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The 2026 Purchasing Card is worth 40 euros per month, credited every two months with a top-up of 80 euros, and is available to over 65s and families with children under three years of age with an ISEE of less than 8,230.81 euros. It is used for food shopping, in pharmacies and parapharmacies and to pay electricity and gas bills, but it does not allow you to withdraw cash.
Who is entitled to the Purchasing Card?
There are two categories allowed: people aged 65 and over and children under three years of age. In the second case the card is registered and used by the person exercising parental responsibility. You must also be resident in Italy, registered in the registry office and meet the citizenship and residence requirements established by law.
ISEE and income limits 2026
From January 1st the thresholds were updated to reflect inflation. The ISEE must remain below 8,230.81 euros (it was 8,117.17 in 2025), both for the elderly and for children. For the over 65s, the total amount of pensions, welfare payments and other income also counts: it must be less than 8,230.81 euros per year between the ages of 65 and 69 and 10,974.42 euros from the ages of 70 and over.
Pay attention to the ISEE deadline: the DSU is valid until December 31st of the year in which it was presented. Without a new valid declaration, top-ups may be suspended until updated.
The other requirements: utilities, cars and buildings
For those over 65, the 2026 form also sets some asset limits. The applicant, alone or together with his or her spouse, must not be the owner of more than one domestic electricity user, non-domestic electricity user, more than one gas user, nor be the owner of more than one car. He cannot own shares equal to or greater than 25% of more than one property for residential use, nor shares equal to or greater than 10% of non-residential properties or properties of cadastral category C7. The movable assets must not exceed 15,000 euros. Finally, those who have their food paid entirely by the State or other public administrations are excluded, for example because they are hospitalized in a long-term care facility or detained.
How to apply
The request does not go through the INPS website. The form can be downloaded from institutional sites or collected from post offices, where it must be returned completed together with an identity document and a valid ISEE certificate, also in photocopy. If an over 65 person indicates another person as the card holder, the latter’s document must also be attached. After the checks, those who qualify receive instructions for collecting the card at the post office.
When the next refill arrives
The 80 euros are automatically loaded every two months, without the need for new requests. After the two-month period September-October, the next top-up concerns November-December 2026. However, INPS, MEF and Poste do not publish a calendar with fixed dates: the exact day of the credit has not yet been communicated.
Where is it used and what advantages does it offer?
The card works on the Mastercard circuit in food shops, affiliated pharmacies and parapharmacies and in post offices for the payment of bills. It is free and the businesses that participate in the initiative can apply further discounts to holders.
It is not the card dedicated to you
The Purchasing Card should not be confused with the Card Dedicated to you, the 500 euro contribution for shopping intended for families with ISEE up to 15,000 euros identified by the Municipalities on the basis of the INPS lists. The two measures cannot be combined: anyone who receives the Purchasing Card is excluded from the Card Dedicated to you.