Employee benefits
Fringe benefits and meal vouchers in Italy: 2026 exemptions
Employee benefits · · 2 min read
By Lorenzo Schiavone · calculator developer · updated on
For 2026, qualifying fringe benefits have a €1,000 annual exemption threshold, increased to €2,000 with qualifying dependent children. Electronic meal vouchers have a separate €10 daily exemption; paper vouchers remain at €4.
The fringe-benefit cliff
The €1,000/€2,000 thresholds apply during 2025–2027 under the statutory conditions. Use the tax value of benefits, rather than the purchase price of a company car. The higher threshold requires the relevant dependent-child declaration.
If the combined annual benefit value exceeds the threshold, the entire amount becomes taxable and contributory, not just the excess. Benefits from multiple employers must be considered together. Eligible reimbursements include specified utilities, main-home rent and mortgage interest, rather than the whole mortgage instalment.
Meal vouchers follow separate rules
For an electronic voucher worth €12 a day, €10 is exempt and only €2 a day is taxable. Paper vouchers have a €4 daily limit. Neither the exempt amount nor the taxable excess is absorbed into the annual fringe-benefit threshold.
Increasing electronic vouchers to €10 is an employer choice, not an automatic entitlement. Meal vouchers are benefits for use, not extra cash arriving in the bank account.
Compare cash and usable value
An ordinary salary increase is reduced by contributions, tax and possible credit tapering. An exempt benefit can preserve usable value but cannot necessarily be spent like cash.
Enter benefits and vouchers separately in the calculator. It shows non-cash value separately and includes the tax and contributions on any taxable portion in estimated take-home pay.
Frequently asked questions
Does exceeding the fringe threshold by €1 tax only €1? ▾
No. It makes the entire fringe-benefit amount taxable under this rule.
Are meal vouchers included in the €1,000 threshold? ▾
No. They have their own daily exemption and only their daily excess becomes taxable.
Sources and method
- Ministry of Labour · 2026 budget measures
- Agenzia delle Entrate · circular 4/E · 16 May 2025
- Agenzia delle Entrate · resolution 26/E · meal vouchers
An informational guide to the 2026 rules. Examples are annual estimates under the stated assumptions. Average pay does not reproduce a monthly payslip. Prior-year municipal rates are marked as estimates.