ISEE Explained: Italy's Means-Test Score and Why You Need One

In a Nutshell

ISEE (Indicatore della Situazione Economica Equivalente — Italy's income-and-wealth indicator used to qualify for means-tested benefits) is a single number that captures your household's overall economic position. It's the key to accessing government bonuses, subsidised services, and social support: free nursery school, reduced school meals, discounted utility bills, the universal child benefit, university scholarships, and much more. It's free to obtain, valid for one year, and you can either get it done at a CAF (free government-authorised assistance office) or do it yourself online using SPID (Italy's digital identity for accessing online public services).

At a Glance

Cost	Free at a CAF or online via INPS
Processing time	10–15 working days from submitting the DSU
Where in Rome	CAF ACLI, CGIL, CISL, UIL, CNA — offices across all Municipi
Documents needed	ID documents, 730/CU tax forms, bank balances as of 31 December, land-registry records (for every household member)

How the Calculation Works

ISEE is not simply your income. It's a composite indicator built on three elements:

• Income of all household members (from two years prior — if you apply in 2026, your 2024 income counts)
• Financial assets: bank accounts, savings books, shares, investment funds, government bonds (BTPs) — balances as of 31 December two years prior
• Real estate: houses and land, valued using the official land-registry (catastale) figure

The raw total is then divided by an equivalence scale that accounts for household size. A family of four with the same income as a single person will end up with a lower ISEE, because living costs are shared across more people.

Your ISEE household (nucleo familiare) includes you, your spouse (even if not cohabiting, unless legally separated), minor children living with you, adult children under 26 who are tax dependants under IRPEF rules, and any other cohabiting persons on your household registration certificate (stato di famiglia).

What the ISEE Unlocks: Main Benefits in 2026

ISEE is the gateway to almost every subsidised social benefit in Italy. Without a valid ISEE, many applications are rejected automatically.

Here are the main benefits tied to your ISEE score in 2026:

• Assegno Unico Universale (universal child benefit for dependent children up to age 21 — full amount with ISEE ≤ €17,227.33)
• Assegno di Inclusione (the replacement for the old Reddito di Cittadinanza, for households with ISEE ≤ €10,140)
• Supporto Formazione e Lavoro (employment-and-training support, ISEE ≤ €6,000)
• Utility bill discounts for electricity, gas, and water (automatic with ISEE ≤ €9,530)
• Municipal nursery school at reduced or zero cost
• School canteen at reduced rates
• School and university scholarships
• Exemption from co-payments (ticket sanitario) for healthcare — codes E01, E02, E03, E04
• University tuition exemption (no-tax area with ISEE ≤ €22,000)
• Nursery bonus (maximum amount with ISEE ≤ €25,000)
• Carta Dedicata a te (a government-loaded spending card, ISEE ≤ €15,000)
• Public housing (edilizia residenziale pubblica) — ATER and Comune di Roma properties

Foreign residents in Italy with a valid permesso di soggiorno (residence permit for non-EU citizens) and a Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID — your personal 16-character code used for almost everything) are entitled to apply for ISEE and access these benefits.

Three Ways to Get Your ISEE

Through a CAF (Simplest Option)

Book an appointment at any CAF — ACLI, CGIL, CISL, UIL, CNA are all free for ISEE work. Bring documents for every household member (see our dedicated documents checklist for a full list). The operator fills in the DSU (Dichiarazione Sostitutiva Unica — the self-declaration form at the heart of the ISEE application) and submits it electronically to INPS (Italy's social-security agency — pensions, unemployment, family benefits). You'll receive your ISEE certificate as a PDF within 10–15 working days.

Online with SPID or CIE (Do It Yourself)

Log into servizi2.inps.it/servizi/Iseeriforma/Home.aspx using SPID, CIE (Italian electronic ID card), or CNS. Choose "DSU Precompilata" (pre-filled declaration): INPS will have already loaded your income data, bank balances, and land-registry information. Review everything, fill in anything that's missing, have every adult household member confirm the form with their own SPID, then submit. The ISEE certificate appears in your MyINPS personal area within a few days.

ISEE Corrente (If Your Situation Has Worsened)

If during the year you lose your job, close your Partita IVA (Italian VAT number — required to invoice as self-employed), or your income drops by more than 25% compared to your ordinary ISEE, you can apply for the ISEE corrente (current ISEE). This updates the income data to the past 12 months — or the past 2 months for employment income or pension. It's valid for 6 months from submission and requires a standard ISEE already on file.

Where to Go in Rome

All of the following CAFs provide the ISEE service for free and have offices across every Municipio (Rome's 15 administrative districts):

• CAF ACLI Roma — offices in all Municipi; book online at cafacli.it or call 06 58330470
• CAF CGIL Lazio — Via Buonarroti 51, Rome; cafcgillazio.it, tel. 06 4620361
• CAF CISL Roma Capitale Rieti — Via Po 162, Rome; cafcisl.it, tel. 06 84409100
• CAF UIL Lazio — Via Cavour 108, Rome; cafuil.it, tel. 06 4870125
• CAF CNA — Via Antonio Ciamarra 23, Rome; cafcna.it, tel. 06 570151

For technical problems with your DSU or disputes, contact INPS: freephone 803 164 (landline only) or 06 164 164 (from a mobile).

Mistakes to Avoid

1. Letting your ISEE expire. Renewal is required every year, from January onwards. If your certificate expires on 31 December and you don't renew it immediately, your Assegno Unico payments, nursery fees, and school-meal subsidies are suspended automatically. Don't wait until March — do it in January.

2. Failing to declare all bank accounts. INPS cross-checks your DSU against the Anagrafe Tributaria (Italy's central tax database). If any account is missing — even an empty or dormant one — the DSU gets rejected and you lose your benefits. Check every account held or jointly held by each household member.

3. Paying to get your ISEE done. The service is free at authorised CAFs. Be wary of anyone charging €50–100 to fill in the DSU: you don't owe them a cent. Also avoid anyone promising a "guaranteed low ISEE" for a fee: falsifying a public document carries criminal penalties.

Special Cases

Non-cohabiting parents (separated or never married). The parent who doesn't live with the child is still counted as an additional member of the child's ISEE household, except in specific exclusion cases (new marriage, children with another partner, court order). Their income and assets must be included.

University student living away from home. Up to age 26 and as long as they remain a tax dependant under IRPEF (income below €4,000), the student stays in the parents' household for ISEE purposes. University-specific ISEE rules (ISEE Università) apply, as set by the MIUR (Ministry of Education).

People with disabilities. A separate ISEE socio-sanitario exists for residential care facilities (RSA), home-care services, and disability-aid grants. Bring the certificate issued under Law 104/1992 or your civil-disability assessment.

Foreign residents in Italy for less than two years. Only income produced in Italy goes into the DSU. If your spouse lives abroad, they must still be included in the household, unless you are legally separated.

Official Sources

• INPS — ISEE post riforma 2015
• INPS — DSU precompilata
• Ministero Lavoro — ISEE
• Agenzia delle Entrate — ISEE
• CAF ACLI
• CAF CGIL Lazio
• CAF CISL
• CAF UIL

Legal references: DPCM 5/12/2013 n. 159 (ISEE Regulation), DM Lavoro 7/11/2014, Circolare INPS n. 171/2014, DL 201/2011 art. 5, Legge 197/2022 (Assegno Unico), DL 48/2023 (Assegno di Inclusione).