Modello RED
The annual statement of relevant income. If you do not file it, the benefit is suspended. See modello RED.
CAF services · Welfare benefits
The social allowance (assegno sociale) in Turin
It is not a pension: it is a welfare benefit for people who have passed a certain age and do not have enough income. It does not require any contributions to have been paid, but it does require actual, continuous residence in Italy.
01 · Its nature
What the social allowance is
It is a welfare benefit, not a social security one: it depends on your financial situation, not on the contributions you have paid. It replaced the old pensione sociale (social pension) and is paid by INPS (the Italian National Social Security Institute).
- It is available to people who have reached the age set by the law, which is adjusted in line with life expectancy.
- It is subject to personal income limits and, for married people, to limits on the couple's joint income too.
- It requires Italian citizenship or equivalent conditions for foreign and EU nationals.
- It requires actual and stable residence in Italy for at least ten continuous years.
- It does not pass to your heirs.
- It is not taxable: you do not declare it.
The difference from a pension is substantial: the social allowance does not assume any contributions at all. Someone who has paid contributions, but not enough to meet the pension requirements, can still receive it if the income and age conditions are met.
02 · Your financial situation
Which income counts for the social allowance
The allowance is paid in full to people with no income, at a reduced rate to those whose income is within the limit, and not at all above it.
- Income subject to IRPEF (Italian personal income tax) counts, even if it was not declared because it was below the threshold.
- Tax-exempt income counts, as does income subject to withholding at source or to a substitute tax.
- Foreign pensions, rental income and interest count.
- The income from your own home and its appurtenances does not count.
- The TFR (the Italian severance payment) and advances on it do not count, nor do some welfare benefits.
- For married people, your spouse's income is also taken into account, with a higher limit.
| Situation | Effect |
|---|---|
| No personal income | Allowance paid in full |
| Personal income within the limit | Allowance reduced by the difference |
| Personal income above the limit | No entitlement |
| Married, with joint income within the higher limit | Reduced allowance |
| Married, above the joint limit | No entitlement |
03 · The critical requirement
The residence requirement
This is the condition that causes the most disputes and most often costs people their entitlement, even people who have always lived in Italy.
The ten years
You need legal and actual residence in Italy for at least ten continuous years, immediately before the application.
Continuity
The ten years must be continuous: significant breaks restart the count.
After it is granted
Staying in Italy remains a condition of payment: the allowance is suspended if you stay abroad beyond the permitted period.
Withdrawal
Staying abroad for longer than the limit leads to the benefit being withdrawn.
Take care if you have lived abroad
This is the situation in which the entitlement is lost most often.
- If you came back to Italy less than ten years ago, you are not entitled
- This also applies to Italian citizens who have returned from abroad
- Periods of residence abroad break the ten years
- The requirement should be checked before you apply
04 · How to apply
How to apply
The benefit is not automatic: you have to apply for it, and the start date depends on when you apply.
- The application is made online, with SPID or CIE (Italian digital identity), or through a CAF (authorised tax assistance centre) or patronato (welfare advice bureau) acting on your behalf.
- You attach your income statement and, if you are married, your spouse's.
- Payment starts from the month after you apply, if the requirements are met.
- Applying late means losing the earlier months: there are no arrears for the period before the application.
- The benefit is paid in thirteen monthly instalments.
- Changes in income, marital status and residence must be reported promptly.
There are no arrears for the period before the application: anyone who finds out they were entitled two years after meeting the requirements loses those months. That is why, when you reach the age, it is worth checking, even if only to rule the entitlement out.
05 · Your obligations
What to do every year
The benefit is subject to an annual check that the requirements are still met, and failing to respond suspends it.
Reporting residence
Changes of residence must be reported: they affect the entitlement.
Stays abroad
These must be declared if they exceed the permitted period, to avoid overpayments.
Changes in marital status
Marriage, separation and widowhood change the income limits that apply.
Admissions to care
Admission to an institution entirely at public expense affects the amount of the benefit.
Recalculation
If your income falls, you can ask for the amount to be recalculated upwards.
06 · The effects
The effects on other benefits
The social allowance opens some doors and closes others, and it is worth knowing both.
- The allowance is exempt from IRPEF and does not count towards your total income.
- It does count for the ISEE (the Italian means-test indicator), under the rules for the DSU (the self-declaration behind the ISEE).
- People who receive it are often entitled to related benefits: social bonuses, health charge exemptions, municipal reductions.
- It cannot be combined with other welfare benefits of the same kind.
- The period during which you receive it does not count towards any future pension.
- It does not pass on: when the holder dies it ends and does not go to the family.
The social allowance is often the way in to a package of local and national benefits that, taken together, are worth more than the allowance itself: utility bonuses, health charge exemptions, reductions on municipal taxes. It is worth asking for all of them, not just the allowance.
Frequently asked
The questions that keep coming up
I have never paid contributions. Can I still get it?
Yes. The social allowance is a welfare benefit and does not assume any contributions: it depends on age and financial situation, not on your work history.
That is precisely its purpose: to provide support to people who, having reached the set age, do not have enough income and have not met the requirements for a pension.
I came back to Italy after thirty years abroad. Am I entitled?
Not straight away. You need legal and actual residence in Italy for at least ten continuous years immediately before the application, and this also applies to Italian citizens who have returned.
Periods of residence abroad break the ten years. This is the requirement that gets the most applications rejected, and it should be checked before you apply.
I have a small pension. Do I lose the allowance?
Not necessarily. If your total income stays below the limit, the allowance is paid at a reduced rate: you receive the difference between the limit and your income.
Above the limit the entitlement ends. If you are married, your spouse's income is also considered, with a higher limit that takes the family situation into account.
Can I move abroad and keep the allowance?
No. Staying in Italy is a condition of payment: a continuous stay abroad beyond the permitted period leads to the benefit being suspended and then withdrawn.
Long stays must also be declared, to avoid building up overpayments that INPS then recovers through later deductions.
Let's talk
The requirement that costs people the most is residence, not income
Ten years of residence in Italy and an unbroken stay: these are the conditions to check first.