NASpI Unemployment Benefit: You Have 68 Days — Don't Waste a Single One

In a nutshell

When you lose your job in Italy, you have 68 calendar days to apply for NASpI (Italy's unemployment benefit) through INPS (Italy's social-security agency). This deadline is absolute: miss it and you lose the entitlement entirely, with no way to recover it. There's also a finer rule worth knowing: if you apply within the first 8 days after your last day of work, payments start from day 8. Wait longer than that, and payments start from the day after you apply. Every day you delay beyond day 8 is a day's benefit you'll never see.

At a glance

Cost	Free — online at inps.it or through a patronato
Deadline	68 calendar days from termination (absolute). Apply within 7–8 days to avoid losing benefit.
First payment	1–2 months after the application. Arrears paid with the first instalment.
Documents needed	SPID/CIE/CNS, Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID), Italian IBAN, termination letter, Permesso di soggiorno (for non-EU nationals)

The 68-day deadline: how it works

The legal basis is art. 6 of D.Lgs 22/2015, which sets a forfeiture period of 68 days from the date employment ends.

Key points:

• The count uses calendar days: Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays all count.
• The termination date itself is not counted: the clock starts the day after.
• If the 68th day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday, the deadline shifts to the next working day.

A practical example: if your last day of work is 15 March, the count begins on 16 March, and the 68th day — your last valid day to apply — is 22 May.

The termination date depends on your situation:

• Dismissal: the last effective working day stated in your termination letter.
• Fixed-term contract expiry: the contract's expiry date.
• Resignation for just cause: the date the electronic resignation took effect.
• Mutual agreement to terminate: the date of the agreement.

When benefit starts: the day-8 rule

Art. 7 of D.Lgs 22/2015 determines when payments actually begin:

If you apply within 8 days of termination: NASpI starts from the eighth day after termination. Example: termination on 15 March, application on 18 March — NASpI from 23 March.

If you apply from day 9 onwards (but within the 68 days): NASpI starts from the day after you apply. Example: termination on 15 March, application on 10 April — NASpI from 11 April. The days between day 8 and your application date are lost for good, with no way to claim them back.

The practical takeaway is simple: apply as soon as possible, ideally within 7 days of termination.

When the deadline pauses

The 68-day count stops in specific circumstances:

• Compulsory maternity leave falling within the 68 days: the clock resumes at the end of maternity leave.
• Illness covered by INPS: same rule.
• Workplace accident: same rule.
• Civil or military service: clock suspended.
• Working out a notice period: the deadline runs from the actual end of employment, not from when you received the termination letter.

The deadline is not paused by holidays, work trips abroad, or undocumented personal absences.

How to apply

You have three main options:

Online at inps.it (self-service). Log in to inps.it with SPID (Italy's digital identity for accessing online public services) level 2, CIE 3.0, or CNS. Search "NASpI: domanda" in the site's internal search engine, fill in the form (much of it pre-populated by the system), enter your IBAN, and attach any required documents. At the end you receive a protocol number and a PDF receipt. Track your application status under "Consultazione domanda."

Through a Patronato (recommended if you have any doubts). This service is free. The patronato fills in and submits the application for you and follows the case through to payment. Offices in Rome:

• ACLI — Via Marcora 18, Roma — 06 5840 1 — acliroma.it
• INCA-CGIL — Via Buonarroti 51, Roma — 06 446 21 — inca.it
• ITAL-UIL — Via Po 162, Roma — 06 854761 — italuil.it
• INAS-CISL — Via Po 22, Roma — 06 8473430 — inas.it
• EPACA-Coldiretti — Via XXIV Maggio 43, Roma — 06 4682 1
• ENAS-UGL — Via delle Botteghe Oscure 54, Roma — 06 32482 25

Bring: a valid ID, Codice Fiscale, Permesso di soggiorno (if non-EU), your termination letter or end-of-contract notice, your IBAN, and recent payslips.

Via the INPS Contact Centre. Call 803 164 (free from a landline) or 06 164 164 (from a mobile, standard charges apply). An operator takes your details and submits the application.

The DID declaration: already included in your NASpI application

By submitting the NASpI application you automatically declare your availability to work (known as the DID — Dichiarazione di Immediata Disponibilità) under D.Lgs 150/2015. You don't need to do this separately.

Within 15 days of the application, however, you must sign the Patto di Servizio Personalizzato (personalised service agreement) at the Centro per l'Impiego (CPI — your local employment centre) in your municipality of residence. This commits you to taking part in active employment measures: courses, interviews, and job offers. Turning down 3 suitable job offers or failing to attend appointments without good reason results in losing your NASpI.

In Rome, CPIs are managed by Regione Lazio: see lavoro.regione.lazio.it for the updated list.

What happens after you apply

Once submitted, your application moves through various states: under review, awaiting DID/UNILAV outcome, approved, suspended (a document is missing), or rejected. Check regularly on MyINPS or the INPS Mobile app so you can respond promptly to any requests for additional documents.

The average time to first payment is 1–2 months after the application. Subsequent instalments arrive by the 10th of each month. Arrears are paid with the first instalment. Once your application is approved you can download the OBIS-M form from MyINPS: this certificate proves your benefit entitlement and is useful when dealing with banks, the Questura, and the Comune.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Leaving it too late. The 68th day is a hard wall. There are no exceptions except for serious, documented force majeure — which is extremely rare. Don't gamble.
2. Counting working days instead of calendar days. Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays all count. Double-check the calendar.
3. Applying without an IBAN in your own name. NASpI cannot be paid into a third party's account.
4. Not signing the Patto di Servizio at the CPI. Without this step your NASpI is suspended.
5. Starting a new job without telling INPS. You risk having to repay benefits already received.
6. Paying a private consultant to apply for you. The application is free via inps.it or any patronato. Be wary of anyone who charges for this service.
7. Not checking your application status. If INPS requests additional information and you don't respond, the case stays suspended indefinitely.

Special cases

Termination due to illness or maternity: the 68-day clock runs from the end of the INPS-covered illness or maternity period, not from the formal date your contract ended.

Multiple contracts ending close together: the 68 days run from the last termination that put you into unemployment status.

Workers arriving from EU countries: bring the U1/PD U1 form issued by the foreign social-security authority. The 68-day deadline runs from your last termination.

Application after 68 days: total forfeiture. No recovery. You can file an administrative appeal within 90 days or go to the Labour Court, but only if you can prove serious, documented force majeure — an extremely rare outcome.

Application with incorrect data (e.g., wrong IBAN): you can submit a correction through the INPS portal or a patronato without losing your entitlement, provided you do so within the 68 days.

Seasonal workers (tourism/agriculture): the same deadlines apply. If your contract ends in September/October, you need to apply by November/December at the latest.

Apprentices: same rules as other employees, including the 68-day deadline.

Official sources

• INPS — NASpI: monthly unemployment benefit
• INPS — NASpI online application
• Ministry of Labour — NASpI
• Normattiva — D.Lgs 22/2015
• Regione Lazio — Employment Centres
• SPID — Digital identity

Legal references: D.Lgs 4 marzo 2015 n. 22 art. 6 (deadline, 68 days) and art. 7 (benefit start date); D.Lgs 14 settembre 2015 n. 150 artt. 19–20 (DID and active labour policies); Circolare INPS n. 94/2015; Circolare INPS n. 142/2022; Messaggio INPS n. 3606/2018; Messaggio INPS n. 4717/2021.