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South Working: Incentives for businesses in Sicily from today

The Irfis platform goes live at 12 noon: €30,000 for remote working on the island. €54 million has been allocated up to 2028: the grant is valid for five years and requires permanent contracts, predominantly remote working and residence on the island

by Nino Amadore

30 June 2026

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3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Who is this call for applications actually aimed at?
Restrictions on businesses and workers

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

From midday today, businesses can submit applications via the Irfis FinSicilia online platform for the ‘South Working’ scheme, the regional incentive designed to encourage workers employed by companies operating outside the island to remain in or return to Sicily. The scheme has a budget of €54 million: €18 million for each of the years from 2026 to 2028. Applications will be assessed in chronological order until the annual budget allocation for each year has been exhausted.

The subsidy is intended for employers, not directly for workers: it amounts to 30,000 euros for each employee hired on a permanent contract or whose contract has been stabilised, but is paid in five annual instalments of 6,000 euros. This is an important clarification: it is therefore not an immediate bonus, but support linked to the duration and continuity of the employment relationship.

“We are making a tangible investment in Sicily’s future,” says Regional President Renato Schifani, “starting with the return of our talented people, especially the younger ones.” For the regional government, flexible working could become a means of retaining skilled workers, reducing emigration and making the island more competitive.

Who is this call for applications actually aimed at?

The key point of the notice is that this is not a blanket incentive for Sicilian businesses. The benefit actually applies to companies with production units located in the rest of Italia, within the European Union or even in non-EU countries. The production unit specified in the employee’s contract must not be located in Sicily: the employee, however, must carry out the majority of their work from the island.

New permanent appointments and conversions from fixed-term to permanent contracts made after 9 January 2026 are eligible. The employee must be resident in Sicily at the time the grant is awarded. Those who have already started the process of changing their residence may submit an application, but must complete their registration with the local registry office by the time of the first payment, failing which the grant will be revoked.

The notice does not specify a minimum level of professional qualification, nor does it require the worker to have returned from a period spent outside the region: what matters is that the employment relationship is subordinate and stable. Self-employed workers, professionals with a VAT number, and freelance arrangements that do not constitute employment relationships are therefore excluded.

Restrictions on businesses and workers

The contract, or the specific individual agreement on flexible working, must stipulate that the work is to be carried out from Sicily for at least five years. Physical presence at the company’s premises must not exceed 20 per cent of working days per year. This limit must be certified each year by a declaration signed by both the employer and the employee.

Businesses must be active and in compliance with DURC requirements, anti-Mafia legislation, social security contribution obligations and collective agreements. They must not have been subject to final sanctions in the previous three years for breaches relating to health and safety at work or collective agreements. The measure also falls under the ‘de minimis’ scheme, with a limit of €300,000 in aid over three financial years per individual company.

The application, which is subject to a €16 stamp duty and must bear the legal representative’s digital signature, may cover several employees. The following documents are required: the employment contract or the remote working agreement, the mandatory notification of recruitment or change of employment status, identity documents, and proof of residence or permanent domicile in Sicily.

In order to receive the annual payments, the company must submit, by 30 April of the following year, payslips, declarations of residence and a certificate confirming compliance with the 20% cap on on-site work. Irfis will verify the DURC, anti-Mafia documentation and eligibility requirements, carrying out spot checks and possible inspections. Early termination of the employment relationship or the remote working agreement may result in the withdrawal of the grant; loss of residence and a sustained breach of the on-site work limit, on the other hand, will result in the loss of subsequent instalments.