Bonus crèches 2026: Inps indications and extension of contribution to spring sections

The Inps' 2026 indications on the nursery school bonus for families with children up to 36 months of age have arrived. The subsidy is extended to include, among others, micro-nurseries and spring sections, which welcome children between 24 and 36 months of age and promote the continuity of the educational path from zero to six years of age.

Law 232 of 2016 provided for the payment, as from 2017, of a voucher on an annual basis (hereinafter, the contribution), for children born on or after 1 January 2016, for the payment of fees relating to the attendance of public and private crèches and for the introduction of forms of support at home in favour of children under three years of age, suffering from serious chronic pathologies. The amount of the contribution, initially equal to 1,000 euro, has been increased in relation to the economic situation of the family nucleus defined in relation to the Indicatore della Situazione Economica Equivalente (ISEE) and the composition of the family nucleus of the person requesting the support.

The bonus ranges for children born after 2024 from EUR 1,500 per child for families with an Isee of more than EUR 40,000 to EUR 3,600 for families with an Isee of less than EUR 40,000. For children born before 2024 there are three bands up to a ceiling of €3,000.

Now, after a series of previous indications, the social security institution in a circular (the 123 of 5 September 2025) recalls that, in line with the provisions of the 'omnibus' decree-law 95/2025 (converted into law 11/2025), applications submitted from 1 January 2026 to access the crèche subsidy and the forms of support at home subsidy take effect for the calendar year in question and for the following years until August of the year in which the child turns three, subject to the other requirements being met. In the calendar years following the one in which the application is submitted, the applicant must access the service to reserve financial resources for the new year.

The crèche subsidy no longer concerns only attendance at authorised public and private crèches, but is also extended to crèches and micro-crèches, which take in children between three and thirty-six months of age and cooperate with families in their care, education and socialisation, promoting their wellbeing and the development of their identity, autonomy and skills. It also includes spring sections, which welcome children between the ages of twenty-four and thirty-six months and promote the continuity of the educational pathway from zero to six years of age. Integrative services enabled as play areas and educational services in a home context are also included, in compliance with regional regulations.