Mothers' bonus and funds for the dependent elderly: welfare in the 2026 manoeuvre

The bonus for working mothers will be confirmed and enhanced, while the hypothesis of refinancing the non-self-sufficiency fund is advancing. A preview of the first measure on which the government is moving is contained in the Public Finance Planning Document approved by the Council of Ministers. "In order to confirm its support to female participation and employment, as well as to the growth of the birth rate, a monthly income supplement of EUR 40 has been provided for working mothers in 2025. This measure will be confirmed and enhanced,' the document reads. The bonus, intended for women with total employment income of up to EUR 40,000 per year, is a contribution of EUR 40 for each month (or fraction of a month) worked, intended for female workers with two children, holders of fixed-term or open-ended contracts, self-employed or freelance workers up to the age of the youngest child's tenth birthday; female workers with three or more children, holders of fixed-term contracts, self-employed or freelance workers up to the age of the youngest child's eighteenth birthday.

The refinancing of the non-self-sufficiency fund, with the resources provided for the pending caregiver regulations, is among the hypotheses on the table in the next financial manoeuvre. The aim is to favour families facing the problem of non-self-sufficient elderly persons. The fund would be refinanced in particular on a number of chapters concerning: assistance to non-self-sufficient elderly persons, also with supportive co-housing solutions; relief social services, including emergency services or during weekday periods; social support services, also favouring the matching of labour supply and demand for social workers.

In relation to 'housing policies, a strengthening of investments is envisaged, on the basis of the mid-term review of national and regional cohesion policy programmes, which gives strategic priority to access to sustainable and affordable housing, as well as within the framework of the Social Plan for the Climate'. Thus in the Public Finance Planning Document. In the sphere of housing policies, the Dpfp "highlights that during the work of the Tavolo Casa (Housing Table), the recent developments in the implementation of the Piano Casa Italia were presented, for which the first resources, amounting to 660 million, have been allocated to launch pilot projects (100 million for the years 2027-2028) and to finance the Piano Casa (560 million for the years 2028-2030). The procedural process for the adoption of the Piano Casa is underway'.

"For the expansion of the offer of territorial socio-educational services for minors by municipalities and a better reconciliation of parents' work-life commitments, funding of 60 million has been allocated to municipalities, also in 2025. These resources will be allocated on a permanent basis'.

"Strictly at the operational level, it is foreseeable that there will be an increase in interventions in operations outside the national borders, even in broader frameworks than the bilateral one, to be supported with appropriate refinancing of the International Missions Fund and of the Fund for High and Very High Operational Readiness Forces, in order to ensure compliance with Italy's commitments connected with the maintenance of international peace and security and to guarantee the preparation and deployment of assets for a more rapid response to the occurrence of crises or emergency situations. This is what the Public Finance Planning Document indicates in a section on strengthening the common defence capability. In line with the NATO objectives, "the government has expressed an interest in making use of loans from the European Security Action For Europe (Safe) fund, dedicated to strengthening the European defence industry, and which will have a maximum overall allocation of 150 billion," the document recalls, adding that "the government is currently engaged in drawing up the European Defence Investment Plan, on the basis of which the Commission will decide on the allocation of the loans requested (provisionally estimated at 14.9 billion for Italy).