WHAT IS THE SOCIAL BONUS?
The electricity and gas subsidy is the compensation scheme for expenditure incurred by domestic customers and was introduced in 2009 by the government.
The social bonus is regulated by the Authority with the cooperation of municipalities. Those families experiencing economic and/or physical hardship may apply for it, regardless of the supplier to whom the electricity and gas utilities are entrusted.
"For the year 2023," Arera stressed in a statement released on December 29, 2022, "families with an Isee level of up to 15 thousand euros (a threshold that rises to 20 thousand euros for large families) will be eligible for social bonuses. Bonuses will be disbursed directly in the bill to all eligible families, provided they have a valid Isee and within the specified threshold, in the year 2023".
" With the new Bills Decree (DL March 30, 2023) the social energy bonus has been extended until June 2023 ".
WHO CAN APPLY FOR THE ELECTRICITY AND GAS BONUS?
As with all types of tax reliefs, even for the one reserved for electricity and gas, it is necessary to fall within certain parameters to take advantage of it. Here are the cases in which you are entitled to receive compensation on your electricity and gas bill.
Electricity bonus
Who is entitled to it? Bonus for economic hardship: all domestic clients holding an electricity supply for their home of residence and with an ISEE certification up to:
- 15,000 euros €for the generality of those eligible;
- or 20,000 euros € for households with 4 or more dependent children.
Bonus for serious health condition-physical hardship: all household clients suffering from serious illness or hosting a person suffering from such illness that makes it necessary to use electromedical equipment are eligible.
Gas bonus
Who is entitled to it? All direct or indirect household clients, that is, holders of a direct supply contract or served by a condominium system (indirect clients) are eligible for the discount if they meet these characteristics:
- belonging to a household with anISEE income not exceeding 15,000 euros €;
- belonging to a household with 4 or more dependent children and an ISEE income not exceeding 20,000 euros€;
- with gas meter class no higher than G6 (this figure, simply put, indicates the flow rate of the meter and is verified by the distributor).
The bonus applies only to the supply of natural gas transported by distribution networks, thus excluding LPG and gas in cylinders. The relief is available to both free market and greater protection service clients and is also cumulative. This means that multiple bonuses can be cumulated and it is possible to receive compensation for both economic hardship and serious health conditions.
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF THE SOCIAL BONUS IN 2023?
The value of the social bonus is set annually by the Authority. Also for the second quarter of 2023, as well as for 2022, the government has provided for a reinforcement of the electric and gas social bonuses in order to curb increments in supply expenses resulting from the increases registered in electricity and natural gas prices. This bonus is calculated with reference to various factors listed below:
Electricity bonus for economic hardship
The Authority annually determines the social bonus, which allows those who take advantage of it to save on their annual electricity bill.
The value of the discount varies depending on the number of family members. For the
rnsecond quarter of 2023, the ordinary bonus with the addition of the supplementary one are summarized in the table below:
Family
size |
Annual ordinary
bonus / POD |
Supplementary bonus
2nd° quarter of 2023 |
| 1 - 2 components |
120.45 €
|
19.11 €
|
| 3 - 4 components |
149.65 €
|
21.84 €
|
| more than 4 components |
167.90 €
|
22.75 €
|
Electricity bonus for physical hardship
The social bonus for serious health conditions, for physical hardship, depends on the contracted power, life-saving electromedical equipment used, and daily time of use.
The values in force in the second quarter of 2023 related to ordinary bonus + temporary supplementary compensation apply to extra consumption compared to a typical user (2700/kWh/year) and are differentiated by meter power:
- from 59.08 €to 137.55 €for consumption up to 600 kWh per year;
- from 92.26 €to 169.64 € for consumption between 600 and 1.200 kWh per year;
- from 128.61 €to 200.66 €for consumption over 1,200 kWh per year.
Gas Bonus Value
The value of the bonus will be differentiated:
- by type of gas use (cooking food and hot water only, heating only, or cooking food, hot water and heating together);
- by number of people residing in the dwelling;
- by climate zone of residence (so as to take into account the specific heating needs of different localitions).
For thesecond quarter of 2023 the ordinary and the supplementary bonuses for E-classified climate zones (e.g.: Milan and neighboring municipalities) are summarized in the table below:
Type
of use |
Families up to 4 members |
Families with more than 4 members |
annual
ordinary
bonus |
supplementary bonus
II q. 23 |
annual
ordinary
bonus |
supplementary
bonus
II q. 23 |
Domestic hot water and/or
Cooking + Heating |
29.20 € |
18.20 € |
36.50 € |
21.84 € |
| Heating |
80.30€ |
- |
98.55 € |
- |
Domestic hot water and/or
Cooking + Heating |
109.50 € |
- |
135.05 € |
- |
HOW TO APPLY FOR ELECTRICITY AND GAS RELIEF?
Recognition of the 2023 bills bonus will occur automatically, however, it will be necessary to submit the DSU (Single Self-Declaration / Single Substitute Declaration) every year for access to a subsidized social benefit. Bonuses are also automatically activated for households receiving Citizenship Income, for which ISEE must still be applied for annually.
INPS (i.e.,National social security institute) sends the data of beneficiary citizens on the basis of DSUs to an information system that searches for a direct electricity and/or natural gas supply contract in the name of one of the tax codes of the members of the ISEE household, cross-referencing the data received from INPS regarding the household with the data contained in the database of electricity and natural gas supply contracts.
To apply, it is necessary to fill out the appropriate forms and deliver them to the municipality of residence or to another institution that may be designated by the same municipality (for example, Taxpayer Assistance Centers - CAFs, Associations of mountain municipalities, etc.).
WHAT FORMS DO YOU NEED TO APPLY?
- Form A (filled out): it is sufficient to fill in the boxes related to the electricity or gas supply or both in case you are applying for both electricity and gas bonuses;
- Valid ISEE statement;
- Attached tax code with ISEE household members;
You will be able to download all the necessary documentation on the t/forms">Forms page.
Attached to the forms, these documents should also be brought along:
- https://www.sportelloperilconsumatore.it.
HOW DO I VERIFY THAT THE BONUS HAS BEEN PAID TO ME?
If the relief is granted to you, you will find in your bill a specific message from the Authority informing you that the right has been granted.
The amount of the bonus being disbursed can be found on the bill under the Social Bonus entry. You can check the status of the application: