INPS

Workers enrolled in the Compulsory General Insurance (AGO), in substitutive or exclusive forms of the same, with qualifying contributions as at 31 December 1995, who can claim 12 months of effective contributions before the 19th year of age and who meet one of the following conditions:

• are unemployed following the termination of the employment relationship due to dismissal, even if group dismissal, resignation for just cause or consensual termination within the context of the procedure referred to in article 7, Law no. 604 of 15 July 1966, and final payment date of the unemployment benefit that occurred at least three months before;
• suffer from invalidity higher than or equal to 74% ascertained by the relevant medical commissions for recognition of civilian invalidity;
• are assisting, at the time of the claim and for at least 6 months, their severely disabled spouse or cohabiting first-degree relative, pursuant to Article 3, paragraph 3 of the Law no. 104 of 5 February 1992, or a disabled relative or cohabiting second-degree relative if the parents or spouse of the severely disabled person are 70 years old or over, are suffering from a disabling disease, have died or are absent;
• have carried out particularly strenuous and heavy activities pursuant to Legislative Decree no. 67 of 21 April 2011 (strenuous activity as per the decree of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security 19 May 1999, chain operators, night workers, drivers of vehicles with a total capacity of no less than nine seats, used for group transport);
• are included among the categories of dependent workers listed below and carried out burdensome activity for at least seven years in the last 10 years of work, or, for at least six years in the last seven years of work:
• • Workers in the mining, construction and building maintenance industries;
  • Crane or mobile machinery operation for drilling in the construction sector;
  • Tanners of leather and fur;
  • Train driving and traveling personnel;
  • HGV and truck drivers;
  • Nurses and obstetricians shift-work;
  • Personal care work for dependent persons;
  • Kindergarten and nurseries teaching;
  • Porters and moving goods operators and similar;
  • Unqualified cleaning services;
  • Ecological operations and other waste collection and separation operations;
  • Agricultural, zootechnics and fishery workers;
  • Coastal, inland or high sea fishing if employed or a member of a cooperative;
  • First and second smelting in the steel and glass work industries, working at high temperatures not already covered by Legislative Decree No. 67 of 2011;
  • Maritime seafarers crew members on board marine and inland waterway transport.

The 41-year contributory requirement can also be completed at the claim of the interested party by cumulating insurance periods under Law no. 228 of 24 December 2012.

HOW TO ACCESS THE BENEFIT

To access the benefit granted with respect to lowering the contributory requirement for early workers, a claim for recognition of the benefit must be submitted by 1 March of each year and the claim for early retirement must be submitted only in case of a positive outcome, also in regard to the attestation of the relative financial coverage.

Any claims for recognition of the benefit submitted after 1 March of each year, but no later than 30 November, will be taken into consideration only if financial resources are available.

START DATE OF PENSION

Workers who complete the requirements as of 1 January 2019 are granted the right to collect the pension payment once three months from the maturation thereof have elapsed, according to the provisions of the respective legal systems.

Workers who complete the requirements as of 1 January 2019, even if the insurance periods are cumulated pursuant to Law 228/2012, are granted the right to collect the pension payment from the first day of the month following the opening of the so-called window.

NON-CUMULABILITY AND INCOMPATIBILITY

Early retirement with reduced requirement for so-called early workers, starting from the effective date, cannot be combined with income from permanent or self-employed work in Italy or abroad for the early period with respect to the requirements in force for all workers.

The benefit of reducing the minimum contributory requirement for early retirement for early workers cannot be combined with other supplements provided for the performance of the same work activities. It can be accumulated instead with the so-called supplements of status pursuant to article 80, paragraph 3, Law no. 388 of 23 December 2000.

HOW CAN I CLAIM?

The claim must be submitted online to INPS via the dedicated service.

Alternatively, claims can be submitted:

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