As of November 21, 2025, the Italian Ministry of Labour has simplified the process to merge pension contributions (“ricongiungere i contributi”) between different pension regimes. This now includes the INPS Gestione Separata.
In concrete terms, professionals can now transfer their contribution periods both to and from the Gestione Separata:
- from other pension schemes into the Gestione Separata;
- from the Gestione Separata into other pension schemes, including professional pension funds (“Casse professionali”).
This is a big deal, especially for self-employed professionals who have contributed in more than one system over their careers.
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Why This Matters: Unlocking Value from Fragmented Contributions
Before this change, the Gestione Separata had often been treated as “isolated”. It was hard or impossible to join those contribution years with ones made in a professional Cassa.
But now, thanks to the Ministry’s clarifications, those fragmented contributions don’t have to stay separate. Professionals who paid into both INPS (via Gestione Separata) and their Cassa can reunite these periods, which helps them build a more valuable and coherent pension history.
This isn’t just a theoretical benefit: joining those periods lets you apply the rules of the “destination” pension scheme when calculating your future pension. For many, that can mean a higher pension or better eligibility.
How to Do It: Procedural Steps & Requirements
Here’s how the ricongiunzione works under the new rules.
1. Submit a Formal Request
Person who wants to do the ricongiunzione must file a formal application. The request must include all the contribution periods from at least two different pension schemes (mandatory, voluntary, figurative). You cannot “partially” merge: if you ask for ricongiunzione, you need to request all relevant periods.
2. Conditions on Use
The periods you want to merge must not already have been used to calculate a current pension. If there are overlapping contribution years (i.e., two schemes at once), the law gives priority to “actual work” periods.
3. Cost to the Worker
There’s usually a cost (“onere economico”) for making this transfer. For contributory (more recent) periods, the cost is calculated based on your reference income and the current contribution rate. The worker pays 50% of the difference between the computed “onere” and the sum of contributions being transferred, plus compound interest (4.5%) per year.
If the value of the contributions being transferred already covers the “onere,” you don’t pay anything extra, but you don’t get a refund of any “excess” either. Good news: this payment can be spread over time (i.e., installment plan).
What’s Driving the Change: Legal and Institutional Momentum
Over the years, several court rulings (including from the Court of Cassation) have supported the right of professionals to merge their Gestione Separata contributions into their Cassa. The Adepp (Association of private / privatized pension funds) has welcomed the Ministry’s move. They see it as a long-awaited recognition of professionals’ full contribution history.
Furthermore, INPS already has a platform for “ricongiunzione contributi” that works via a telematic exchange with the Casse previdenziali. Even though the Ministry gave guidance in November, INPS still needs to issue a detailed operational circular so that people can apply “in practice.”
Pros and Trade-offs: What Professionals Should Think About
Pros:
- you get a single, unified pension rather than fragmented ones;
- maximizing the value of all your contribution years;
- you might benefit from a more favorable calculation regime (e.g., retributive or “mixed” pension) in a professional Cassa.
Trade-offs:
- the process has costs, which depend on how much you contributed and how the destination scheme computes pensions;
- you need to wait for INPS’s full operational instructions to make the request;
- if you’ve already used some of your periods in a prior pension, you might not be eligible for merging.
Indeed, if you have already benefited your pension, maybe you have lost your possibility to have an higher income from your past work.
A Real Opportunity, But Act Wisely
Thanks to the new interpretation from the Ministry of Labour, ricongiungere la Gestione Separata con le Casse professionali is no longer just a legal argument: it’s a real, practical option for many professionals. This reform empowers self-employed workers to put all their pension contributions to good use, increasing their retirement prospects.
If you’re a professional who has paid into both INPS Gestione Separata and your Cassa, now is the time to evaluate your pension history. So talk to a patronato or a pension expert, and prepare your ricongiunzione application once INPS publishes the detailed guidance.
