Pensions, old age and advances: double track at 64 with the supplementary

A double bridge between compulsory and complementary social security, albeit only in an embryonic state, but exclusively for fully contributory workers. This is what is created by the conjunction of the original text of the manoeuvre with the adjustments approved after a long marathon by the House Budget Committee.

The original version of the budget law passed by the government already envisaged some kind of help from 'supplementary' forms in favour of those who started working after 31 December 1995 and are therefore fully in the contributory regime. From next year, in order to reach the threshold of the social allowance (€534.41 per month) required to access retirement with 67 years of age (equivalent to the current old age limit) and at least 20 of contributions, these workers will be able to use a share of any supplementary pension income. A help that, with the corrective measure passed by the Lega Lega committee in Montecitorio, will be extended from 1 January next, again only for fully contributory subjects, also to early retirement at 64 years of age, but with the constraint of having accrued at least five years of contributions more than that normally required (25 instead of 20), which from 2030 will become ten (30 years instead of 20). Contributions that will have to be gradually adjusted to increases in life expectancy. In this case, the portion of the 'annuity' from joining the supplementary forms can contribute to reach the minimum required amount, which is three times the social allowance (EUR 1,603.23).

A threshold that, again from 2030, will rise to 3.2 times the social allowance, to compensate for the costs of the intervention. Not only: the Mef has imposed a specific monitoring clause, which, on the basis of the periodic survey of the Inps (which will have the task of reporting to the Ministries of the Economy and Labour), in case of need provides for the possibility to trigger the reduction of spending authorisations, to raise the minimum threshold further, or to trigger the postponement of the first useful starting date for this type of early retirement. In any case, the Minister of Labour, Marina Calderone, speaking on Canale 5 emphasised that this is 'an opportunity, a look at the social security future of our young people'.

This is the only novelty introduced on the supplementary pension front at the end of the long parliamentary game on the restyling of the manoeuvre, from which the reintroduction of a new six-month 'silence-assent' to favour the festination of the severance pay fund to the pension funds, which was foreseen by an amendment advocated by Fdi, has been left out, as has been known for a week now.

Instead, an amendment was approved that aims to strengthen the 'social security coverage' of young people to some extent. The amendment aims to allow newly hired employees who will start paying contributions on 1 January 2025 to use a voluntary contribution surcharge up to a maximum of two percentage points over their own contributions (9.19% in the case of employees), which will be 50% deductible from their total income for tax purposes. In this way, the individual contribution amount would be increased. As a result, the pension cheque would be made a little heavier, even in 'advance' form, but only when the old age requirements are reached, even if the salary would be slightly reduced in the meantime.