The new rules on supplementary pensions introduced by the latest budget will start from 1 July, thus triggering automatic membership of the pension fund provided for by collective agreements or contracts for newly hired workers in the private sector, excluding domestic workers. If the collective agreement does not provide for a reference fund, automatic enrollment in the Cometa fund, the fund for employees of the metalworking industry, will be activated. Membership will start from the first day of employment, subject to renunciation within 60 days.
End of the rule of silent consent
The rule of silent consent therefore ends. With automatic membership, the accruing severance pay and contributions paid by the employer and the worker flow into the fund. Compared to the past, automatic membership contributions are no longer invested in the guaranteed segment but in the one most consistent with the time horizon available to the worker and his/her age. The contribution paid by the worker is not mandatory if the gross annual salary paid by the employer is lower than the value equal to the INPS social allowance (for 2026 equal to 546.24 euros for 13 months). The rules therefore provide for new possibilities for using the amount accumulated in the pension fund. The amount remains entirely payable in capital at the time of retirement for those who do not reach a certain threshold, which varies depending on age and retirement. The reform introduces greater flexibility in the delivery methods. In addition to the traditional life annuity, the following will also be possible: temporary annuities, for a defined period; split or scheduled services, i.e. payments distributed over time; combinations between initial capital and subsequent income. For non-first-time workers, at the same time as hiring, social security itineraries reminds “the employer is required to inform the worker about the applicable collective agreements regarding supplementary social security and to verify what choice was previously made by the worker”. If the worker is already registered with a pension fund, the employer must give information to the worker about the possibility of indicating, within 60 days from the date of hiring, to which supplementary pension scheme to transfer the severance pay accruing from that date, specifying that otherwise the automatic membership mechanism applies.