Maternity Bonus in the Budget: All the Government's Measures for Families

The government is ready to include a series of measures to support families in its budget . Supporting the birth rate through tax breaks for parents has always been the main strategy for reversing the declining birth rate and aging population in our country.

The budget law is expected to include a renewal of tax deductions related to the family quotient. The bonus for working mothers is also confirmed, and should be increased beyond the current 40 euros.

The Budget and families

With the approval of the Public Finance Planning Document (formerly the Economic and Financial Document (DEF) update), the Government has begun to concretely develop the first measures of the 2026 Budget , which must be approved by the end of the year. Between the personal income tax cuts and the cancellation of tax bills, the Government also wants to find space and funds to support families.

Since taking office, the Meloni government has aimed to reverse the declining birth rate trend that has been present in Italy for almost 20 years. To do so, it has focused primarily on tax breaks and subsidies for families with children, particularly through the Universal Single Allowance (Assessor ), introduced by the Draghi government.

Despite this, however, the data is not changing . In 2024, only 370,000 children were born in Italy, a 2.6% decrease (10,000 fewer births) compared to 2023. Compared to 2008, one of the last years to feel the effects of the rebound in births at the beginning of the millennium, 206,000 fewer children were born.

Lower taxes for those with children: the family quotient project

The government's primary goal would be to reduce taxes for parents of children. Two main measures have been announced in the so-called Family Package:

• more resources for measures that use the family quotient;
• a book bonus for low-income groups similar to that of Lombardy and Veneto.

This project could be combined with the ISEE reform , long proposed by several members of the government. The family income indicator is considered a tool that can be improved, and should be recalibrated to better reflect which households actually need state subsidies. However, this would be a separate measure, not included in the Budget .

Renewal of the bonus for working mothers

Another measure aimed at making life easier for families with children is the bonus for working mothers . This measure, the government announced, will be confirmed for next year, but will undergo significant changes. Currently, it provides a €40 supplement to working mothers' income. However, the government has authorized a strengthening of the measure. The Prime Ministerial Decree states:

To further support female participation and employment, as well as increasing the birth rate, a monthly income supplement of 40 euros has been established for working mothers in 2025. This measure will be confirmed and strengthened.

Currently, the bonus is reserved for working mothers with two children , with a fixed-term or permanent contract, self-employed, or freelancers. It is valid until the youngest child reaches the age of ten. For mothers with three or more children, the supplementary period lasts until the youngest child's eighteenth birthday.