The National Social Security Institute (INPS) of Italy has issued procedural guidelines for income integration for employees of employers in the sector (circular February 7, 2025, no. 39). This, backed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, explains the changes made to Law Decree no. 160/2024 by conversion Law no. 199/2024 regarding support measures to the fashion sector. Moreover, the Institute provided operational instructions.
Notably, the reaffirmed norm extends the support measure previously for textile, clothing, footwear, and tanning sectors, to leather goods, and also- limited to processing carried out by fashion accessories assembly and welding workers- to sectors indicated by Table A attached to Law Decree no. 160/2024 and to general mechanics works sector ATECO code 25.62.00 indicated in attachment no. 1.
The income support treatment is available for a maximum of 12 weeks, positioned up to 31 January 2025. Employers already beneficiaries of the measure, as established in the Institute’s circular no. 99/2024, may access the entire protected period. In contrast, employers operating in the sectors indicated in Annex no. 1 and the general mechanics works sector whose access to the support measure has been extended by Law no. 199/2024, can request income support treatment exclusively for reductions / suspensions of work activity related to the period from December 28, 2024, to January 31, 2025.
Applications must be submitted to INPS within 15 days from the start of the suspension or reduction of work activity. Employers who have already sent requests for treatments for periods after December 31, 2024, will not need to reapply.
Craft employers, alternatively to the declaration of responsibility, can attach to the application the certification provided by the FSBA attesting to the periods of Wage Integration Allowance already authorized by the Fund that, for the purposes of accessing the support measure referred to in Article 2 of the Decree-Law no. 160/2024, could not be less than 26 weeks in the mobile two-year period.
The income support treatment is directly paid to employees at the end of each pay period by employers, who then recover the relative amount during a balance with contributions, subject to the terms set by article 7, paragraph 3 of the Legislative Decree no. 148/2015. In case of severe and documented financial difficulties, employers can request direct payment of the benefit from INPS, as per the guidelines in circular no. 99/2024.
