Employers managing employees in Italy need to understand the different types of leave that may apply throughout the employment relationship. From annual vacation and sick leave to maternity, paternity and marriage leave, accurate leave management is an important part of payroll compliance and workforce administration.
Below is an overview of the main leave entitlements for employees in Italy.
Employees in Italy are entitled to a minimum of four weeks of paid annual leave per year.
This generally equates to:
However, applicable collective agreements may provide for 26 days or more of annual leave.
Employees may take 14 days of leave during the year in which it is earned and defer the remaining entitlement. Deferred leave must generally be taken within 18 months.
Untaken leave must be paid.
Employees are required to obtain a medical certificate (certificato medico) from a doctor in order to receive paid sick leave.
The duration of employment protection, employer supplements and sick pay can vary significantly depending on the employee category and the applicable collective agreement.
For eligible employee categories, INPS coverage commonly extends to day 180.
As sick leave provisions may differ according to the applicable collective agreement, employers should ensure that the correct rules are applied to each employee category.
Mothers are entitled to a total of five months of maternity leave.
This typically consists of:
Maternity leave is partially paid.
Fathers are entitled to 10 days of paternity leave following the birth or adoption of a child.
Employers should ensure that this entitlement is accurately recorded and managed through the organisation's leave and payroll processes.
Employees are entitled to 15 consecutive days of marriage leave at their normal monthly salary.
Marriage leave must be taken within 30 days of the wedding ceremony.
Italy has 11 paid public holidays.
Employers should take public holidays into account when managing employee attendance, payroll and leave schedules.
If this article raised questions or highlighted areas you’d like to understand better, let’s talk.Our team can walk through the details, implications, and practical considerations for your business.
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