Assegno Unico Universale: How to Claim Italy's Universal Child Benefit from INPS in 2026

In a Nutshell

The Assegno Unico e Universale (AUU) — Italy's universal child benefit — is a monthly payment made by INPS (Italy's social-security agency — pensions, unemployment, family benefits) to all families with dependent children up to age 21, with no age cap for disabled children. The amount depends on your ISEE (income-and-wealth indicator used to qualify for means-tested benefits): it ranges from roughly €57 to over €201 per child per month. It applies to everyone — employees, self-employed workers, the unemployed, and pensioners alike. Since 2022 it has replaced the old family allowances, income-tax deductions for children under 21, the baby bonus, and the birth premium.

At a Glance

Cost	Application is free (online, CAF, patronato). ISEE calculation is free online or at a CAF.
Timeline	First payment: within 60 days of your application. Subsequent payments: around the 20th–25th of each month.
Where in Rome	INPS Roma EUR (Via Ciro il Grande 21), Roma Trastevere (Viale di Trastevere 261), Roma Flaminio (Via Flaminia 339), Roma Tuscolano (Via Tuscolana 1217). By appointment only.
Documents you need	SPID/CIE/CNS, tax codes for your children, a valid ISEE, IBAN in your name, disability certificate if applicable.

Who Can Apply

The AUU covers every child from birth to age 18 with no additional conditions, and from 18 to 21 if the child is in full-time education, doing an internship earning less than €8,000 per year, registered as unemployed at a Job Centre (Centro per l'Impiego), or doing national civil service. For disabled children there is no age limit.

To apply, you must be resident and domiciled in Italy, subject to Italian taxation, and living with the child. As for nationality, the benefit is available to:

• Italian or EU citizens
• Non-EU citizens holding an EU long-term residence permit
• Holders of a single work permit for more than six months
• Holders of a research permit for more than six months
• Holders of international protection (refugee status or subsidiary protection)
• Family members of an EU citizen who do not themselves hold EU citizenship

Tourist permits, study permits of less than six months, and pending citizenship applications do not entitle you to the AUU.

How Much You Get: 2026 Amounts

Amounts are adjusted every year for inflation. For 2026:

Children under 18 (0–17 years)

ISEE	Monthly amount per child
Up to €17,227.33	€201.00
Between €17,227.33 and €45,939.56	Scales down linearly
Above €45,939.56, or no ISEE submitted	€57.50

Children aged 18–21

ISEE	Monthly amount per child
Up to €17,227.33	€97.70
Above €45,939.56, or no ISEE submitted	€28.50

Cumulative top-ups: for the third child and beyond, from €17.90 to €97.70 depending on ISEE; for mothers under 21, +€24.30 per child; if both parents are working and your ISEE is low, +€34.40; for families with four or more children, a flat +€150/month for the whole household; for severely disabled children (non-self-sufficient), +€120.60; for severe disability, +€109.10; for moderate disability, +€97.70.

A real example: a family with an ISEE of €22,000 and two children aged 8 and 14 receives roughly €162 per child, totalling €324/month (€3,888 per year). A family with an ISEE of €12,000 and three children receives around €639/month after the third-child top-up.

The AUU is not counted as income for IRPEF (Italian personal income tax) purposes and does not affect the following year's ISEE or any other welfare benefits.

How to Apply: Step by Step

Step 1 — Get Your ISEE

Before applying for the AUU you need to file a Dichiarazione Sostitutiva Unica (DSU) — the means-test declaration used to calculate your ISEE. You can do this:

• Online at INPS — Pre-filled ISEE using SPID (Italy's digital identity for accessing online public services), CIE (Italian electronic ID card), or CNS: the system already pulls in data from the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italy's tax-revenue agency), the land registry, and financial institutions (draft available within 1–7 days)
• At a CAF (free assistance offices for tax forms and benefits applications), at no charge

Bring: identity documents and Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID — your personal 16-character code, used for almost everything) for every household member, your CU (employer's earnings certificate) or tax return, bank balances as of 31/12/2024, and details of any property you own. The ISEE is valid until 31 December of the same year.

Step 2 — Submit Your Application

You file the application once for all your children. When a new child is born, you update the existing application rather than opening a new one.

Online at servizi2.inps.it/AssegnoUnicoFigli using SPID, CIE, or CNS:

1. Enter your personal details and the tax code of each child
2. Indicate any disability conditions (upload the relevant certificate)
3. Enter the IBAN of an account in your name or jointly held
4. Choose how to split the benefit with the other parent (50/50 or 100% to you)
5. Submit and save your reference number (numero di protocollo)

Alternatively, you can get free help from a Patronato (free union-run office helping with social-security and immigration paperwork) — INCA-CGIL, ITAL-UIL, INAS-CISL, ACLI, EPACA — or call the INPS freephone 803 164 (free from a landline) or 06 164 164 (from a mobile, your operator's standard rate).

Step 3 — Annual Renewal

To keep receiving the income-linked rate you must submit a new ISEE by 28 February each year. If you do so by this date, the correct amounts kick in from March with backdated adjustment. If you submit between March and June, you receive the minimum for the preceding months and then the adjustment. If you never submit an ISEE at all, you receive only the minimum (€57.50) for the entire year.

For newborns: if you apply within 120 days of birth, back-payments run from the month of birth. After 120 days, the benefit starts from the month you apply.

Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not renewing your ISEE by 28 February. From March onwards you lose the income-related top-up and revert to the minimum for the whole year. Do it in January while you have the chance.
2. Filing a separate application for each child. One application covers all children in the household. For newborns, update the existing application.
3. Reporting household changes late. Separation, a new child, or a death must be reported to INPS within 30 days, otherwise you risk receiving the wrong amount — and having to pay it back.

Special Cases

Separated or divorced parents: with shared custody, each parent receives 50%. With sole custody, the custodial parent can request 100% with the other parent's consent; otherwise the 50/50 split applies automatically.

Severely disabled children: you need the certificate under L. 104/1992 art. 3 comma 3, or the civil-disability certificate at 74–100%. There is no age limit and the disability top-ups apply. INPS will periodically ask you to renew the certification.

Adopted or fostered children: full entitlement from the moment of placement in the household, even before the final adoption order.

University students living in another region or abroad: they do not lose entitlement as long as they remain a tax dependent and are enrolled at a recognised university. Document this with an enrolment certificate and a record of exams taken.

If you move your residence abroad: you lose the AUU from the following month. Notify INPS immediately.

Official Sources

• INPS — Assegno Unico Universale (information page)
• INPS — AUU online application
• INPS — Pre-filled ISEE
• INPS — Find your local office
• Authorised Patronati — Ministry of Labour
• DLgs 230/2021 — Official Gazette

Legal references: DLgs 230/2021; Legge 197/2022 (2023 Budget Law); Legge 207/2024 (2025 Budget Law); Circolare INPS n. 23/2022; Circolare INPS n. 41/2025.