Adjustment of retirement age to life expectancy, re-evaluation of benefits, voluntary Ape and social Ape. There are several innovations arriving in 2018-2019 on the pension front. There isn't the one most awaited by the unions: the universal stop to raising the bar for old-age benefits to 67 from next year. According to the government (but also according to the Bank of Italy and Brussels), a similar intervention would have jeopardized the stability of the social security system in the medium term. So no way.
The Executive has chosen to focus on measures with a much more limited impact, which however will have a value for a few thousand taxpayers.
Let's see what it is.
SOCIAL BEE
The last Budget law has extended the audience ofSocial bee to four new categories of workers engaged in heavy-duty activities (labourers, iron and steel workers, seafarers and fishermen), which are added to the original 11.
The maneuver also introduced an increase in the contribution discount for working mothers: the requirement drops by one year per child, up to a maximum of two years.
VOLUNTARY BEE
The pension advance with secured bank loan should start by January, i.e. eight months late (Volunteer bee). The signatures on the agreements with banks and insurance companies are not there yet, but by now it should be close.
ADJUSTMENT OF RETIREMENT AGE
In the end, the stop to raising the retirement age to 67 from 2019 will only be granted to 14.600 workers engaged in 15 strenuous activities, the same ones that give the right to the Ape social. For future shots, however, the life expectancy adjustment mechanism will be changed.
REVALUATION
Since today's payment, Wednesday 3 January, the indexation of pensions is back, blocked for two years now. Checks will be revalued based on 2017 inflation, currently estimated at 1,1%.
MEN-WOMAN EQUALITY
This year the process begun six years ago to align the retirement ages of men and women comes to an end. In 2018 the single requirement is 66 years and 7 months, but it will rise to 67 years in 2019 (subject to the exceptions mentioned above).
At the moment, the burden is one year for private sector employees (who until last year could leave at 65 years and 7 months) and six months for self-employed women (who in 2017 could retire at 66 years and one month).
The only good thing about the voluntary bee is that the PD won't perfect it