In recent days, the topic of the extension of the Social Cardofficially known as Card Dedicated to Youwas at the center of the work for the new budget measure. This economic support tool, designed to help Italian families in difficulty, seems destined to continue in 2025, but with important changes.
The downsizing concerns both the amount and the number of beneficiaries, a choice that responds to changed budgetary needs.
How will this change affect families already in financial difficulty? What can new possible beneficiaries expect?
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Origin and evolution of the “Dedicated to You” card
The Charter “Dedicated to You“, commonly known as the Social Card, was born in 2023 as a response from the Italian government to the rapid increase in inflation which was weighing heavily on family budgets, especially for large families with low incomes.
Financed with state funds, the social card offered an amount of 380 eurosincreased in 2024 up to 500 eurosto cover essential expenses such as food, fuel and public transport passes. The choice to increase both the amount and the number of beneficiaries in 2024 made it possible to include a greater number of families in difficulty, thanks to facilitated access and the automatic distribution of the subsidy for those who met certain economic and family requirements.
This measure also saw the coordinated intervention of INPS and the Municipalities, which, without the need for an application from citizens, automatically verified the requirements and assigned the card to eligible families.
This system, in addition to guaranteeing a more equitable distribution, streamlined access to the subsidy, avoiding complex bureaucratic procedures for those already living in conditions of economic hardship.
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The extension of the Social Card for 2025
The 2025 budget bill, approved by the government on 15 October, provides for the extension of the Card Dedicated to You, but with some significant changes.
According to initial information, the overall allocation for 2025 will be lower than that of 2024, with a reduction of approximately 100 million euros. This decrease in resources could lead to both a reduction in the one-off contribution, currently 500 euros, and a limitation of the number of families eligible for the subsidy.
The downsizing is due to the changed economic conditions of the country and the necessary reorganization of public funds, which can no longer be justified by the inflationary emergency of the previous two years. However, the government has not excluded the possibility of subsequent interventions, as has already happened in the past, to integrate the fund during the year, if new resources become available.
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Assignment criteria and beneficiaries of the Social Card
Currently, the Social Card is automatically assigned to families who meet specific economic and family requirements. Among these, the ISEE income must be less than 15,000 euros per year and the family unit must include at least three members.
Furthermore, beneficiary families must not receive other income support, such as the inclusion allowance.
This assignment system, based on rankings and priority criteria, has the advantage of identifying suitable families more quickly, avoiding them having to make a formal request.
INPS and the Municipalities collaborate to manage the checks and issuance of the card. Those who already owned the social card simply received a top-up, while the newly eligible families were invited to collect their card at the post offices, receiving a Postepay with the pre-loaded amount.
This approach allowed a more widespread and immediate distribution of the subsidy, responding promptly to the needs of the most vulnerable families.
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The future of the Social Card: insights and perspectives
With the 2025 budget bill currently under parliamentary discussion, the usual process is expected which will lead to any amendments before final approval. The objective is to approve the text by December 31st, avoiding the risk of a provisional exercise.
The extension of the Card Dedicated to You, although scaled down in terms of funds and number of beneficiaries, still remains a priority on the government’s agenda. It is possible, however, that the measure will undergo further changes during the parliamentary debate, or that additional funds will be integrated during the year to increase the audience or the amount of the subsidy, as has already happened previously.
Italian families who depend on this form of aid will therefore be able to follow the evolution of the debate to understand with greater certainty the amount and disbursement criteria for 2025, with the awareness that the government seems oriented towards maintaining the support, albeit with some adjustments, given the current economic situation.