The ISEE in Turin
How it works, what it is worth and what it is for.
OpenCAF services · Getting ready
Documents for the ISEE: the checklist
The ISEE (the Italian family means-test indicator) almost always gets stuck at the same point: the average balance of an account is missing, or someone brings the balance for the wrong year. This is the complete list, with the exact year each figure must refer to.
01 · The rule everyone gets wrong
Documents for the ISEE: which year each figure refers to
The ISEE is not a snapshot of today. It captures two different moments, some distance apart, and this is where most mistakes come from: people bring the latest bank statement because it looks the most up to date, and it is not the one needed.
| Figure | Reference year | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Household composition | At the date of submission | The household is today's, not the one of two years ago |
| Income | Two years before | It is the income from the last final tax return |
| Savings and investments | 31 December two years before | The balance and average balance for that year, not last year |
| Property | 31 December two years before | Ownership at that date counts, even if you have sold since |
| Maintenance payments | Two years before | Both paid and received, as documented |
If your financial situation has got worse since that year, the ordinary ISEE does not see it. There is a tool designed for exactly this: the ISEE corrente (current ISEE), based on income over the last few months.
02 · Who is included
Personal details and household composition
The household is built starting from the stato di famiglia (the family composition recorded at the registry office), with some exceptions that widen or narrow it: a spouse with a different residence, an adult child who does not live with you, a parent who is neither married to nor living with the other parent.
- A valid identity document of the person making the declaration.
- Codice fiscale (Italian tax code) or health card of every household member, including minors.
- Marital status of the person making the declaration and the date of any separation or divorce.
- Court orders in the case of separation, divorce or custody.
- Disability or handicap certification, if anyone in the household has one: it changes the equivalence scale and opens up dedicated benefits.
- Registered tenancy agreement for the home where you live, if you rent: it lowers the ISEE and should always be brought.
03 · The income side
Income and benefits received
The income of every member of the household is included, not only that of the person making the declaration. Amounts that do not appear on a tax return are included too, such as some tax-exempt welfare and social security benefits.
- Each member's tax return for the reference year, or the Certificazione Unica (the annual income statement) if there is no return.
- Welfare, social security and compensation payments exempt from tax, including amounts received from local authorities.
- Periodic maintenance payments for a spouse, paid or received, with the details of the court order.
- Income from work abroad or foreign pensions, with the relevant document.
- Business or self-employment income, for anyone with a partita IVA (Italian VAT number), as shown on the tax return.
Most income data arrives automatically from the Agenzia delle Entrate (the Italian Revenue Agency) and INPS (the Italian social security institute): if it is already there, you do not need to bring it. What never arrives on its own is your assets.
04 · Savings and investments
Bank accounts, deposits and investments
This is the section that takes the most time, because it requires two figures for every account: the balance at 31 December and the annual average balance. The average balance does not appear on the bank statement and has to be requested from the bank or downloaded from online banking, often as a separate document.
- Every current account and deposit account, even if it was open for only a few months, even if it is joint, even if the balance is zero.
- Savings books, postal and bank, including those in your minor children's names.
- Prepaid cards with an IBAN: they count as financial accounts in every respect.
- Securities, funds, managed portfolios, with their value at the reference date.
- Capitalisation life insurance policies, with the amount of premiums paid.
- Shareholdings and stakes in businesses, with the value of the net assets.
The forgotten account
Every open financial account is recorded in the Anagrafe dei rapporti (the national register of financial accounts). Leaving one out does not hide it: it draws attention to it.
- An account closed during the year must still be declared for the months it existed
- A joint account is declared in full, stating the account holders
- A minor child's savings book forms part of the household's assets
- A prepaid card with an IBAN is a financial account, not a gift card
05 · Property
Homes, land and mortgages
For property you need the value for IMU purposes (IMU is the Italian municipal property tax), not the purchase price or a market valuation. The outstanding mortgage is deducted from the value, but only if documented: without the bank's certificate, the debt does not exist for ISEE purposes.
- Land registry extracts or purchase deeds for every property owned, with the share owned.
- Bank certificate showing the outstanding mortgage capital at 31 December of the reference year.
- Agricultural and building land, with its value.
- Property abroad, with its value for IVIE purposes (the tax on property held abroad).
The outstanding capital needed is the figure at 31 December of the reference year, not today's. Asking the bank for the right certificate saves you redoing the application.
06 · Vehicles and boats
Vehicles registered to household members
Vehicles are not part of the asset calculation, but they must still be declared: they are used in checks on whether the ISEE is consistent with the household's standard of living.
- Registration number of cars and motorcycles above the relevant engine size registered to a household member.
- Ships and pleasure boats, with their registration details.
- What counts is the registration at the date of submission, not in the reference year.
Frequently asked
The questions that keep coming up
Where do I find the average balance of my account?
In online banking, usually in a section for documents or certificates, labelled "giacenza media annua" (annual average balance). Some banks issue it only on request at the branch.
It is not the same as the balance at 31 December and cannot be worked out from it: they are two separate figures and both are needed.
My son studies in another city. Is he part of my household?
If he is still officially resident with you, yes. Residence does not move automatically when someone goes away to study, and in most cases the student stays in the parents' household.
For university benefits there is a specific rule on student independence, which requires a separate residence for a certain period and adequate income of their own.
I have an account with a zero balance. Do I have to declare it?
Yes. Even an account with a zero balance must be listed, because it still appears in the Anagrafe dei rapporti finanziari.
Leaving it out creates a discrepancy in the checks, and a discrepancy can lead to a reassessment of a benefit you have already received.
How long does it take to gather everything?
If you have SPID (the Italian digital identity) and a single account, an hour. If the household has several accounts, investments and a mortgage, allow a few days, because the average balance and the outstanding mortgage capital depend on how quickly the bank responds.
That is why it is better not to leave it to the last week before the deadline for the benefit you are applying for.
From the blog
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ISEE in Turin: what to prepare in January
The ISEE expires on 31 December and is renewed from January. Which years of income and assets it looks at, which documents each household member needs and why it pays to ask for the balance and the average balance straight away.
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We send you the list in advance, filtered for your household
A one-person household and a household with children, a mortgage and two bank accounts do not have the same list. When you book, we prepare yours.