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ISEE and wealth: what counts and what doesn't (2026 changes)

ISEE decides access to benefits, fees and discounts. Income counts, but so does wealth: knowing what enters the calculation avoids mistakes and helps you plan.

by Davide Valentini

What ISEE is and why wealth counts

ISEE measures a household's economic situation, to access benefits and discounts (school fees, bonuses, allowances, tariffs). It combines income and wealth, adjusted for household composition. Wealth includes financial assets (accounts, securities, funds) and property (homes, land, net of mortgages).

What enters financial wealth

  • Current and deposit accounts: balances count (normally the balance at 31 December two years earlier, or the average balance if higher).
  • Securities, ETFs, funds, shares: count at their value.
  • Savings and investment policies: generally count at the amount paid in or surrender value.

There is an allowance on financial wealth, which depends on household composition. For the exact amount, see the INPS guidance.

Government bonds up to €50,000

Since 2024, government bonds (BOT, BTP, CCT, CTZ), postal savings bonds and postal passbooks are excluded from ISEE up to €50,000 in total per household. If you exceed that, only the excess counts: with €60,000 of postal bonds, €10,000 is taken into account. The exclusion comes from the 2024 Budget Law (Law 213/2023).

Careful: in the pre-filled DSU, INPS applies the exclusion automatically; if you fill the declaration yourself, you must leave those amounts out. A wrong entry can have consequences, so ask a tax assistance centre (CAF) if in doubt.

The main home and the new 2026 ISEE

From 1 January 2026 there is a specific indicator, called ISEE for specific family benefits and for inclusion, introduced by the 2026 Budget Law. It applies to five benefits: the Inclusion Allowance, the Training and Work Support, the single universal child allowance, the nursery bonus and the newborn bonus.

  • The allowance on the main home's value rises to €91,500 (it was €52,500), and to €120,000 for residents of metropolitan-city capitals.
  • The €2,500 increase per cohabiting child now applies from the second child.
  • The property's value is taken net of the outstanding mortgage.

For other benefits the ordinary ISEE remains. INPS recalculates DSUs submitted from 1 January 2026 automatically.

What it means for your choices

  • Those with cash to park who want to stay under certain ISEE thresholds can consider government bonds within the €50,000 limit. But the instrument should be chosen for your plan, not for ISEE: savings shouldn't be distorted to get a bonus worth a few hundred euros. See deposit account or short-term bonds.
  • Paying off a mortgage early changes net property wealth: an effect to consider, without making it the main reason. See pay off the mortgage or invest.
  • Thresholds for the various bonuses change every year: check the call or regulation of the benefit.

Sources

ISEE rules are evolving: always check the updated picture on the INPS website before filing a DSU.

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For information and education only. This is not investment advice or a personal recommendation. Tax and pension rules change over time: always check current requirements with official sources (INPS, Agenzia delle Entrate).