en
Log in

You are in

  1. Home
  2. Pension and Social security
  3. Social security benefits for those engaged in strenuous work

Social security benefits for those engaged in strenuous work

Use service Portal for Pension Claims
The service allows civil servants or private dependent workers who have carried out strenuous work activities to submit their pension claims with reduced requirements.
Use service Portal for Pension Claims
Specific for
Civil servants or private dependent workers who carry out particularly tiring and heavy work activities, defined as strenuous
This service is also available in

Claim for Pension, Reconstitution, Accruals, Certifications, Social APE indemnity and “early” Benefit

Publication: 3 April 2017 Latest update: 9 July 2026

What is it?

This benefit offers early access to retirement with reduced requirements for civil servants or private dependent workers engaged in particularly tiring and heavy work activities, defined as strenuous.

Who is it aimed at?

It is aimed at workers:

  • who perform night-time work in shifts and/or for the whole year;
  • engaged in the so-called “chain line”;
  • who drive vehicles with a total capacity of at least nine seats that are used for public transport services;
  • engaged in particularly strenuous jobs such as:
    • work in tunnels, quarries or mines, work carried out underground;
    • work in quarries, work carried out by those working in stone or ornamental material quarries;
    • work in tunnels, work carried out by those working in development and progress;
    • work in compressed-air caissons;
    • work carried out by deep-sea divers;
    • work at high temperatures, work that exposes individuals to high temperatures, where preventative measures are not possible. By way of example, work undertaken by dependent workers of second smelting foundries, which are not controlled remotely, refractory workers, and dependent workers of manual casting operations;
    • hollow glass processing, work carried out in the hollow glass industry by hand and breath;
    • work performed in confined spaces and in particular in activities involved in shipbuilding, ship repair and ship maintenance, or work carried out within confined spaces such as crawlspaces, manholes, false floors, on-board or in large structural blocks;
    • asbestos removal work.

How does it work?

START DATE

If the claim for access to the benefit is approved, INPS will notify the interested party of the initial effective date of the pension. In order to be eligible for the pension benefits, the individual concerned must apply for a pension for which the acceptance is subject to the existence of any other legal condition (e.g. termination of the employment relationship).

From 01 January 2017, the extension of the effective date (known as ‘mobile windows’) from the completion of the requirements (12 months for employees, 18 months for self-employed workers) no longer applies to pension benefits for workers in strenuous work activities.

Claim

REQUIREMENTS

At the time of claiming, the individual concerned must have undertaken strenuous work activities:

  • for at least seven years within the last ten years of employment;
  • for at least half of the entire working life.

From 2016 to 2028, the facilitated requirements for accessing early retirement are:

  • for workers engaged in particularly arduous tasks, so-called “chain line” workers, drivers of public service vehicles, night workers on shift work for 78 working days or more per year or night workers on shift work for periods of the entire working year:
    • dependent workers: value of 97.6 (sum of age and contribution period) with a minimum age of 61 years and 7 months and a minimum contribution period of 35 years;
    • self-employed: value of 98.6 (sum of age and contribution period) with a minimum age of 62 years and 7 months and a contribution period of 35 years;
  • for night workers on shift work who are employed for 72 to 77 working days per year:
    • dependent workers: value of 98.6 (sum of age and contribution period) with a minimum age of 62 years and 7 months and a minimum contribution period of 35 years;
    • self-employed: value of 99.6 (sum of age and contribution period) with a minimum age of 63 years and 7 months and a contribution period of 35 years;
  • for night workers on shift work who are employed for 64 to 71 working days per year:
    • dependent workers: value of 99.6 (sum of age and contribution period) with a minimum age of 63 years and 7 months and a minimum contribution period of 35 years;
    • self-employed: value of 100.6 (sum of age and contribution period) with a minimum age of 64 years and 7 months and a minimum contribution period of 35 years.

Facilitated conditions for early pension shall not be subject to the life expectancy adjustments provided for the 2019-2020, 2021-2022, 2023-2024, 2025-2026 and 2027-2028 periods.

WHEN CAN I CLAIM?

The claim must be submitted before 1 May of the year preceding the year in which the facilitated requirements were met (e.g.: if the requirements are met in 2027, the claim must be submitted by 1 May 2026).

HOW CAN I CLAIM?

In order to obtain the pension under the reduced requirements, the benefit must be recognised for workers engaged in particularly strenuous and heavy work activities.

The claim for access to the benefit and the relevant documentation must be submitted electronically to the local INPS office in charge.

Processing Times of the Measure

The ordinary time limit for issuing measures is set by Law No. 241/1990 at 30 days. In some cases the law may set different deadlines.

The table (in Italian) shows the deadlines exceeding 30 days, established by the Institute by means of Regulations.

In addition to the deadlines for issuing the measure, the table (in Italian) also indicates the person responsible for it.

Use service Portal for Pension Claims