RED form
Income relevant to income-linked benefits. It is the most common one.
CAF services · INPS benefits
The INPS RED form
The modello RED (RED form) is the declaration you use to tell INPS (the Italian National Social Security Institute) about income it does not already know. It produces no refund and earns you nothing: it only serves to make sure you do not lose what you are already receiving.
01 · The purpose
What the RED form is for
Many pension benefits are linked to income: the top-up to the minimum pension, the social increases, the assegno sociale (the social allowance for people over 67 on low incomes), civil invalidity pensions and allowances, and survivors' benefits.
To check that the income requirements are still met, INPS cross-checks every year the data it already holds: tax returns, Certificazioni Uniche (annual income statements), databases. When that data is not enough, it asks the pensioner to declare it directly: that is the RED form.
So it is not an obligation for everyone. It applies only to people who receive the request, and only to the income the Institute could not obtain in any other way.
If you have filed a tax return and have no other income to report, you are often not even asked for the RED form: the data already comes from the Agenzia delle Entrate (the Italian Revenue Agency).
02 · Who is asked
Who receives the request
The request goes to people receiving benefits whose amount depends on income, and for whom INPS does not have complete information.
- Pensioners receiving the top-up to the minimum pension.
- People receiving social increases and benefits linked to their own or their spouse's income.
- People receiving the assegno sociale, for which the income requirement is checked every year.
- People receiving civil invalidity benefits linked to income.
- People receiving a survivor's pension, which is reduced above certain thresholds.
- Anyone with income not held in the databases: foreign income, tax-exempt income, some annuities.
When the obligation extends further
It does not concern only the pensioner.
- For some benefits the spouse's income also counts
- In certain cases the income of family members living with you counts
- For survivors who are minors, the declaration is made by whoever holds parental responsibility
- Heirs may be asked to declare for the period before the death
03 · What to declare
The income to include in the RED form
The scope is not the same as the tax return: the RED form also covers amounts that are exempt from tax but that INPS still considers relevant.
| Type of income | Does it count? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Italian pensions | Yes | Already known to INPS, normally pre-filled |
| Foreign pensions | Yes | Must be declared: the Institute does not know about them |
| Employment or self-employment income | Yes | Even if the amount is modest |
| Rental income | Yes | Including income under the cedolare secca (the flat-rate tax on rent) |
| Interest, dividends and financial income | Yes | Even if already taxed at source |
| Tax-exempt income | Yes, for many benefits | This is the category most often missed |
| The home you live in | No | Excluded from the calculation |
| Severance pay (TFR) | No | Does not count as income for these purposes |
| Pension arrears | According to the rules | Allocated to the year they relate to |
The item most often left out is a foreign pension, followed by financial income. Both are visible to the authorities through the exchange of information: the omission comes to light, with retroactive effect.
04 · When
Timing and how to file
The RED campaign runs every year, with a deadline stated in the letter you receive. The form is sent online, through a CAF (authorised tax assistance centre) or a patronato (welfare advice office), or from your personal area on the INPS portal.
The request arrives
By post or in your online social security file. It is worth checking your personal area too, not just your letterbox.
The data is gathered
Income for the reference year stated in the request, your own and, where relevant, your spouse's.
It is sent
The CAF fills in the form and sends it online, issuing the receipt of transmission.
Keep the receipt
It is proof that the declaration was made, and you need it if the benefit is suspended anyway later on.
05 · The consequences
What happens if you do not file it
Not filing does not lead to a fine: it leads to the suspension of the benefit, which is far more immediate.
- The income-linked portions are suspended, and the pension is reduced to the unconditional part.
- If the omission continues, the linked benefit is withdrawn.
- Amounts paid out that were not due become an overpayment, which INPS recovers by deducting from later instalments.
- The benefit can be reinstated by filing the declaration late, but the arrears are not always paid in full.
The suspension arrives with no further warning beyond the initial request. That is why the INPS letter, even if it looks like a routine form, should not be put to one side.
06 · Not the only one
The RED form and other INPS declarations
The RED form belongs to a family of self-declarations that INPS asks for periodically. Each has its own scope, and receiving one does not exempt you from the others.
ICRIC and ICLAV
Declarations about hospitalisation and work, for people receiving civil invalidity benefits.
ACC.AS/PS
A declaration for people receiving the assegno sociale, on hospitalisation and on whether the requirements are still met.
ISEE
The ISEE (the Italian family means-test indicator) is a separate certificate, used for means-tested benefits, and does not replace the RED form.
Frequently asked
The questions that keep coming up
I have already filed the 730. Do I have to do the RED form too?
Only if INPS asks you. In many cases the 730 (the Italian tax return for employees and pensioners) already covers the data needed and no request arrives.
If the request arrives anyway, it means the Institute needs further information: typically foreign income, tax-exempt income or data about family members.
Do I have to declare my wife's income too?
For some benefits, yes: the top-up to the minimum and several social increases have limits that also refer to the spouse's income.
The INPS letter states which income is required. If it is not clear, check before filling in the form: declaring more than you need to can reduce the benefit for no reason.
My pension has been suspended. Can I put it right?
Yes: by filing the declaration, even late, you get the benefit reinstated.
Recovering the arrears depends on the situation and the timing: the sooner you act, the more can be recovered. It is worth bringing in your documents as soon as you notice the reduction on your pension slip.
Does the home I live in count as income?
Your main home and its appurtenances (such as a garage or cellar) are excluded from the income that counts for these benefits.
Other properties you own do count, for the income they produce or are deemed to produce under the tax rules.
Let's talk
If you have received the letter, bring it to the practice
Filling it in is quick when the data is to hand. The problem is always the same: working out which income has to be declared and which does not.