On Cassa Integrazione and Found Another Job? You Can Take It — But Tell INPS First

In a nutshell

Being on Cassa Integrazione (CIG / CIGO / CIGS) (state-funded temporary wage support when a company suspends or reduces work) at zero hours does not prevent you from looking for and accepting other work — including fixed-term or part-time roles. Italian law allows it. There is, however, one non-negotiable rule: you must notify INPS (Italy's social-security agency — pensions, unemployment, family benefits) before you start, not after. Fail to do that and you forfeit all your CIG payments and must repay everything you have already received.

At a glance

Cost	Free — no charge for notifying INPS.
Timeline	Advance notice: mandatory before your first actual day of work.
How to reach INPS in Rome	Online at inps.it, INPS Mobile app, free Patronato offices, INPS contact centre.
Information you need	New employer's details, contract type, start date, expected pay.

What happens to your CIG when you work elsewhere

When you accept a new job, the CIG is not cancelled for good — it is suspended for the days you work. INPS does not pay you the benefit for those days; your new employer pays your wages instead. When the fixed-term contract ends before your CIG entitlement runs out, the benefit resumes automatically.

The exact mechanics depend on the type of contract you accept:

• Fixed-term contract shorter than or equal to your remaining CIG: CIG is suspended, then resumes. Compatible.
• Fixed-term contract longer than your remaining CIG: the CIG lapses entirely. You effectively give up the remaining entitlement.
• Open-ended (permanent) contract: incompatible. Accepting a permanent job cancels the CIG completely. You will also need to come to an arrangement with your original employer.
• Part-time contract: compatible, provided the hours in the new role are fewer than the hours not worked under CIG. You receive the new employer's wages plus reduced CIG for the uncovered hours.
• Self-employed or occasional work: compatible with advance notification. You are not entitled to CIG for the days you work on your own account. You must also declare your expected self-employment income.

The advance notification: how to do it

This notification is not a formality — it is a legal obligation. It must reach INPS before your first day of actual work. Signing the contract is not the trigger; the trigger is when you physically show up to work.

You have four ways to send it:

1. Online at inps.it — Log in with SPID, CIE, or CNS. Find the section "Comunicazione svolgimento attività lavorativa durante CIG/Fondi/NASpI" and fill in the form with the new employer's details, contract type, start date, hours, and expected pay.
2. INPS Mobile app (iOS/Android) — use the "Comunicazioni" section.
3. Free Patronato office (Patronato — free union-run office helping with social-security and immigration paperwork: ACLI, INCA-CGIL, ITAL-UIL, INAS-CISL) — the office submits on your behalf at no cost.
4. INPS contact centre — 803 164 from a landline (free) or 06 164 164 from a mobile.

If during the new job the hours, pay, or end date change, you must notify INPS of the variation within 5 days.

How your payments are calculated

For every day you work at the new job, the CIG drops to zero. The logic is simple: if your new wages equal or exceed the CIG amount, INPS pays nothing for those days. If the new wages are lower, you receive only the difference.

A concrete example: you are on CIGS at zero hours, receiving €1,401 per month in wage support. You find a part-time role paying €700 per month for three months. You notify INPS in advance. Result: you receive €700 from the new employer and INPS tops up for the uncovered hours. After the three months, the CIG resumes.

A second example: same starting position, but the new contract runs for four months and only three months of CIG entitlement remain. In this case the CIG lapses entirely because the new contract outlasts the remaining benefit.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Not notifying because "it's only a few days". There is no minimum threshold. Even a single unreported day of work triggers forfeiture of the entire CIG and an obligation to repay everything received from that point on.
2. Working cash-in-hand. INPS cross-checks against the mandatory employment notifications (UNILAV — the mandatory employment-start form) that your new employer files with the employment centre (Centro per l'Impiego). If you are hired on a regular contract, INPS finds out. Working without a contract exposes you to forfeiture, an administrative fine, and — in serious cases — a criminal complaint for fraudulent receipt of benefits.
3. Not reading your new contract. Some contracts contain exclusivity clauses prohibiting simultaneous employment relationships. Read before you sign.
4. Forgetting to notify INPS when the new job ends. When the fixed-term contract expires, you must inform INPS within 5 days. If you don't, the CIG does not restart and you lose the monthly payments you were entitled to.

Special cases

You are a foreign national with a work-based residence permit? Both the CIG job and the new fixed-term contract count towards your permit renewal. The CIG benefit and the new wages both appear on your annual Certificazione Unica (tax certificate). For the income requirements of the renewal, see the guide on CIG and the residence permit.

You are an apprentice on CIG? Trainee apprentices (apprendisti professionalizzanti) can also accept a fixed-term contract during CIG, under the same advance-notification rules.

You have accepted a permanent job and the CIG has lapsed? If the new permanent contract causes the CIG to lapse, you can notify the Questura (police headquarters — also issues residence permits) within 60 days to update your permesso di soggiorno to reflect the new employer.

Do you need the employment centre? Registering with the Centro per l'Impiego (CPI) is not compulsory while on CIG (unlike with NASpI — Italy's unemployment benefit). You can, however, register voluntarily to access job listings and training courses. Exception: for CIGS schemes lasting more than 12 months, some collective agreements require you to sign a personalised service agreement (patto di servizio personalizzato) with the CPI.

Where to get help in Rome

If you are unsure about your specific situation, the safest move is to contact a free Patronato office:

• ACLI Roma — Via Marcora 18-20, tel. 06 5840501
• INCA-CGIL Roma — Via Buonarroti 51, tel. 06 4673.1
• ITAL-UIL Lazio — Via Boncompagni 19, tel. 06 47207.1
• INAS-CISL Roma — Via Pio IV 35, tel. 06 5036.1

You can also contact INPS directly: contact centre 803 164 (free from a landline) or 06 164 164 from a mobile. In-person appointments at INPS offices must be booked in advance at inps.it.

Official sources

• INPS — Ordinary Wage Support (CIGO)
• INPS — Notification of work activity during CIG
• INPS Circular no. 130/2010
• INPS Message no. 3160/2018
• Ministry of Labour — Social safety nets
• Normattiva — D.Lgs. 148/2015
• Lazio Region — Lazio Lavoro (employment centres)

Legal references: D.Lgs. 148/2015 art. 8 and art. 25-ter; INPS Circular no. 130/2010; INPS Circular no. 197/2015; INPS Message no. 3160/2018; INPS Message no. 2272/2020.