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Publication: 3 April 2017 Latest update: 23 July 2026
What is it?
The accrued but uncollected pension shares form part of the deceased’s estate and pass to the heirs in accordance with the rules governing succession under the Civil Code.
The accrued amount is the sum of the pension instalments or portions of the pension not collected by the pensioner before the pension ceased (for example, the accrued portion of the thirteenth-month payment or the proportionate amount due for the final month of the pension).
Who is it aimed at?
The accrued amount, i.e. the pension instalments or portions of pension not collected by the pensioner, is paid as follows, depending on whether the pension falls under a public or private scheme:
- to the surviving spouse;
- in the absence of the spouse, to the living children at the time of the pensioner's death;
- in the absence of spouse and children, to other legitimate or testamentary heirs.
How does it work?
Where a reversibility pension is awarded to the surviving spouse or a minor child, INPS is authorised to automatically pay any accrued but unpaid pension instalments, in accordance with and for the same purposes as Article 90 of Royal Decree No. 1422 of 26 September 1924.
Therefore, only where a reversibility claim is submitted by the surviving spouse or a minor child will INPS automatically pay any accrued but uncollected pension instalments due to the assignor. In this case, no separate claim is required, and the full amount due in respect of accrued but uncollected pension instalments will be paid to the surviving spouse or the minor child, without the proportional allocation provided for under the Civil Code.
However, if a specific claim for accrued but uncollected pension instalments is submitted by any legitimate or testamentary heir before the automatic payment is made, the automatic payment procedure is suspended, and the accrued instalments will be paid to all the heirs who have submitted a claim, each receiving the share to which they are entitled.
Please note that accrued but uncollected pension instalments are paid automatically only when the claimant for the survivor’s pension is the sole surviving spouse or the sole minor child, and not when there is more than one eligible beneficiary.
To obtain payment of the amounts due, legitimate or testamentary heirs may submit a claim to INPS online through the dedicated service.
Alternatively, the claim can be made:
- by phoning the contact centre at 803 164 (free from Italian landlines) or +39 06 164164 from mobile phones;
- by telematics services offered by patronage institutes and intermediaries thereof.
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.