The thirteenth monthly payments begin in December, which will affect 16.3 million Italian pensioners from Monday, and then by Christmas another 19.7 million public and private sector employees, for a total of 36 million Italians. The estimate comes from the CGIA research office in Mestre (Venice).
The Christmas bonus will not only “reward” pensioners, workers and employees, but will also represent a significant income for the treasury, which will receive Irpef revenue estimated at 13.8 billion euros. Before taxes, INPS, public administrations and private employers will have to support a total economic commitment of 55.9 billion; 42 billion euros net will arrive in the pockets of Italians. At a geographical level, the Italian province with the highest number of beneficiaries of the thirteenth is Rome, with 2.75 million people. Followed by Milan with 2.48 million, Naples with 1.42 million and Turin with 1.4 million.
The least affected areas, which are demographically smaller, are the provinces of Vibo Valentia with almost 74,300 recipients, Enna with just over 71,500 and Isernia with around 43,650. A new feature introduced this year concerns the “mothers bonus”, which will be paid in December to employed or self-employed workers with two or more children and with an annual income of less than 40,000 euros, equal to 40 euros for each month worked in 2025 and not exceeding 480 euros. The provision of a bonus of approximately 155 euros to INPS pensioners over 64 with incomes not exceeding the INPS minimum, set at 7,844.20 euros, has also been confirmed. According to the CGIA Research Office, there are also approximately 8 million employees in the private sector who also benefit from the fourteenth salary, paid in July, in the agriculture, food, road haulage, commerce/tourism and cleaning/multiservices sectors.
The fourteenth is also due to pensioners over 64 years of age, who do not exceed twice the minimum annual payment, which in 2025 is 15,688.40 euros. This year too, food and alcoholic beverages should confirm themselves as the type of Christmas gift most purchased by Italians: followed by toys, technological products, books, clothing/shoes, travel, spa stays and personal care items. “Digital” gifts will also be among the most popular, because they are purchased without having to go to physical stores, and will certainly undergo a further increase compared to the volumes recorded last year, in particular subscriptions to streaming platforms or gift vouchers for online purchases. Compared to last year, the overall amount of spending on Christmas gifts should still remain stable at around 10 billion, an amount which has been reduced by around a third compared to 10 years ago: many Italians take advantage of Black Friday and families have reduced the budget allocated to accessory purchases.