Pension payments will start from Wednesday 1st April, but for many beneficiaries there will be a nasty “surprise” on the payslip, between sums to be repaid to INPS and reduced amounts compared to the month of March. Unfortunately this is not a joke, but the result of an irregularity detected in last year’s payments. Small consolation: with payment mid-week, there will be no delays or slippages in the disbursement of pension checks.
What happens to the amounts
Why might the April check be lower than the March check for some retirees? There are various factors that can influence the amount, such as the installments of the regional and municipal Irpef surcharges, which will be spread monthly until November. Then there are the social surcharges. Last month the beneficiaries received the current month’s share of 20 euros, together with the arrears of January and February, for a total of 60 euros. In April, however, we will return to the canonical 20 euros, with the absence of arrears which will help make the check “lighter” than the previous one.
The sums to be returned
In addition to these reductions, some pensioners will have to repay some sums erroneously paid by INPS last year. Following a technical recalculation carried out in the first months of the year, the Institute identified irregularities affecting approximately 15 thousand beneficiaries, who received a tax deduction that was not intended for them. These are pensioners with incomes between 20 thousand and 40 thousand euros: the application of the incorrect deduction, a deduction intended exclusively for employees still in service, led to a higher monthly allowance. However, an increased amount was due to an error and not a bonus. As expected in these cases, INPS will proceed with the recovery of the sums, which in some cases even reach one thousand euros. The amount varies based on income and the duration of the error, but all pensioners involved will be forced to return the excess amount.
The recoveries should start with the April 2026 payslip and the majority of pensioners should have already received a communication in the MyInps personal area, where the amount and method of repayment are indicated. The sums may be repaid in a lump sum or in installments, based on the amount of the monthly allowance. Those who receive a higher allowance could see the entire sum withheld immediately, while those with a lower pension will be able to pay it back gradually, so as to avoid too heavy a cut in a single month.
When payments arrive
Returning to the dates, as usual, payments will start from Wednesday 1 April 2026, the first bankable day of the month, which in this case does not coincide with any holiday. Pensions will be paid out on the same day to bank and postal accounts, while those who prefer to collect the check directly at the Post Office counters will be provided with the now usual calendar divided in alphabetical order to avoid queues and long waits:
- From A to B: Wednesday 1 April 2026;
- From C to D: Thursday 2 April 2026;
- E to K: Friday 3 April 2026;
- From L to O: Saturday 4 April 2026;
- From P to R: Tuesday 7 April 2026;
- From S to Z: Wednesday 8 April 2026.
Finally, we would like to remind you that cash withdrawals are only permitted for amounts of less than one thousand euros net. For further information it is advisable to consult the pension payslip in the private area of the INPS website.
The INPS numbers
Today, Wednesday 25 March, the INPS published the annual update of the Observatory on pensions in force as of 1 January 2026 and on new pensions paid in 2025. As of 1 January 2026, a total of 21,257,999 pensions in force were recorded, a slight increase (+0.6%) compared to the 21,141,199 pensions in force as of 1 January 2025. Of these, 79.2% (16,840,238) are of a social security nature and 20.8% (4,417,761) of a welfare nature. The overall annual amount amounts to 353.5 billion euros, of which 325.0 billion disbursed by social security management (+2.3% compared to the previous year) and 28.5 billion by welfare management (+5.6% compared to the previous year).
The management of employees, indicates the social security institute, represents the most significant share, with 53.8% of the total pensions and 41.6% of the amounts paid. In this context, the Employee Pension Fund concentrates 36.7% of the benefits, while the Management of Public Employees accounts for 14.9%. The management of self-employed workers provides 23.9% of the pensions, corresponding to 18.0% of the overall expenditure, while the welfare benefits represent 20.8% of the overall benefits and 8.1% of the expenditure.
Categories and territory
With reference to the categories, among social security benefits, old age pensions prevail (70.7%, of which 54.8% are paid to men), followed by those to survivors (24.5%, with 13.6% to men) and social security disability pensions (4.9%, with 59.1% to men). Welfare benefits mainly consist of civil disability treatments (79.3%, with 42.3% for men), while the remaining 20.7% is represented by pensions and social allowances (38.2% for men). From a territorial point of view, 47.8% of pensions are paid in Northern Italy, 30.9% in the South and Islands and 19.3% in the Centre, while 1.8% is intended for residents abroad. In terms of amounts, the territorial distribution of residents in Italy is equal to 51.6% in the North, 27.6% in the South and Islands, 20.8% in the Centre. From a demographic perspective, the average age of pensioners is 74.3 years, with a difference between the two genders of 4.4 years (71.9 for men and 76.3 for women).
Almost half under 750 euros
47.5% of the pensions in force at the beginning of 2026, therefore 9.7 million out of over 21.25 million treatments, are less than 750 euros per month. Among these 4,091,750 benefits are linked to income. For the overall pension income we need to look not at the payments but at the beneficiaries who in many cases have multiple pensions. 22.4% of treatments (4,755,025) are between 750 and 1,499.99 euros while just 6.5% (1,385,934 treatments) exceed three thousand euros per month. For women, pensions of less than 750 euros are 6,367,348, 53.7 of the benefits paid to females, while for males, pensions in the lowest range are 3,336,668, 35.5 of the benefits received by males. For women, pensions exceeding 3 thousand euros are just 2.4% of the total (279,155) while for men they are 11.8% (1,106,779 allowances).