If you need help with psychotherapy costs, Italy's Bonus psicologo is an INPS contribution awarded through rankings, subject to residence and ISEE requirements. As of 28 October 2026, the official sources consulted do not confirm a new 2026 application window: check the application year before preparing a submission.
This guide separates the documented rules, the procedure used in 2025 and the financial provisions applying from 2026. You can prepare your ISEE and digital access, or understand a code already awarded to you. The 2025 dates are not deadlines for a new 2026 application.
What to know before you start
- 2026 applications
- No new window confirmed in the sources consulted on 28 October 2026
- Documented ISEE rule
- Valid ordinary or current ISEE, no higher than €50,000
- Documented limits
- €1,500, €1,000 or €500 according to ISEE; up to €50 per session
- Awards
- Territorial rankings and available funds; no automatic entitlement
- Payment
- INPS pays the participating practitioner; the beneficiary receives a code
- Use from 2025
- First session within 60 days and code usable for 270 days; check the applicable start dates
Section 1
Psychotherapy bonus 2026: what is confirmed and what is missing
The benefit is a permanent measure, but funding, an application window and a personal award are separate steps.
| Information | Position on 28 October 2026 | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility, amounts and use | Documented in the Decree of 10 July 2025 and INPS Circular 124/2025. | Use them to understand the benefit; check for changes in instructions for the new application year. |
| 15 September–14 November 2025 window | It concerns 2025 and has ended. | Do not simply replace the year with 2026. |
| Funding and administration from 2026 | Legislation provides financial and administrative rules. | These are not an opening announcement or confirmation that money is available for your application. |
| New 2026 application | No window confirmed in the sources consulted. | Wait for an official INPS announcement specifying the year, dates and applicable instructions. |
The decree requires INPS to announce the annual opening at least 30 days in advance and to allow at least 60 days for applications. This rule does not allow you to calculate 2026 dates yourself. If you already have an application, read its communications and check which year and ranking it belongs to.
- INPS — Psychotherapy bonus: service and announcements (Italian)
- INPS — Circular 124 of 11 September 2025 (Italian PDF)
- Interministerial Decree of 10 July 2025 — rules and use (Italian)
- Law 207/2024 — Article 1(344): 2026 funding (Italian)
- Law 199/2025 — Article 1(373–375): administration from 2026 (Italian)
Section 2
Who the benefit is for and who can apply
The measure supports people experiencing depression, anxiety, stress or psychological vulnerability who can benefit from psychotherapy. This guide covers the administrative requirements for the contribution.
- When the application is submitted, the beneficiary must live in Italy and have a valid ordinary or current ISEE no higher than €50,000.
- The benefit can be awarded only once per application year. An award in one year does not replace an application or checks for a later year.
- You can apply for yourself. For a minor, the 2025 instructions allow a parent exercising parental responsibility, a guardian or a foster carer under Law 184/1983 to apply.
- For a person subject to interdizione, inabilitazione or amministrazione di sostegno, the relevant guardian, curator or support administrator acts under the INPS instructions.
Do not add nationality, age or employment requirements taken from other benefits. If applicant and beneficiary are different people, check the beneficiary's tax code and your authority to represent them. For assessment of your care needs, consult a healthcare professional.
Section 3
Valid ISEE: threshold, DSU and discrepancies
ISEE means Indicatore della situazione economica equivalente, an indicator of household economic circumstances. It is not simply your salary, personal income or bank balance.
The 2025 instructions require an ordinary or current ISEE certificate that is valid on the application date and no higher than €50,000. The DSU, Dichiarazione sostitutiva unica, is the declaration used to obtain the certificate: do not assume that a newly submitted DSU automatically replaces an available ISEE. The 2025 tutorial says that, without a valid ISEE, you can leave the application as a draft while waiting for it to be acquired: a draft is not a submitted application.
For a future 2026 application, check the ISEE required by that year's instructions. Do not transfer special ISEE calculations or exclusions used for other benefits to this contribution. Ask a CAF tax-assistance centre or INPS to check household composition, children and whether a current ISEE is appropriate for your circumstances.
ISEE omissions or discrepancies: what the 2025 procedure provided
Circular 124/2025 allowed 15 days after the application window closed to resolve discrepancies. This was not 15 days from your own application and was not a general extension for people who had not applied.
- Submit a new DSU containing the corrected information.
- Provide suitable documentation showing that the declared information is complete and accurate.
- Have the CAF correct the DSU with retroactive effect only where that CAF had made a clerical error.
If an omission or discrepancy remained after the deadline, the application could not be processed for payment. For 2026, wait for the implementing instructions: do not invent a correction deadline using the 2025 calendar.
Section 4
How much it covers: ISEE bands and the session limit
These are the maximum amounts documented in the 2025 decree. An award depends on the band, admission and funding: it is not an unlimited reimbursement of costs.
| ISEE | Maximum contribution | Limit per session |
|---|---|---|
| Below €15,000 | €1,500 | Up to €50 |
| From €15,000 to €30,000, both inclusive | €1,000 | Up to €50 |
| Above €30,000 and up to €50,000 inclusive | €500 | Up to €50 |
| Above €50,000 | Outside the documented financial requirement | No amount provided by these bands |
INPS pays the participating practitioner directly. You do not receive money in your account to spend freely; each session reduces the code's balance.
Illustrative example: an ISEE of €15,000 falls in the band with a maximum of €1,000, not €1,500. If a session costs €70 and the code has enough balance, the contribution can cover up to €50; the €20 difference is for you to agree and pay to the practitioner. Ask about the price before booking.
The maximum does not guarantee a particular number of sessions or full coverage of your treatment. Before relying on the contribution for a new application year, check whether the instructions have changed the amounts or procedure.
Section 5
Rankings and funding: why eligibility is not enough
Lower ISEE values take priority; submission time matters when ISEE values are equal. Rankings are separate for each Region and Autonomous Province of residence.
After applications close, INPS completes its checks and announces the rankings in a message. You can view your outcome in the application service under «Ricevute e provvedimenti»; notifications also use the mobile number or email address provided. An application recorded by the system is not necessarily funded.
Circular 124/2025 and Message 3708/2025 document a combined €21.5 million from the 2024 and 2025 financial allocations used for the 2025 procedure. This is not the budget for 2026 applications.
| Provision | What it establishes | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Law 207/2024, Article 1(344) | An overall spending limit of €8.5 million for 2026. | It does not announce an opening, a calendar or the remaining funds for an individual territory. |
| Law 199/2025, Article 1(373–375) | From 2026, funds are transferred to INPS while territorial allocation remains; €200,000 annually for the platform and support is charged to the bonus resources. | The €200,000 is not an extra payment to beneficiaries or additional money outside the fund. |
From 2025, failure to attend the first session within 60 days leads to loss of the award and the rules provide for one reallocation round only. A waiting-list position does not guarantee later funding: check the decision and any reallocation messages for your application year. This guide does not confirm remaining funds, new rankings or your personal position.
- INPS — Circular 124 of 11 September 2025 (Italian PDF)
- INPS — Message 3708 of 5 December 2025: rankings (Italian PDF)
- Interministerial Decree of 10 July 2025 — rules and use (Italian)
- Law 207/2024 — Article 1(344): 2026 funding (Italian)
- Law 199/2025 — Article 1(373–375): administration from 2026 (Italian)
Section 6
Information and documents to prepare
You can prepare while the 2026 calendar is still unavailable. This list distinguishes information needed for checks from any attachments requested by the service.
- Working personal digital identification: the 2025 circular lists SPID level 2 or higher, CIE 3.0, CNS and eIDAS.
- The beneficiary's personal details, tax code and residence; check that they match the information used by INPS.
- The appropriate ISEE certificate, valid on the submission date; check the value, household and any omissions or discrepancies.
- Up-to-date contact details for notifications: the 2025 tutorial requires an email or PEC address. Keep access available so you can read receipts and decisions again.
- If you act for someone else, the beneficiary's details and information establishing your status as parent, guardian, foster carer, curator or support administrator, as applicable. For representatives other than a parent, the 2025 tutorial asks for details of the appointment decision.
- After submission: a copy of the application, receipt and reference number. After acceptance: the award decision, code, amount and deadlines for the application.
The 2025 instructions require you to declare that you meet the requirements under your own responsibility. This list does not impose a medical attachment or a blanket document-upload requirement: follow the actual requests in the official service. Do not send diagnoses, certificates, ISEE documents or your bonus code to Percorso Cittadino.
Section 7
How the INPS application works: the documented 2025 procedure
The steps below describe the channel already documented. A new 2026 submission first requires an official window and instructions for that application year.
Check the year and announcement
Open the official INPS service page. In 2025 the service was «Contributo sessioni psicoterapia domande 2025», available through «Punto d'accesso alle prestazioni non pensionistiche». Do not use a different year's procedure to submit a 2026 application early.
Sign in and check the details
Use an accepted digital identity and check the beneficiary, valid ISEE, residence and any representation details. Do not share passwords, PINs or one-time codes with someone helping you.
Complete the declarations and submit
Declare eligibility under your own responsibility, check your contact details and submit within the official deadline. The 2025 instructions treat late applications or those missing required declarations as inadmissible.
Keep the receipt and monitor the outcome
Check that the application has been recorded. A draft is not a submission; submission does not guarantee admission. Return to the service for communications, discrepancies and the decision.
Circular 124/2025 also lists the INPS Contact Center: 803 164 from an Italian landline, free of charge; 06 164 164 from a mobile, charged at your provider's rate. Do not assume that channels available for other benefits also apply here; for 2026, check those actually authorised.
Section 8
How to find a participating practitioner
The bonus covers sessions with private specialists listed as psychotherapists within the professional register of psychologists who have joined the initiative through CNOP.
Consult the INPS list
After admission, check the participating-practitioner list in your personal area. The 2025 tutorial allows searches across Italy and the choice of different participating practitioners. Professional registration alone does not establish participation in the bonus.
Agree availability and cost
Check that the practitioner can handle your code and hold the first session within your deadline. Ask how much the bonus will cover and what difference, if any, you must pay.
Use the code through the required process
Give your chosen practitioner the unique code and the beneficiary's tax code, which are needed for the procedure. Do not publish them or share them in searches, chats or unnecessary messages.
If your practitioner is not participating, do not assume that their invoice can be reimbursed to you. Check participation through the official channel before incurring a cost in reliance on the contribution. Percorso Cittadino does not select your practitioner or assess treatment choices.
Section 9
Code, sessions and balance: how to use the contribution
The 2025 instructions require a first session attended and confirmed within 60 days and use of the code within 270 days. These have different start points: check those applying to your own award.
The acceptance decision states the amount and the unique 12-character code. The code allows you to draw down the contribution with participating practitioners.
| Documented limit | Start point | Practical check |
|---|---|---|
| First session within 60 days | Notification that the application has been accepted, under the rule introduced from 2025. | The session must take place and be promptly confirmed by the practitioner within the deadline: a booking is not enough. |
| Use the code within 270 days | Publication of the INPS message announcing completed rankings and award decisions, under Circular 124/2025. | Check the deadline communicated for your application year and any reallocation decision. |
For the 2025 procedure, INPS Message 3708 of 5 December 2025 set that date as the start of both the 60-day and 270-day periods. It is a historical reference for the 2025 procedure, not a deadline or calculation for 2026 applications.
Booking in the system
The practitioner uses the code and tax code, checks the balance and records the session date and amount. INPS notifies the beneficiary of the booking; the decree allows you to cancel it.
Session and confirmation
After the service, the practitioner issues an invoice in the beneficiary's name including the code and records the required information. The first session must be confirmed within the 60 days: check this step with the practitioner.
Check the remaining balance
INPS notifies you of the amount used and the balance remaining. Check dates and amounts; keep invoices and communications without confusing the balance with money paid into your bank account.
Section 10
Loss of an award, expired codes and inadmissible applications
From 2025, without a first session attended and confirmed by the practitioner within 60 days of acceptance, you lose the award. After 270 days the code is cancelled: check your own start dates.
Read the official reason: not receiving funding because resources are insufficient differs from losing a contribution already awarded.
| Situation | Consequence | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| No first session within 60 days | Loss of the award from 2025; the practitioner must confirm the first session within the deadline. | Do not leave it until the final days and check confirmation as well as the booking. |
| 270 days have elapsed | Automatic cancellation of the code. | Do not assume you can use the remaining balance after expiry or transfer it to the new year. |
| Late application or missing required declarations | Inadmissibility under the 2025 procedure. | Read the decision and ask INPS for clarification; an assistance request is not a timely application. |
| ISEE omissions or discrepancies not resolved in time | The application cannot be processed for payment under the 2025 instructions. | Check the details, communications and remedies stated in the decision with a CAF or INPS. |
| Requirements met but funding insufficient | Application not funded according to the ranking. | Check for official reallocation announcements without treating them as guaranteed. |
This guide does not document a general extension or automatic recovery of an expired code. If there is an error, a missing entry or a dispute, keep the communications and ask INPS and the practitioner to check. Do not invent dates or sessions to avoid losing the benefit.
Section 11
Common obstacles: what to check first
Start with the stage where your application has stopped and use the appropriate support channel.
| Problem | Check | Useful next step |
|---|---|---|
| You can only find «domande 2025» | The year on the service page and the announcement date. | Do not infer a 2026 opening: look for an explicit INPS announcement. |
| You cannot sign in | Whether SPID, CIE or another accepted identity is working. | Use your identity provider's support or INPS; do not send one-time codes to third parties. |
| ISEE is incorrect or unavailable | The certificate, validity and any discrepancies. | Contact a CAF or INPS before relying on an incorrect value. |
| The outcome or amount is unclear | Receipts and decisions for the correct application. | Ask INPS for an explanation using the application reference. |
| The first session does not appear confirmed | The session date and its status in the procedure, with the practitioner. | Report the problem promptly: an invoice or booking alone does not prove confirmation in the system. |
| Someone promises a guaranteed bonus in exchange for data | The domain, channel and content of the request. | Open the INPS website directly; do not hand credentials, medical documents or your code to unknown intermediaries. |
Section 12
Reusable checklist: preparing and using the benefit
Use this list to distinguish a new application from a benefit already awarded.
Before a new application
- I have checked an official opening for the correct application year; I do not use the 2025 dates for 2026.
- I have checked residence, a valid ISEE and who the application beneficiary is.
- My digital access works and my contact details are current.
- I know the submission deadline and any instructions for correcting discrepancies.
- After submission, I keep the receipt and reference number without assuming acceptance.
After acceptance
- I have read the amount, code and start dates in my own award decision.
- I have found a participating practitioner and agreed the cost and any share I must pay.
- The first session is arranged in time to take place and be confirmed within the applicable 60 days.
- I check the balance and the 270-day limit; cancelling or rebooking does not automatically create an extension.
- I keep invoices and communications without sharing medical information or credentials with the information website.
Section 13
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to read alongside the relevant application year and decision.
Are applications for the 2026 psychotherapy bonus open?
As of 28 October 2026, the official sources consulted do not confirm a new application window for 2026. The INPS service page still shows 15 September–14 November 2025. Check for an INPS announcement expressly concerning 2026: allocated funding does not mean that applications are open.
Which band applies to an ISEE of €15,000, €30,000 or €50,000?
Under the documented rules, both €15,000 and €30,000 fall in the band with a €1,000 maximum; €50,000 falls in the band with a €500 maximum. The €1,500 maximum applies to an ISEE below €15,000. Other requirements, a valid application and funding through the ranking still apply.
Does a low ISEE guarantee the contribution?
No. INPS draws up rankings by Region and Autonomous Province, prioritising lower ISEE values and, for equal values, earlier applications. Awards depend on the resources available for the territory: meeting the requirements does not guarantee funding.
Does INPS pay the bonus into my bank account?
No. The documented instructions provide a code for the beneficiary and direct payment to the participating practitioner, up to €50 per session and within the awarded balance. It is not a personal cash payment that you can spend freely.
Can I choose any psychologist?
You must choose a participating private practitioner listed as a psychotherapist within the professional register of psychologists. Beneficiaries can consult the participating-practitioner list in their personal INPS area. Check participation before booking a session on the assumption that the bonus will cover it.
Is booking a session within 60 days enough?
No. From the 2025 edition, you must attend at least one session within 60 days of the acceptance notification; the practitioner must also confirm it in the system within that period. A booking alone is not an attended and confirmed session.
When does the 270-day period start?
Circular 124/2025 links the 270 days to publication of the INPS message announcing completed rankings and award decisions. For the 2025 procedure, Message 3708 set the start date at 5 December 2025. Do not transfer that date to 2026; check the deadline for your own application.
Can an application be made for a child?
The 2025 instructions allow a parent exercising parental responsibility, a guardian or an eligible foster carer to apply for a minor. The applicant and beneficiary may be different people: check the beneficiary's details and your authority to represent them.
Section 14
Sources, application years and verification limits
The sources distinguish rules, operating instructions and funding. Consultation does not include access to your personal account or an assessment of individual entitlement.
- INPS — Psychotherapy bonus: service and announcements (Italian)Recipients, eligibility, applications, ISEE bands, rankings and code passages read. The page, updated on 3 December 2025, lists the 15 September–14 November 2025 window. Does not confirm a 2026 window. The consultation date does not change the year covered by the instructions. No personal application accessed. Relevant passages consulted on 2026-10-28.
- INPS — Circular 124 of 11 September 2025 (Italian PDF)Sections 1–8 read: eligibility, Trento, amounts, representatives, channels, ISEE corrections, rankings, first session and payments to practitioners. Instructions for the 2025 edition. Trento's exclusion, the window and correction deadlines are not automatically extended to 2026. Funding transfers must be read alongside later Law 199/2025. Relevant passages consulted on 2026-10-28.
- Interministerial Decree of 10 July 2025 — rules and use (Italian)Preamble and relevant Articles 1–8 and 11 read: 2024/2025 resources, eligibility, practitioners, ISEE bands, annual announcement, rankings, 270/60 days, code and personal data. The decree requires an annual INPS announcement, not recurring fixed dates. Read it with INPS implementing acts and subsequent budget laws; the annex allocates 2024/2025 resources. Relevant passages consulted on 2026-10-28.
- INPS — Message 3708 of 5 December 2025: rankings (Italian PDF)Full text read: territorial 2025 rankings, combined 2024/2025 funding of €21.5 million, time limits running from 5 December 2025 and first session to be attended and confirmed within 60 days. Concerns initial rankings for the 2025 edition: it is not a 2026 opening, new 2026 funding or evidence that an individual code is currently valid. Relevant passages consulted on 2026-10-28.
- INPS — Citizen tutorial, 2025 application (Italian PDF)PDF instructions read: representation, personal details, email/PEC, ISEE, declarations and receipt; sessions, practitioner list, balance and appointment cancellation. The tutorial is in Italian although its URL contains /en/. It illustrates the 2025 procedure, not a confirmed 2026 workflow or an authenticated platform test. Relevant passages consulted on 2026-10-28.
- Law 207/2024 — Article 1(344): 2026 funding (Italian)Paragraph 344 read: overall ceiling of €8.5 million for 2026, €9 million for 2027 and €8 million annually from 2028. A statutory spending ceiling, not evidence of an application opening, operational 2026 allocation, payment or individual availability. Relevant passages consulted on 2026-10-28.
- Law 199/2025 — Article 1(373–375): administration from 2026 (Italian)Paragraphs 373–375 read: from 2026, €200,000 annually to INPS for its platform and user support, charged to the fund; resources transferred to INPS while territorial allocation remains. Enacted provisions, distinct from implementing instructions for a new application: they do not set a 2026 window. Relevant passages consulted on 2026-10-28.
Access attempts without verified content: the following links record a consultation limitation and are not used to substantiate requirements or an application opening.
- Ministry of Health — Bonus psicologo page (Italian)Direct access attempted on 28 October 2026 was blocked by the website's validation service. Indexed results are not treated as a new full check. The ministerial decree was read in the Official Gazette.
- Normattiva — Decree-Law 228/2021, Article 1-quater (Italian)The specific consolidated article could not be read during the 28 October 2026 check. The provisions discussed are supported by the Official Gazette texts and INPS acts listed above; no full reading of the current Normattiva text is claimed.
The check on 28 October 2026 does not confirm a new 2026 application window. Before making a new submission, check INPS and any later provisions again. The 2025 procedure's dates remain historical references; read your personal deadlines in the communications for your application.