A double crackdown on early retirement is coming, with an extension of the time to receive the pension and a penalty for redemption of university degrees . The government is stepping up its game on pensions, also introducing a silent consent system for severance pay for new hires.
The new developments emerge in the substantial €3.5 billion amendment to the budget, with which the executive quickly addresses some critical issues that have emerged in recent months.
The amendment is 30 pages long, including the technical report: it covers everything from businesses to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). The most significant change is the crackdown on early retirement, which currently kicks in at 42 years and 10 months of contributions (one year less for women). First, starting in 2032, the "sliding window" ( the time between meeting the requirements and starting to receive the pension ) will progressively lengthen: from the current three months to four months in 2032, then five months in 2033, and six months from 2034 .
Early retirement remains possible, but the time it takes to receive the benefit will be extended: the wait between leaving work and retirement will progressively increase, until it doubles .
Furthermore, starting in 2031, the contribution to the degree redemption will be reduced upon reaching the requirements: in fact, a sterilization period will be triggered that starts from 6 months (which therefore do not count towards the calculation) for those who meet the requirements in 2031 and progressively increases up to 30 months for those who meet them in 2035.
Another new pension provision concerns younger workers. New hires will be automatically eligible for supplementary pension plans : workers will have 60 days from hiring to choose whether or not to "contribute the entire amount of their accrued severance pay to another supplementary pension plan of their choosing." A silent consent mechanism will therefore be implemented: in the absence of an explicit choice within sixty days of signing the contract, the severance pay will automatically be transferred to the collective pension fund established by the company's contract.
Furthermore, the range of companies required to pay severance pay to INPS has been expanded: employers who, in the years following the start-up of their business, reach the size threshold of 50 employees, currently exempt from the obligation, will also be required to do so.
(Unioneonline)
