Allowance for marriage leave

The allowance for marriage leave is paid upon the occasion of an exceptional eight-day period of leave permitted by civil marriage, concordat or civil union agreements, which must be taken within 30 days of the event.

The benefit is due for workers, apprentices, homeworkers, low-power seafarers, or employees of industrial, craft and co-operative companies that:

• enter into a civil marriage or concordat agreement;
• have been employed for at least one week;
• make use of the leave within 30 days of the wedding ceremony;
• are able, even if they are unemployed, to prove that they worked for at least 15 days in industrial, craft or co-operative companies during the 90 days preceding the marriage;
• are not at work due to illness, suspension of work, or recall to arms, without prejudice to the existence of the employment relationship.

The allowance is due for both spouses, who are not employed by:

• industrial, artisanal, co-operative and tobacco-processing companies as employees, apprentices or managers;
• farms;
• trade, credit and insurance companies;
• local and state bodies;
• companies that do not pay the relevant contribution to the Single Fund for Family Allowances (CUAF).

The allowance shall not be paid to those who contract religious marriage only. You may only be entitled to subsequent allowances if you are widowed or divorced.

WHAT AM I ENTITLED TO?

The allowance for marriage leave is:

• seven days’ salary for workers and apprentices. The percentage borne by the worker is deducted from the daily salary, equal to 5.54%;
• seven days of average daily earnings for homeworkers. The percentage borne by the worker is deducted from the daily salary, equal to 5.54%;
• eight days of average daily earnings for seafarers. The percentage borne by the worker is deducted from the daily salary, equal to 5.54%;
• days of pay which coincide with those provided for in the vertical part-time employment contract are also subject to the deduction of the percentage borne by the worker.

The allowance can be combined with the INAIL benefit for accidents at work up to the amount that would have been due as remuneration. As a consequence, the different between the remuneration due and the amount corresponding to the INAIL shall be paid as temporary incapacity.

The allowance cannot be combined with the benefits for illness or maternity, the regular and special redundancy fund, or unemployment benefits (NASpI), because they are wage substitutes. In these cases, the allowance for marriage leave will be paid as it is more favourable benefit.
During marriage leave, the worker shall remain eligible for the family allowance. The INPS shall pay the marriage leave allowance to the unemployed or those recalled to arms directly, while employed workers shall receive the payment through their employers.

When can I claim?

Employed workers must submit their claim to their employer at the end of the leave and no later than 60 days after the wedding. Unemployed workers or those recalled to arms must submit their claim to the INPS within the year after their wedding.

How can I claim?

Employees shall submit their claim to their employer, attaching their wedding certificate or civil status certificate with their marriage details issued by the municipality authority, or self-certification pursuant to Article 46 of Presidential Decree no. 445 of 28 December 2000, proving the spousal status and the marriage details. If it is not possible to produce the certification within the time limits, a certificate issued by the religious authority or an authenticated self-certification may be presented, provided that the required documentation is subsequently delivered.
Unemployed workers or those recalled to arms must submit their claim to the INPS online by using the dedicated service. The service menu offers three options:

• Information, a page that describes the benefit and specifies who is entitled to benefit from it;
• Submit claim, a function that makes it possible to fill out and send the claim for marital leave allowance to the INPS;
• Monitor claims, a function which makes it possible to monitor the list of claims that have already been sent.

Alternatively, claims can be made by:

• telephoning the Contact Centre on +39 803 164 (free from Italian landlines) or +39 06 164 164 from mobile phones;
• electronic services offered by patronage institutes and intermediaries of the Institute.

Unemployed workers must attach the following to their claim:

• the self-certification pursuant to Article 46 of Presidential Decree 445/00, proving unemployment at the wedding date, or relevant documentation;
• the self-certification pursuant to Article 46 of Presidential Decree 445/00, proving the marital status and containing details of the marriage;
• the declaration in lieu of sworn affidavit pursuant to Article 47 of Presidential Decree 445/00, relating to a non-employee working relationship in industrial, craft or co-operative companies for at least 15 days in the 90 days preceding the wedding;
• a copy of the latest pay slip.

Workers recalled to arms must attach the following to their claim:

• the self-certification pursuant to Article 46 of Presidential Decree 445/00, proving unemployment at the wedding date, or relevant documentation;
• the self-certification pursuant to Article 46 of Presidential Decree 445/00, proving the marital status and containing details of the marriage;
• substitute declaration of sworn affidavit pursuant to Article 47 of Presidential Decree 445/00, relating to a non-employee working relationship which has existed for at least one week prior to the wedding;
• a copy of the latest salary slip.