authorised nursery; up to 11 months a year, never more than the fee |
| Bonus asilo nido, child born earlier | €3,000 (ISEE up to €25,000.99), €2,500 (€25,001 to €40,000), otherwise €1,500 | As above |
| Bonus nuovi nati (newborn bonus) | €1,000 once, per child born or adopted from 1 January 2025 | ISEE up to €40,000; apply within 120 days |
| Bonus mamme (working mothers) | €60 a month in 2026, up from €40 | At least 2 children, income up to €40,000; the INPS page still shows the 2025 bonus |
Source: INPS and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, read 23 September 2026.
From 2026, one nursery-bonus application lasts until August of the year your child turns 3: each year you choose the months and upload receipts by 30 April of the following year. The bonus cannot be combined with the tax deduction for nursery fees. You must live in Italy and be an Italian or EU citizen, or hold an EU long-term permit or another permit valid at least six months, such as a work permit or an EU Blue Card. Fees are set by each comune: municipal nurseries are free up to an ISEE of €5,000 in Rome (2026/27) and €6,500 in Milan (2025/26) – see part 10.
NASpI and pensions: what if you lose your job or retire?
NASpI (unemployment benefit) is for employees who lose their job involuntarily and have at least 13 weeks of unemployment contributions in the previous four years; periods worked in EU or agreement countries can count. It is not paid after resignation or an agreed exit, except resignation for just cause or during protected maternity or paternity periods, and some agreed exits, such as after refusing a transfer more than 50 km away. Non-EU seasonal workers are excluded.
| NASpI in 2026 | Rule |
|---|---|
| Amount | 75 per cent of average monthly pay up to €1,456.72, plus 25 per cent of anything above |
| Maximum | €1,584.70 a month |
| Reduction | 3 per cent a month from the 6th month, or the 8th if you were 55 or older when applying |
| Duration | Half the weeks of contributions in the last 4 years |
| Deadline | Apply online within 68 days of the job ending, or you lose the right |
| Job centre | The claim counts as a declaration of availability; go to the centro per l'impiego (job centre) within 15 days |
Source: INPS, read 23 September 2026.
Payment runs from the eighth day after the job ends. The pensione di vecchiaia (old-age pension) needs age 67 and at least 20 years of contributions in 2026. The age rises to 67 and one month in 2027 and 67 and three months in 2028, but the 2026 Budget Law removed the rise for arduous and strenuous jobs. If you were first insured from 1996, you can instead retire at 71 in 2026 with five years of actual contributions.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get SPID or CIE to log in to MyINPS (part 4) | In your first weeks |
| 2 | File a DSU with INPS to get your ISEE | Before you claim |
| 3 | Claim the Assegno Unico | 1 March to 30 June for arrears from March |
| 4 | Apply for the newborn bonus | Within 120 days of the birth or adoption |
| 5 | Give written notice of paternity leave | At least 5 days ahead |
| 6 | Decide on the supplementary pension fund | Within 60 days of a new private-sector job |
| 7 | Claim NASpI if you lose your job | Within 68 days |
Source: INPS and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze (MEF) - Principali misure della legge di bilancio 2026 · mef.gov.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
- INPS · inps.it
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.