THE‘The world of social security in Italy is an extremely complicated worldwhere the most important news is hidden behind names and numbers that are difficult to interpret. That’s exactly what happened regarding the ordinary disability allowanceor the financial support that INPS pays to those who, due to health problems, are no longer able to work as before. For years, in fact, those who started working after 1995 found themselves penalized by a very rigid calculation that it made the check really too low. Today that wall fell.
Disability allowance: how it changes and who is entitled to it
A decision of the Constitutional Court he determined that no one should be left behindguaranteeing an increase to those who had previously been excluded. To understand what is happening, we need to imagine the pension system as divided into two groups. On the one hand there are those who started working a long time ago and receives an allowance calculated based on the latest salaries. On the other hand, there are those who are children of the so-called “contributory system”a method introduced in the mid-1990s that calculates the amount only based on the contributions actually paid.
A question of justice between old and new rules
This second method is often less generous. The problem was that, for those who fell into this system, there was no possibility of increasing the amount if the final amount was too low to live on. In practice, there was no integration to the minimum pension, that is, that “parachute” that the State uses to ensure that no pension falls below a certain threshold. Now the law has changed: even those who have a career based entirely on contributions paid since 1996 can finally receive this increase.
For years many workers have been excluded from minimum supports due to a bureaucratic calculation. Today the rules change. (Getty Images)
The numbers of the turning point and who can benefit from it
But how much are we talking about exactly? Thanks to this news, the check can be integrated until reaching the minimum threshold expected for 2026, which is 611.85 euros gross per month. For many people who received very low amounts, this means a monthly increase which, at the end of the year, can reach almost six hundred euros in total. The news concerns several people: those who started working after 1 January 1996, those who voluntarily chose the contribution calculation and also many collaborators or professionals registered with the Separate Management, the INPS fund dedicated to those who do not have a specific professional fund.
How to avoid losing the increase
It is important to know that the increase does not always occur automatically. In fact, the INPS must verify how much the person earns and, if present, also the husband or wife. If the institution does not have this updated information, it cannot start the integration. For this reason, it is often necessary to submit an “income reconstitution application”i.e. a form where you communicate your earnings to demonstrate that you are entitled to the benefit.
The good news is that the increase is retroactive: it can be requested starting from 1 August 2025. Anyone who has had a similar application rejected in the past can try again now, unless there has been a final ruling from a judge to close the matter.
Disability allowance, an important limit to know
However, there is one detail that deserves attention for the future. The ordinary disability allowance has a particularity: when you reach retirement age, it automatically turns into an old-age pension. At that precise moment, unfortunately, the rules change again.
According to current regulations, if the old-age pension is calculated with the contributory system, it can no longer be raised to the minimum. In essence, the extra help is valid as long as you receive the disability allowance, but risks disappearing when the allowance becomes a normal pension. It is a subtle but fundamental distinction for those who want to plan their economic future clearly and without unpleasant surprises.