Assegno unico: Italy's single and universal allowance

If you work in Italy without living there, read the cross-border route first. Your application is linked to the period worked and requires annual renewal.

For AUU, dependent-child status starts with ISEE household rules; it does not always mean tax dependency. Children living in another EU country have a specific extension for AUU purposes, which does not automatically change the ISEE household.

Check household membership separately. An adult child living with a parent belongs to that parent's household regardless of tax dependency. A child living elsewhere is included in the parents' household only under the relevant ISEE tax-dependency rules and if unmarried and without children; convivenza anagrafica has a different rule. Do not confuse these checks with the internship/work income threshold.

Update the child record at age 18 with the actual qualifying condition. An adult child can apply instead of the parents for their share, normally belonging to the ISEE household of one of them. Specific rules apply to children orphaned of both parents and legal representation: discuss section 4.1 of Circular 81 with INPS.

The former additional condition of two years' residence or an employment contract lasting at least six months, in Article 3(d), was repealed in 2026. Do not copy it from old manuals. The period exceeding six months required for certain permits is a separate check still present in point (a).

The applicant must be authorised to claim: usually a parent exercising parental responsibility, even if not living with the child. Foster carers, guardians, amministratori di sostegno and curatori act within their legal authority. For international protection, other permits or unusual circumstances, show INPS or a patronato the exact document; the generic word 'permit' is not enough.

From March 2026, AUU uses ISEE per specifiche prestazioni familiari e per l'inclusione. January and February 2026 instead use the ISEE valid on 31 December 2025. The new indicator covers only the benefits specified by law; do not automatically apply it to utility social bonuses.

Submit the 2026 DSU and check that it has been correctly assessed for the child and appropriate household. Under-18s follow ISEE minorenni rules, including a non-cohabiting parent where relevant; adult children follow ordinary household rules. The new family-benefit calculation does not remove these distinctions.

You can apply without valid ISEE if you meet the other conditions. INPS applies the minimum base, as it does above the highest ISEE band. ISEE is not submitted as an AUU application: check the assessment acquired and your case details, without duplicating the allowance application.

The simulator gives an estimate based on your inputs. It does not check INPS records, award entitlement or submit an application. Use it to compare data with the table, then check the actual decision.

Between the two thresholds, the base falls according to the annex's bands; it does not immediately drop to the minimum. The final band, €46,466.27–€46,582.71, already gives the minimum bases. Thresholds apply to the ISEE relevant to AUU after the required adjustment.

Not every family receives every increase. Child-related, parent-related and household-size increases have their own conditions and allocation rules; consult section 5.3 of Circular 81. The 2026 uprating is 1.4%; do not treat former transitional increases as still payable.

Illustration: with a €203.80 base and a child under one, the 50% increase alone is €101.90, giving a €305.70 subtotal. This excludes other increases, sharing between parents and adjustments; it is not an estimate of your payment.

Distinguish the details you must declare from attachments requested by the service or local office. Do not send documents, tax codes, IBANs or credentials to Percorso Cittadino or the Civic Assistant.

You can use an Istituto di patronato or the INPS Contact Center: 803 164 from an Italian landline, free; 06 164 164 from a mobile, charged at your operator's rate. A CAF assists with the DSU; for AUU applications check the patronato channel specified by INPS. Button labels may change from those in the manual.

After a birth, add the child as soon as you have the codice fiscale: make a first application if you have none, or add a child record to the existing case. For births while already receiving AUU, Article 6 requires notification within 120 days of birth and provides entitlement from the seventh month of pregnancy. Do not wait for the DSU alone or the June deadline to add the child.

For adoption and fostering, enter the child under the relevant legal arrangement and event date, with the required order. Do not automatically apply the newborn rule starting from the seventh month of pregnancy. Temporary fostering has specific ISEE household options explained in Circular 81; discuss them with a CAF and INPS.

Check the updated DSU and age/household-size increases too. Bonus nuovi nati is a different benefit requiring a separate application.

AUU can be paid entirely to the applicant parent or split equally between parents according to the application, agreements and orders. Shared custody allows a request for a 50/50 split; an agreement can provide for 100% to one parent. With sole custody or a specific court order, the other parent cannot freely change the split.

The second parent can complete their payment details in the service using their own credentials. The INPS page says the second parent's share starts in the month after INPS is notified of the 50/50 choice. For intermediary applications, Circular 81 reserves allocation changes to the appointed intermediary; contact the patronato handling the case.

An account, savings account or card with an IBAN must be held or jointly held by the recipient and able to receive transfers. Foreign SEPA accounts are also contemplated, with supporting documents where requested. IBAN management is integrated with SUGI. Guardians can also specify an account held/jointly held by the person they represent.

Bonifico domiciliato is a separate payment method. The INPS notice of 8 May describes blocked cash payments above €1,000, requiring an account with an IBAN. For separation, custody or disagreement, show the order to INPS/a patronato; this guide does not interpret your personal court arrangements.

Illustrations: an ordinary first application submitted on 20 October 2026 starts from November, if eligible. For an already accepted application, a first 2026 DSU submitted in October can affect the amount from October without creating retroactive March entitlement. The actual payment may arrive later.

Births, correcting a DSU already submitted and cross-border situations have specific rules; do not apply this table indiscriminately. This guide does not assume 2027 values, new deadlines or calendars.

The INPS 2026 calendar applies to ongoing awards without changes. First payments normally arrive in the last week of the month after applying; checks, changes and adjustments may follow a different timetable. Acceptance does not guarantee one fixed bank-credit day.

If INPS has sent you personalised video guidance about a block or IBAN, find it in Centro notifiche on MyINPS, including through INPS Mobile/IO notices. This is offered to cases identified by INPS rather than all applicants.

Public INPS pages, circulars, the 2026 annex and relevant statutory passages were read. This did not include signing in, submitting applications/DSU or checking individual cases.

The adult-child discrepancy is explained in its own section. The manual helps locate functions, without reviving superseded eligibility rules. Checklists, examples and the order of checks are editorial aids; the simulator is not an award decision.