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Family benefits - Can family benefits be released if children stil llive in their country of origin?

21 November 2003

Dearest, first of all I want to thank you for the service done. A foreign person living and working in Italy has two children, both of them are at his own expenses. One of the two children lives in Italy, the other lives in Polland and the grandmother is in charge of the child.Can this person obtain family benefits for both the children?

Family benefits can only be released to relatives who are under the worker’s expenses and who are regularly living in Italy. Therefore relatives still living in the family country of origin are not entitled to family benefits unless the interested people come from a country who stipulated a specific international convention providing for such a benefit.

There’s in fact a bilateral convention on social security signed by Italy and Tunisia (but also by Capo Verde Republic). This convention recognizes the chance of granting welfare benefits also to relatives living in the country of origin. Unfortunately no similar conventions were stipulated between Italy and Polland.
Remember anyway that relatives still living in the country of origin can be part of Irpef tax deductions. Italian law provides for that workers have some sort of taxation discount in case relatives are under their expenses. This deduction won’t engage problems with employers and anyone can apply for it.