13th AVS payment for Italian pensioners starting in December 2026

Context

TL;DR

• The 13th AVS payment in Italy will start in December 2026
• 225’316 AVS beneficiaries reside in Italy
• The annual flow will exceed 1,7 billion francs
• The reform received 58,2% of the votes

Key facts

• Benefit → thirteenth AVS monthly payment
• First disbursement → December 2026
• Complete annuity in the example → 2,520 francs per month
• AVS beneficiaries in Italy → 225,316
• Additional annual outlay → approximately 132 million francs

An additional monthly payment also for those living in Italy

A pensioner who has been a cross-border worker, is registered in the Swiss social security system and receives a full AVS pension of 2,520 francs per month, will receive an identical sum as a thirteenth month's salary. The first disbursement is scheduled for December 2026. The case described by the source concerns a complete annuity and quantifies the additional amount linked to that benefit at 2,520 francs.

The audience of beneficiaries

According to statistical data from the UFAS, 225,316 beneficiaries of an AVS pension currently reside in Italy. The group of former workers domiciled in the Peninsula constitutes the main share of pensioners abroad linked to the Swiss Confederation system and represents a quarter of all AVS pensioners residing outside Swiss borders.

The audience described does not only include Italian citizens. It also includes Swiss citizens who have chosen Italy to spend their retirement and workers of other nationalities who, having completed their activity in Switzerland, have chosen Italy as their permanent place of residence. For the majority component, the path is that of an Italian person who worked across the border, paid Swiss social security contributions and returned home at the end of his career.

Money and calendar

During 2025, Swiss coffers paid approximately 1.59 billion francs in ordinary AVS pensions to pensioners resident in Italy. With the entry into force of the thirteenth month's salary, the annual flow to Italy will exceed 1.7 billion francs. The additional annual outlay is estimated at approximately 132 million francs and, according to the source, will be allocated entirely to pensioners domiciled in Italy.

UFAS spokesperson Harald Sohns confirmed:

«Beneficiaries resident in Italy will also receive the new benefit in full».

The reform, approved in the federal vote in March 2024 with 58.2% of the favorable votes of the people and the cantons, therefore brings the new benefit beyond the Swiss borders. The financial data concerns the total annuities transferred to Italy; the example of 2,520 francs concerns a single complete annuity. The first is an aggregate data, the second an individual example: the first disbursement is scheduled for December 2026.

Operational details

A full pension and an average pension are not the same figure

The figure of 2’520 francs per month does not correspond to the average pension of beneficiaries residing in Italy. The source uses that amount to illustrate the case of a pensioner with a full pension. For the group as a whole, however, UFAS data show a much lower average: in December 2025, 588 francs per month, equivalent to approximately 630 euros. The comparison therefore requires not conflating an individual example with an aggregate average.

Comparison of the figures

The average pension paid in Italy is therefore below the theoretical minimum pension provided for those with a complete contribution record of 44 years. The average figure given for the territory of the Confederation is also higher than the 588 francs recorded in Italy. For the Swiss average, the source gives the monthly amount but does not tie the figure to a date other than the one reported for residents in Italy.

UFAS links the difference to contribution history. Most pensioners residing in Italy have completed only a fraction of their working careers in Switzerland. The amount awarded is therefore determined according to the years for which contributions were paid across the border. For most recipients, the Swiss pension constitutes a supplementary component alongside the benefits accrued in the Italian INPS social security system.

This explanation clarifies why residence in Italy and having previously been a cross-border worker are not, by themselves, enough to identify a full pension. The source documents the relationship between contribution period and amount, but does not provide a breakdown of the 225’316 beneficiaries by years worked in Switzerland.

What can be quantified about the thirteenth payment

Regarding the new payment, the text gives a precise amount for the full-pension case: 2’520 additional francs. It also confirms that the benefit will be paid in full to beneficiaries residing in Italy as well. However, it does not provide an individual formula for partial pensions or the exact amount of the thirteenth payment corresponding to the average of 588 francs. Therefore, the amount of 2’520 francs cannot be presented as a universal amount for all pensioners residing in Italy.

Key points

The audience does not coincide with a single work history

The 225,316 beneficiaries resident in Italy are not presented by the source as a homogeneous group in terms of citizenship or career. The majority component is made up of Italian citizens who have worked in Switzerland for periods of varying duration, paid Swiss contributions and then returned to their homeland. The source links the allocation to years of contributions, but does not indicate how many years each beneficiary has accumulated.

A second category is made up of Swiss citizens who have chosen Italy for their retirement. For this choice, the text refers to the geographical proximity, the favorable climate and an average lower cost of living compared to the Confederation. The third includes former workers of other nationalities who, once they finished working in Switzerland, permanently established their residence in Italy. The resident data therefore includes multiple profiles and is not presented as a count of former Italian cross-border workers only.

The reform and the data that aren't there

According to the source, the thirteenth AVS was born from a federal vote in March 2024. The people and the cantons approved it with 58.2% of votes in favour, despite the contrary opinion of the Federal Council and the majority of the Swiss Parliament. The text links the new payment to that decision, but does not report the regulatory text of the reform or describe the financing mechanisms in detail. Instead, it quantifies the additional annual outlay intended for residents in Italy and the overall flow of income, without dividing them by nationality, career or individual amount.

This distinction avoids turning an aggregate estimate into a personal amount. The source documents the first disbursement in December 2026 and the inclusion of beneficiaries resident in Italy; does not provide a table with the amount of the thirteenth for each level of annuity. The connection with INPS is also described as a supplement for most holders, but is not quantified for each individual pensioner.

For the institutional reference on the 2026 AVS framework, the [2026 AVS synoptic table] is available (https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/2.01.i). These themes cannot be used to calculate the thirteenth or to add effects on the case described, because they are not covered in the text.

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Source: comozero.it