Leave Policies in Italy

Mandatory Leave Policies in Italy

The annual leave entitlement for a full-time worker in Italy is a minimum of 20 working days. These days are in addition to public holidays, which are not counted within the annual leave.

Additionally, Italian labor laws mandate that employees take at least two consecutive weeks of their annual leave within the year it is accrued. The remaining leave can be taken within 18 months from the end of the year in which it was accrued.

Public Holidays in Italy

Employees in Italy are entitled to 12 public holidays per year. Italy has the following national holidays in 2025:

Types of Leave in Italy

Sick Leave

In Italy, employees are entitled to paid sick leave for a maximum of 180 days, with the employer initially covering the costs at 100% for the first 3 days, the government pays thereafter at 50% from day 4 to 20 and 66.66% from day 21 to 180. A medical certificate from a healthcare professional is mandatory from the onset of illness.

Paid Time Off

Employees receive a minimum of four weeks (20 working days) of paid annual leave. At least two weeks must be taken in the year they are accrued, with the remaining two available within 18 months.

Maternity Leave

In Italy, pregnant employees receive 5 months of paid maternity leave, starting 60 days before the due date until the child is 3 months old. During this period, they get 80% salary from Social Security. If covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the employee may be entitled to a more advantageous benefit. Alternatively, a mother can work 6 hours daily until the child is one year old if she skips parental leave after maternity.

Paternity Leave

The father is granted 10 days of paid paternity leave within 5 months of their child's birth. During this time, they will receive their regular salary in full, covered by Social Security. Extending this leave is by 1 day is possible if a statutory maternity leave day is given up by the mother. The option of taking further parental leave is available.

Parental Leave

In Italy, an employee has the right to 11 months of unpaid parental leave, which can be taken until the child turns 12. Both eligible parents can collaboratively determine how to allocate this time outside of their maternity and paternity leave. Social Security covers 30% of the salary during this period, but it is not extendable.

Family and Emergency Leave

Bereavement leave allows employees three days off to manage personal matters after the death of a close family member.

Special Leave Types

Employees can request unpaid leave, sabbaticals, and study leave. Study leave allows up to 150 hours over three years for education and training.

Best Practices for Implementing Leave Policies in Italy

 
• Compliance with Legal Requirements: Ensure policies align with labor laws and collective agreements.
 
• Clear Communication: Provide transparent leave guidelines to employees.
 
• Fair and Consistent Application: Apply leave policies equally across the workforce.
 
• Encouragement of Leave Utilization: Promote a healthy work-life balance.

Providing Leave Benefits in Italy With an EOR

A competitive compensation package is critical to attract and retain the best talent, but every country different regulations, customs and expectations. That’s the advantage of using a trusted Employer of Record like Playroll to manage benefits for your global team. They can:

• ‍Handle the benefits admin: Playroll ensures compliant contracts with built-in statutory checks. Add region-specific premium benefits, while we handle administration and employee claims. Manage leave, expenses, and more – all in one easy dashboard.
• ‍Run global payroll: An EOR will act as your payroll provider, paying your employees on your behalf in the local currency. The company will also have in-depth knowledge of local tax codes, regulatory practices, and everything else that goes into managing global payroll.
• ‍Alleviate compliance concerns: Different countries each have their own federal and local laws governing employee payments. An EOR helps ensure that you are compliant with the unique set of laws for any country in which your company operates. This is extremely important since a compliance slip-up can result in heavy fines or even a lawsuit.