Published: 5 Jul, 2021 CET.Updated: Sun 26 Jun 2022 09:12 CET
Millions of people in Austria are still waiting for the €500 payment. (Photo by Christian Dubovan on Unsplash)
Incentives are on offer for everything from making your property more eco-friendly to buying a new TV. Here’s a guide to some of Italy's most advantageous tax breaks, subsidies and discounts.
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Italy often deploys financial incentives to nudge its residents into useful projects, whether it's installing energy-efficient appliances or having children.
There are usually strings attached, and applying can be a fiddly and time-consuming process. You may well need to ask a professional to shepherd you through the various steps, and even once you've claimed, don't bank on receiving anything back straight away.
But with those provisos in mind, Italy's government bonuses could make a significant difference to your budget – in some cases, to the tune of tens of thousands of euros.
Here's a list of the main perks on offer.
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€200 cost of living bonus
You could get €200 from the government in June or July, aimed at supporting people against rising inflation and offsetting the soaring cost of living.
Certain categories of workers, as well as pensioners and the unemployed can claim the one-off bonus. Italy’s social security and pensions agency (INPS or ‘Istituto nazionale della previdenza sociale’), has released its initial guidelines on claiming the bonus.
Bonuses for buying, building and renovating property
First home bonus
People buying their first residential property in Italy are eligible for reductions on registration, mortgage and land registry tax, as well as a lower rate of VAT if the purchase is subject to sales tax. They can also claim credit against personal income tax on estate agent fees and mortgage interest. Find official information here.
First-time homebuyers aged 35 or under are entitled to further savings, provided their household income does not top €40,000 a year. In this case, certain taxes are wiped out altogether, notary fees are halved, and the state will even cover your deposit and guarantee loans of up €250,000. Read The Local's guide here.
The bonus ristrutturazioni allows you to apply for a 50 percent tax reduction on renovating your property, on expenses up to €96,000. Work might include repairing structural damage, having the wiring replaced, adding a garage, making the property more wheelchair-accessible, installing security systems, removing asbestos or adding safety features such as gas detectors.
You'll receive the bonus in the form of an annual offset on income tax over ten years, or there are also credit transfer (la cessione del credito) and discount on the invoice (sconto in fattura) financing options, leaving other parties to recover the credit on your behalf. Find official information here.
Facades bonus
If your property needs work on its exterior, the bonus facciate in 2022 allows you to deduct 60 percent of the cost incurred for renovating the facades of buildings (including street-facing balconies), with no maximum spending limits.
For any work carried out in 2020 and 2021 and not claimed for, the previous higher deduction of 90 percent stands.
The main condition is that your property should be located in a town centre or other populated area, not in the middle of nowhere where no one else will see the improvements. Find the full terms here.
Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP
Ecobonus
If you carry out work to make your home more energy efficient and eco-friendly, for example by replacing your boiler with a low-carbon alternative, improving insulation, installing solar panels, fitting sun-resistant mosquito screens or even adding charging points for electric cars, you can claim between 50 and 85 percent of the expenses back.
The amount depends on the type of work you have done, and it's delivered either in the form of tax credits or via creditors or contractors who'll recover the credit on your behalf – which means that even people who aren't tax residents in Italy can benefit. Find out more here.
The so-called sisma bonus is for properties in areas of Italy classed at medium to high seismic risk (categories 1, 2 or 3). You can claim back 50 percent of the cost of making your property earthquake-safer, rising to as much as 80 percent if you can demonstrate that the final result reduced seismic risk by one or two classes and 85 percent if it involves work on shared parts of apartment buildings.
The percentage of the deduction and the rules for eligibility are different depending on the year in which works are done. Higher deductions are granted when the interventions result in a reduction of seismic risk.
The scheme also covers buildings that are demolished altogether and rebuilt. Find more details here.
Superbonus
A 'super' version of both the eco and earthquake bonuses is also available, which in certain cases could allow you to benefit from a tax deduction of up to 110 percent.
The basic principles are the same, but the government has upped the allowance on work carried out on various categories of property. To qualify for the highest deductions, the renovations have to be significant.
If you're considering adding or renovating green space, you can apply for a 36 percent tax deduction on landscaping, installing irrigation systems, building a well, creating a roof garden or other significant work on your property's outdoor areas.
The bonus verde is worth a maximum of €1,800 per property and can be claimed on more than one home in your name. Routine maintenance and upkeep of your garden does not qualify. Find all the conditions here.
Photo: Alicia Steels/Unsplash
Other home improvement bonuses
Drinking water bonus
With the bonus acqua potabile, you'll get back 50 percent of the cost of installing filtering, cooling or mineralisation systems that improve the quality of your tap water and make you less likely to buy bottled.
You can claim on expenses of up to €1,000 for individuals or €5,000 for businesses. The Budget Law 2022 has extended this until 2023. Find more details here.
Furniture and appliances bonus
The bonus mobili lets you claim a 50 percent tax deduction on the cost of furnishing a property that's under renovation – so not just if you fancy getting a new wardrobe.
It also applies to new appliances such as fridges, ovens, washing machines and electric heaters, which must be rated at least A+ for energy efficiency (or A for ovens).
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The allowance is available for purchases made by December 31st, 2024 and can only be claimed by those who carry out a building renovation that began on or after January 1st of the year preceding the year you bought the goods.
The deduction is calculated on a total amount not exceeding €10,000 for 2022 and €5,000 for 2023 and 2024 - a reduction from last year's €16,000.
The government extended its TV bonus – previously only for low-income households – to every resident in Italy, to help with the cost of replacing older sets as Italy switches its signal to DVB-T2 in June 2022 and only the latest-generation equipment will work.
In exchange for trading in a TV purchased before December 2018, you can get up to €100 off the price of a new TV or decoder, in the form of a discount applied directly at the cash register. Find more information here.
The new single allowance replaces a raft of other so-called ‘baby bonuses‘ and benefits for parents, such as the 'separated parents bonus', thereby unifying a series of measures to support families.
Due to the introduction of this bonus, previous one-off lump sum payments for expectant parents or those who have just had a baby have been scrapped.
Note that some of the previous baby bonus websites are still live, but will not allow you to claim after completing the application.
Other support still available for parents since the single allowance's introduction includes the bonus asilo nido, financial help towards the cost of kindergarten for children under three years old. The bonus is means-tested and ranges from €1,500 to €3,000 per year depending on your income.
The same amount is available for forms of support at home to cover children who cannot attend daycare due to a chronic illness.
Could the government help cover the cost of your big day? While plans put forward last year to offer brides and grooms a tax reduction on wedding expenses were rejected, the government has instead provided a pot of €60 million directly to Italy's wedding industry, which has been hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions.
However, some regions are offering their own newlywed bonus, such as Lazio, which is providing up to a maximum of €2,000 to couples planning their special day. The funds can cover expenses such as wedding outfits, catering, flowers, photographers, wedding rings and the honeymoon. Check your specific region's website - details of the Lazio Bonus Sposi can be found here.
Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP
Health bonuses
Disability bonuses
Italy offers a range of financial support for people with disabilities and their families, from tax relief on medical expenses to discounts on wheelchair-friendly vehicles and help with the cost of making your home more accessible.
You may be aware that medical expenses not covered by the public health system are tax deductible by 19 percent, but not everyone realises that sight tests, glasses, contact lenses and even lens solution are included.
Similarly, pet owners can deduct 19 percent of their vet bills from their 730 tax return if they spend between €129.11 and €550 over the year. That makes the maximum tax relief available worth around €80. Find out how to claim here.
Bonuses for low-income households
Italy reserves some benefits for low-income households, defined as those with an ISEE (Indicatore della Situazione Economica Equivalente, or Equivalent Financial Position Indicator – a way of measuring total income and assets divided by members of the household) below a certain threshold.
Utility bills bonus
Households with an ISEE below €12,000 (or €20,000 for families with four or more members) are entitled to a discount on their water, electricity and gas bills, under the the ‘Social bonus for electricity and gas.
It's calculated based on tax returns and applied automatically without the need to request it. Find more details here.
Internet bonus
This bonus provides a refund from €300 - and up to €2,500 for businesses - for the purchase of a computer or the installation of an internet connection. The internet bonus 2022 (or bonus digitalizzazione) can be claimed by the provider, who can give the discount at check-out. Find more information here.
Between 2022 and 2024, the Italian government has allocated €650 million per year for the scheme, with a maximum of €5,000 allocated for every new car bought. You can apply for the new bonus to purchase older models of petrol and diesel cars within a certain limit of CO2 emissions, as well as low-emission electric or hybrid vehicles and motorbikes.
Season passes for local, regional or interregional public transport in Italy are tax-deductible to the tune of 19 percent, up to a maximum spend of €250. Find details here.
Cultural bonuses
Culture bonus
In a drive to get teenagers into cultural activities, anyone who turns 18 this year – born in 2003 – can claim €500 from the government to spend on books, music, cinema or theatre tickets, entry to museums or heritage sites, foreign language lessons, newspaper subscriptions and more.
You have until August 31st to register on the government's 18app website, and until the end of February 2023 to spend the bonus.
Teacher bonus
Teachers can benefit from a similar €500 bonus, to be used on books, magazines, cultural events, masters courses or any other training that serves their professional development.
Make a donation to restore, maintain or support Italy's cultural heritage and you'll be able to deduct 65 percent of the amount from your tax bill over three years.
Projects you can help fund include maintaining the Roman amphitheatre in Verona, supporting the Ravello Festival on the Amalfi Coast or restoring Florence's public statues and fountains, with thousands of large and small institutions to choose from. Find details (in English) here.
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