SHARE
COPY LINK

POLITICS

Families eligible for Italy’s single universal allowance from January

Families in Italy can submit applications for the new single universal child benefit from January 1st, as detailed in the government's 2022 Budget Law.

Families eligible for Italy's single universal allowance from January
Italy's new single universal allowance will replace many other family bonuses. Photo: Josep LAGO / AFP

From Saturday, the single universal child benefit (L’assegno unico e universale) is open for applications and will be distributed from March 1st 2022.

The measure forms part of Italy’s overall Budget Law 2022, which has established tax and pension reforms as well as extended some tax breaks for home renovations and help with buying a first home.

EXPLAINED: What will Italy’s new budget mean for you in 2022?

The new single allowance replaces a raft of other so-called ‘baby bonuses‘, unifying a series of measures to support families – hence the term ‘unico‘. It’s also called ‘universal’ because it is granted to all families with dependent children resident in Italy.

Scrapped bonuses include the bonus for birth or adoption (Bonus mamma domani), the allowance for families with at least three minor children, family allowances for families with children and orphans, the birth allowance (Bonus bebè) and tax deductions for children up to 21 years of age.

However, the bonus that aids kindergarten costs, Bonus asilo, remains in force.

Those eligible to apply are all categories of employees (both public and private), the self-employed, pensioners, unemployed and the unemployable.

The move will provide a monthly benefit to those who have children, from the seventh month of pregnancy until the child reaches the age of 21.

What a family receives is based on household income, according to the socio-economic indicator the government uses to calculate benefits, known as ISEE.

Approved in November by Italy’s government cabinet, the Council of Ministers, the single and universal child allowance varies depending on the ISEE and the age of the children, except for disabled children for whom there is no age limit.

READ ALSO:

The benefit ranges from €175 to €50 per month for each child under 18.

The universal single allowance forms part of the country’s wider strategy, its so-called Family Act, which is intended to help make starting a family in the country a more affordable and realistic prospect.

It was approved for 2022 as part of a broad package of financial measures in the Budget Law, including funds for managing the continuing Covid-19 health emergency, resources to help tackle high household bills and relief for areas hit by last summer’s wildfire damage.

For more information and to apply for the single universal allowance, check the dedicated section of Italy’s social security and welfare site, ‘INPS’, here.

Member comments

  1. Pingback: Anonymous
Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

TERRORISM

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy was to increase surveillance in busy areas ahead of the Easter holidays and following the bombing of a Moscow concert hall, ministers agreed on Monday.

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy’s national committee for public security, chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, on Monday said anti-terrorism monitoring in Italy must be strengthened ahead of the Easter holidays, with more surveillance to be carried out at popular tourist spots and at “sensitive sites”.

The committee agreed on “the importance of continuing monitoring activity, including online, by police and intelligence forces for the identification of possible risk situations” in Italy, reported news agency Ansa.

The security meeting was convened following the terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday where armed men opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing at least 133 people.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had stressed to the public on Sunday that Italy faced “no concrete risk” and said the country’s security and law enforcement services were “always on the alert to prevent any attack.”

“During the Easter holidays you will need to be very careful. We will always do the utmost to ensure the safety of citizens and tourists,” Tajani said, speaking on national broadcaster Rai’s current affairs show Restart.

READ ALSO: Terror alerts: Should I be worried about travelling to Italy?

The fight against terrorism “has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine,” the minister continued.

“We support Ukraine” as an invaded country in which international law has been violated, he said, “but as the Italian government we have expressed our condemnation of the attack [in Moscow] and closeness to the families of the victims and the survivors”.

Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said on the same programme that the main terrorist threat Italy faced at the moment was mainly from “lone wolves” and “not so much from organised groups.”

“I believe that a group like the one that acted in the Moscow attack, which must have been trained and had logistical support, would be intercepted sooner in Italy,” he said.

“The most worrying threat” in Italy was online recruitment, he said, noting that propaganda was closely monitored.

SHOW COMMENTS