High utility bills, €115 bonus arrives for 2.4 million households

The first disbursements of the 115 euro extraordinary bonus, the government's contribution to support households strugglingwith high energy prices, are on their way with the next bills. With 102 votes in favour, 64 against, and two abstentions, the Senate on Wednesday definitively converted the bill decree (Dl 21/26) that provides around 5 billion euro to support families and businesses.

For families with low to medium incomes there is a one-off EUR 115 contribution on the electricity bill. This amount is automatically due to those who already benefit from social bonuses for economic hardship and will be added to the ordinary aid that varies from 146 to 204 euros per year depending on the number of household members, bringing the total aid for the most vulnerable families up to 315 euros in 2026.

At present, the ordinary contribution is automatically assigned in the bill to households with an Isee of less than EUR 9,796 (or EUR 20,000 for large households with four or more children), a group that, according to the technical report to the decree, involves 2.64 million users.

On 19 March, Arera had already defined the operating procedures for the disbursement of this extraordinary contribution in favour of domestic customers holding the social electricity bonus as at 21 February 2026: the €115 will be recognised directly in the bill, in the first useful invoice following the adoption of the measure, with separate evidence with respect to other items.

On the other hand, the modalities for the disbursement of the voluntary contribution provided for in Article 1, paragraph 2 of the same decree law, intended for households not entitled to the social bonus with an annual Isee not exceeding 25,000 euro, have yet to be defined by a subsequent provision: for them, too, a possible aid of 115 euro is envisaged, but disbursed on a voluntary basis by the vendors for 2026 and 2027.