Decreto Flussi Caregivers & Domestic Workers 2026/2027: The 10,000 Extra-Quota, Income Thresholds & INPS Compliance

The growing elderly demographics across Italy have led to profound reforms in immigration law governing domestic and family care employment. Under the legislative provisions codified in Law Decree 145/2024 and published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana ↗, the Italian government created a dedicated, ring-fenced extra-quota intake of 10,000 specialized entry permits specifically reserved for foreign caregivers (*badanti*) assisting disabled individuals and elderly citizens suffering from non-self-sufficiency.

1. Decreto Flussi Domestic Caregiver Framework (Art. 22 co. 2)

Hiring a foreign citizen residing outside the European Union as a family caregiver or domestic housekeeper is governed by Article 22, paragraph 2 of Legislative Decree 286/1998 (Consolidated Immigration Act). The domestic sponsoring process differs sharply from corporate sponsorship: the sponsor is not a commercial enterprise or corporation, but a private individual or household unit (*datore di lavoro domestico*).

Applications are submitted via the telematics Ministry of Interior Portale Servizi ALI ↗ using the dedicated Modello A-DOM. The telematics dossier must specify the contract classification under the National Collective Bargaining Agreement (CCNL Lavoro Domestico), lodging arrangements, and the sponsor's fiscal solvency.

2. The 10,000 Extra-Quota Allocation under Law 145/2024

In response to chronic shortages in domestic elderly care, Law Decree 145/2024 (the so-called *Decreto Flussi Bis / Flussi Correttivo*) introduced an experimental channel granting 10,000 supplementary work authorizations beyond the standard triennial quotas. Crucially, these extra quotas are reserved exclusively for:

• Assistance to Elderly Individuals (over 80 years old): Requiring continuous live-in or day-care personal assistance.
• Assistance to Certified Disabled Persons: Individuals suffering from physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments authenticated by the public health service (ASL) or INPS medical board.

Applications under this channel enjoy insulated quota buckets, meaning they do not compete against corporate industrial or construction applications that frequently exhaust within milliseconds on standard Click Days.

3. Interactive Domestic Employer Income & Cost Calculator

Before filing Modello A-DOM, run an audit on your household's financial eligibility and compute monthly salary obligations and quarterly INPS contribution bills:

4. Statutory Income Thresholds: €20,000 Single vs €27,000 Family

To prevent fictitious employment schemes, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies ↗ and Ministry of Interior enforce rigid minimum annual taxable income thresholds:

• Single-Person Household: The employer must declare a minimum gross annual taxable income of at least €20,000 as proven on their latest tax return (Modello 730 or Modello Redditi Persone Fisiche).
• Family Household Unit (Nucleo Familiare): Where the employer resides with co-habiting family members, the aggregate household income must reach at least €27,000 annually.

Crucially, under consolidated ministerial circulars, if the direct employer does not possess sufficient personal income, the income of first-degree relatives (children, parents, siblings) may be formally aggregated to satisfy the statutory threshold, provided they sign a joint co-obligation guarantee.

5. Non-Self-Sufficiency Medical Exemption (ASL Certification)

The most critical legal exception in the entire domestic immigration framework is codified in statutory guidelines issued by the Ministry of Interior:

To claim this exemption before the Sportello Unico Immigrazione, the employer must upload a copy of the official medical certificate issued by the ASL or INPS establishing severe physical or cognitive limitation requiring permanent personal assistance (*indennità di accompagnamento* or disability certificate under Law 104/1992).

6. National Collective Bargaining Contract (CCNL) Levels: BS, CS & DS

The employment contract entered on Modello A-DOM must strictly adhere to the National Collective Labor Agreement for Domestic Workers (CCNL Lavoro Domestico). SUI prefectures reject any application offering wages below the official national tariff tables:

7. INPS Quarterly Contribution Slips (MAV) & Labor Inspection

Once the foreign caregiver arrives in Italy and signs the Stay Contract (Modello Q), the employer is legally obligated to register the employment relationship with the INPS Social Welfare Domestic Desk ↗ within 24 hours. The registration generates a unique INPS domestic employer code linked directly to the foreign national's fiscal code (*codice fiscale*).

INPS generates quarterly MAV payment slips based on effective hours worked, insurance brackets, and statutory seniority allowances. For a standard 54-hour live-in caregiver under Level CS, quarterly contributions average €750 to €900. Under the telematics surveillance protocols established between the Ministry of Labor and the Territorial Labor Inspectorate (*Ispettorato Nazionale del Lavoro - INL*), automated cross-checks verify that payments match the hours declared on Modello Q. Failure to pay INPS contributions revokes the foreign worker's residence permit upon renewal, triggers administrative sanctions of up to €5,000 administered by the ITL, and disqualifies the sponsoring family from future Decreto Flussi applications.

Furthermore, domestic employers must maintain detailed payroll ledgers signed monthly by the caregiver, demonstrating the punctual liquidation of the thirteenth-month bonus (*tredicesima mensilità*), accrued statutory severance pay (*Trattamento di Fine Rapporto - TFR*), and 26 annual calendar days of paid vacation.

8. Overcoming SUI Rejections & Art. 10-bis Preavviso di Rigetto

Sportello Unico Immigrazione desks frequently issue preliminary notices of intent to deny (Preavviso di Rigetto under Art. 10-bis of Law 241/1990) alleging insufficient household income, ambiguous family ties, or inadequate lodging suitability.

Under consolidated administrative jurisprudence of the Council of State (*Consiglio di Stato, Sez. III, Sentenza n. 4521/2023*), administrative authorities cannot reject domestic caregiver applications where the essential care needs of an elderly citizen are irrefutably demonstrated, even if fiscal income falls marginally below nominal thresholds. The constitutional protection of family health under Article 32 of the Italian Constitution and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) compels public authorities to favor lawful regularization over bureaucratic exclusion.

When a Preavviso di Rigetto is served, the sponsoring family has a strict, non-extendable 10-day calendar deadline to submit formal legal counter-memorials (*memorie difensive*). Our attorneys at Foreigners Studio Decreto Flussi Legal Defense immediately intervene via certified PEC, producing aggregated family income declarations, supplementary ASL medical disability records, or filing urgent injunctions before the TAR administrative tribunal to secure the Nulla Osta clearance.

“Family caregiving is the bedrock of Italian home assistance. Navigating the 10,000 extra-quota intake under D.L. 145/2024 requires precise alignment between ASL non-self-sufficiency certifications and CCNL salary classifications to guarantee zero-defect clearance at the Prefecture.”

FS

Foreigners Studio Labor & Immigration Practice

Assisting Italian Families & International Caregivers