Unpaid Inclusion Allowance to 400 Thousand Families: Here’s Why

Understanding the Inclusion Allowance and the Changes from the Citizenship Income

On the upcoming weekend, the Inclusion Allowance will be disbursed to about 600 thousand families, slightly more than 1 million individuals according to the latest INPS (National Social Security Institute) report.
These figures, however, are significantly lower than those pertaining to the Citizenship Income program, where prior to the tightening introduced by the government, over 900 thousand families were beneficiaries.

The Transition Challenges and the Current Scenario

The shift from the Citizenship Income to the Inclusion Allowance was expected to bring about challenges.
The government’s aim was to target only the families genuinely in need of support, excluding those capable of entering the job market.
This led to more stringent criteria and consequently a significant number of rejected applications, almost half of those submitted.

As a matter of fact, this month, the Inclusion Allowance will not be paid to 400 thousand families, precisely the number of applications declined by INPS, highlighting the restrictive prerequisites in place.

Today, the recipients of the Inclusion Allowance amount to just under 600 thousand families, with a majority being elderly individuals living alone, elderly couples, or families with disabled children.
This contrasts sharply with the figures from the Citizenship Income program, where in 2024, 1,367,846 households received support.

Evolution of Support Measures and Challenges Faced

Despite the reduction in the number of beneficiaries, there is an increase in the average amount received through the Inclusion Allowance, reaching 607 euros per month compared to the previous 560 euros under the Citizenship Income.
This adheres to the intentions expressed by Giorgia Meloni to provide more substantial aid to those truly in need.

However, almost half a million families find themselves excluded from the Inclusion Allowance scheme.
For these cases, an alternative is the ‘Support for Training and Employment,’ offering 350 euros per month for individuals aged between 18 and 59 participating in training and job orientation programs for a maximum of 12 months.

The reasons behind the high number of rejections are multifaceted.
Changes in eligibility criteria have undoubtedly played a role, leading to misunderstandings among some applicants.
Additionally, new regulations regarding non-cohabitating children being considered as dependents have further decreased the pool of beneficiaries, as well as communication challenges between social and healthcare services and INPS.