Monthly pay
The agreed pay, not below the contractual minimum for the level, plus the value of board and lodging.
CAF services · Domestic work
Hiring a live-in carer (badante) in Turin
Hiring a live-in carer in Turin is the most complex kind of domestic employment: living in, board and lodging, hours and rest periods all have precise rules. And the real cost is not the monthly pay: it includes contributions, the tredicesima (thirteenth-month pay), the TFR (severance pay) and holidays, which have to be set aside month by month.
01 · The contract
How the job is classified
Domestic work has its own national collective agreement, which sets different levels according to the duties and whether or not the person being cared for is self-sufficient.
- A written contract is not formally compulsory but is essential: it sets the level, hours, rest periods and pay.
- The notice of hiring must be sent to INPS (the Italian National Social Security Institute) by the day before the job starts.
- The probation period varies by level and is the window in which the relationship can be ended without notice.
- Foreign workers need a residence permit that allows them to work. See foreign nationals.
- The relationship is open-ended, except in the cases where a fixed term is allowed.
| Situation | Typical level |
|---|---|
| Care for a self-sufficient person | Level with general care and household duties |
| Care for a person who is not self-sufficient | A higher level, with a higher minimum wage |
| Carer with specific training | A further higher level, if the carer holds a qualification |
| Night-time presence | A separate service, with its own pay |
| Cover on rest days | A separate employment relationship with another worker |
The distinction between caring for a self-sufficient person and one who is not self-sufficient is the one that changes the most: it changes the level, the minimum wage and the tax relief the family is entitled to. It needs to be classified correctly from the start.
02 · The rules
A live-in carer's hours, rest and night-time presence
Living in does not mean being available around the clock: the collective agreement sets precise limits that must be respected.
- The maximum weekly hours for live-in workers are set by the agreement, spread over part of the days.
- There are continuous daily rest periods, part of which falls in the afternoon.
- Weekly rest is thirty-six hours, twenty-four of them consecutive on Sunday.
- Extra hours must be paid with the set supplements.
- Night-time presence is not night work: it has its own pay and assumes the worker is able to rest.
- Active night-time care, on the other hand, is work in every respect and must be paid as such.
Where disputes start
Almost always over hours that were not recorded.
- Extra hours worked routinely and never paid
- Weekly rest neither taken nor paid for
- Night-time presence treated as active care, or the other way round
- No record at all of the hours actually worked
03 · Living in
How board and lodging are valued
When the carer lives in, the employer provides board and lodging, which form part of the pay in kind.
The standard value
The collective agreement sets standard daily amounts, separately for lunch, breakfast and lodging, updated periodically.
The effect on pay
The standard value is added to the cash pay to work out the base for contributions and tax.
Lodging
It must be suitable, with features that respect the person's dignity.
If it is not provided
Its value must be paid in cash: not providing it does not reduce the cost.
Board and lodging are not a saving: they enter the pay at standard values and count towards the base for contributions and tax. The advantage of living in is practical, not financial.
04 · The figures
What a live-in carer really costs
The agreed monthly pay is only one part. The total annual cost includes items that build up every month but are paid later.
- The real annual cost is well above twelve months of the agreed pay.
- The deferred items (tredicesima, holidays, TFR) should be set aside every month, not found in December.
- Contributions are paid quarterly by payment slip or direct debit.
- Sick leave is paid by the employer for the periods set by the agreement.
INPS contributions
Quarterly, calculated on bands of standard hourly pay. A share is paid by the worker and deducted from the pay slip.
Tredicesima
An extra month of pay, paid in December. It builds up in monthly portions.
Holidays
Twenty-six paid working days a year. If not taken, they must be paid out.
TFR
It builds up every year and is paid when the relationship ends. See the TFR.
Cover
During holidays, sick leave and rest days you need cover, with an extra cost to budget for.
05 · What you get back
What you get back in your tax return
The family has two separate tools, which apply to different items and can be used together.
- The social security contributions paid for the domestic worker are deductible from income, up to an annual limit.
- The costs of personal care workers for people who are not self-sufficient give a tax credit (detrazione), up to a spending cap and subject to an income limit for the taxpayer.
- The tax credit requires a certificate of non-self-sufficiency issued by a doctor.
- The cost must be documented with receipts in the right name and traceable payments.
- The tax credit is available even if the person cared for is a family member who is not your dependant.
- The wage portion is not part of the deduction for contributions: they are two separate items.
The two reliefs add up: contributions are deducted from income, care costs are deducted from the tax. If you claim only one of them, you leave a sizeable part of what you could recover on the table.
06 · Termination
When the employment ends
This is the moment when everything left unsettled during the relationship comes out.
- Notice is owed by both sides, with a length that grows with seniority.
- The TFR must be paid, including revaluations.
- Untaken holidays and accrued portions of the tredicesima must be paid.
- The notice of termination must be sent to INPS.
- The Certificazione Unica (annual income statement) must be issued for the worker's tax return.
- If the person cared for dies, the relationship ends under specific rules on notice.
The death of the person cared for is the most frequent reason for termination and the one people are least prepared for: it overlaps with grief and with the succession, and it catches the heirs unprepared for the sums owed. Keeping the provisions in order during the relationship stops it becoming a problem at an already difficult time.
Frequently asked
The questions that keep coming up
What does a live-in carer really cost?
The annual cost is well above twelve months of the agreed pay: you need to add quarterly contributions, the tredicesima, paid holidays, the accrued TFR and the cost of cover during rest days and holidays.
The figure should be worked out over the year, and the deferred items set aside month by month. With the actual details (level, hours, living in) the calculation can be done in one meeting.
Do board and lodging reduce the salary?
No, they do not: they are pay in kind, valued at standard amounts set by the collective agreement, which are added to the cash pay to work out the base for contributions and tax.
The advantage of living in is practical (continuous presence), not financial.
What can I claim?
Two separate things that add up: the social security contributions paid are deductible from income up to an annual limit; the costs of care workers for people who are not self-sufficient give a tax credit, up to a spending cap and subject to an income limit.
The tax credit requires a medical certificate of non-self-sufficiency and traceable payments. It is available even if the person cared for is not your dependant for tax purposes.
Can the carer sleep and be paid for the night?
These are two different things. Night-time presence assumes the worker can rest and has its own pay, lower than for active work.
Active night-time care (getting up, assisting, stepping in repeatedly) is work in every respect and must be paid as such, with the set supplements. The distinction should be written into the contract and respected in practice.
Let's talk
The agreed pay is not the cost. The cost is almost a third more
We work out the full figure before you hire, so there are no surprises in December.