INPS

Pension supplements can be granted to recipients of main pensions, supplementary pensions or ordinary invalidity allowances who are registered with:

• Compulsory General Insurance (AGO) for dependent workers or the self-employed, after the pension has become payable under the same insurance scheme (Employees’ Pension Fund – FPLD – and/or in the self-employed workers special pension scheme). In the case of a recipient of a pension paid in the FPLD, the supplement may also be claimed for any contribution paid in one or more self-employed workers special pension scheme before the start of the pension;
• Separate Pension Scheme, after the pension has become payable under the same insurance scheme;
• Entertainment and Sports Pension Scheme (ex ENPALS), after the pension has become payable under the same insurance scheme or under the FPLD.

Following Italian Legislative Decree no. 414 of 29 June 1996, contributions accrued after 01 January 1996 in the AGO grant entitlement to a pension supplement in respect of core pension recipients of the Flight Fund, who have been affiliated to the same pension scheme after the pension has become payable, and of the abolished Public Transport Workers’ Fund.

For pensioners of the Electricity and Telephone funds, pension supplements from the cancelled funds may not be paid out, except for holders of regular invalidity allowances.

The supplement is also payable for those workers who have obtained pensions through an institution for the “totalisation” of insurance periods (such as totalisation or cumulation - Law no. 228 of 24 December 2012) and continue to work or pay contributions to one of the pension schemes that have been affected by the overlap after the pension takes effect, provided that the scheme provides for the establishment of the pension supplement in its legislation. In this case, the supplement must be paid in accordance with the rules of the pension scheme where the contributions are credited after the start of the pension obtained in cumulation.

In the case of benefits obtained under the Separate Pension Scheme with the right to calculation referred to in Ministerial Decree no. 282 of 02 May 1996, the supplement can only be claimed for the pension paid into the Separate Pension Scheme.

If the pensioner dies, the contributions relating to periods subsequent to the commencement of the pension must automatically be taken into account for the purposes of the survivor's pension measure, regardless of whether they have been used to supplement the deceased’s personal pension.

Start date

The supplements commence from the first day of the month following the one in which the claim was submitted, if all the requirements laid down by law have been met on that date.

What am I entitled to?

The amount of the supplement supplements the amount of the calculated pension. However, if the pension is combined with the minimum benefit, the amount could be absorbed by the integration itself: in the case of total absorption, the amount to be paid does not vary; in case of partial absorption, the excess is paid.

The calculation of the supplement share relating to the contribution periods acquired by 01 January 2012 is carried out with the contribution calculation system. For contribution periods acquired before 31 December 2011, the system for calculating the supplement follows that adopted for the payment of the pension.

For pensioners who can claim periods of employment in foreign countries outside the European Union in agreement with Italy, pension entitlement can be made by totalisation of Italian and foreign insurance periods and, consequently, the pension supplement can be paid under the international convention.

Requirements

The pension supplement may only be granted after a minimum period of time has elapsed from the start of the pension for which the individual is a holder, or from the previous supplement.

The regulation differs depending on the pension scheme in which the individual is a pensioner and the scheme for which the supplement is claimed.

The contributions paid or credited to the FPLD after the commencement of the pension shall, upon claim, entitle the holder to the payment of a supplement, provided that at least five years have elapsed since the commencement of the pension or the previous supplement. For one time only, the individual concerned may claim the payment of a supplement after only two years have elapsed from the start of the pension or the previous supplement, provided that the retirement age required for the AGO has been reached.

Contributions paid or credited before or after retirement to the FPLD shall, upon claim, give rise to the payment of a supplement, provided that at the time of claim the age required for old-age retirement in the self-employed workers pension schemes has been reached and that at least five years have elapsed since the date on which the pension or the previous supplement took effect. Without prejudice to the condition that the age requirement for old-age retirement in the self-employed workers pension schemes be met, the individual concerned may claim, for one time only, the payment of a supplement, either the first or one of the subsequent ones, after only two years have elapsed from the date on which the pension or the previous supplement took effect. Therefore, in this case, unlike the first, the first supplement cannot be paid before the retirement age laid down in the special pension scheme for self-employed workers has been reached.

Contributions paid or credited after retirement, both to the Self-employed workers pension schemes and to the AGO, shall entitle the holder to payment, on claim, of a pension supplement, provided that at least five years have elapsed since the date on which the pension or previous supplement took effect. However, the individual concerned may, for one time only, claim the payment of a supplement when only two years have elapsed from the start of the pension or the previous supplement, provided that the retirement age laid down in the pension scheme for which the supplement is claimed has been reached.

The contributions paid into the Separate Pension Scheme, for periods subsequent to the starting date of the pension borne by the scheme itself, give rise to a pension supplement. The supplement may be claimed for the first time two years after the date on which the pension takes effect, and thereafter five years after the date on which the previous supplement takes effect. It is not necessary to have reached the retirement age for old age as provided for in the pension scheme.

The contributions paid or credited to the Entertainment and Sports Pension Scheme (ex ENPALS) after the commencement of the pension shall, upon claim, entitle the holder to the payment of a supplement, provided that at least five years have elapsed since the commencement of the pension or the previous supplement. The individual concerned may claim the payment of a supplement once only after a period of up to two years has elapsed from the date of commencement of the pension or previous supplement, provided that the required retirement age has been reached. In this regard, for some categories of workers registered with the pension scheme, it is necessary to take into account the age limits set by the rules for old-age pensions as last amended by Presidential Decree no. 157 of 28 October 2013. Below are the groups to which these categories of workers belong:

• Dance Group;
• Orchestral Singers Group;
• Actors Conductors Group;
• Professional Athletes Group.

It should be noted that, for the supplements to be recognised on pensions with entitlement attained from 2012, account will have to be taken of the new age for access to the old-age pension and the supplements in life expectancy introduced by Law no. 214 of 22 December 2011.

How can I claim?

The claim to INPS can be submitted online by using the dedicated service.

Alternatively, claims can be made by:

• phoning 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 thereof.