The discount on your bills is not something you apply for: it arrives on its own, if you have an ISEE
With an ISEE below € 9,796 the discount on electricity, gas, water and waste appears on your bill with no application. The one thing to do is renew the ISEE every year: those who do not renew stop receiving it, and usually never notice.
Redazione Bahay 5 min read
In this article
It is the largest form of support almost nobody claims, and the reason is simple: you do not claim it. It is called the bonus sociale, it is a discount on electricity, gas, water and waste charges, and it appears on your bill by itself.
The only thing you have to do is one: have an ISEE (the Italian means-test indicator) and renew it every year.
Who gets it
From 1 January 2026 the threshold went up:
- ISEE up to € 9,796;
- ISEE up to € 20,000 if the family has at least four dependent children.
Below that figure the system does everything itself: it matches your ISEE with the utility contracts held by your family and applies the discount for twelve months.
How much it is worth
For electricity, in the first quarter of 2026, the yearly discount is:
| People in the household | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 or 2 | € 146.00 | € 12.00 |
| 3 or 4 | € 186.15 | € 15.30 |
| more than 4 | € 204.40 | € 16.80 |
These three figures last three months. ARERA revises them every quarter, so the ones above are the most recent we checked — the date is at the top of the page. If you are reading this later in the year, today's discount is on the ARERA website under «bonus sociale», or on the free number 800 166 654. And in any case the figure that really counts is the one printed on your bill.
For water the discount covers 50 litres a day per person in the household — for a family of four, two hundred litres a day.
Why you will not find the gas and waste figures here
Because a single figure would be wrong for almost everybody, and we would rather say so than print a number you will not find on your bill:
- gas changes with the season and with the climate zone you live in: higher in winter, almost nothing in summer. Milan and Palermo do not get the same amount;
- waste is applied by your municipality, and every municipality has its own rate.
Where to check, today:
- for gas and water, the ARERA website (the authority that sets these amounts), «bonus sociale» section, or the freephone 800 166 654, which answers in Italian;
- for waste, your municipality's tax office: the only one who knows your town's figure;
- in any case, your own bill: the discount appears as a separate line, and that is the real number.
The amounts on this page were checked on the date shown at the bottom. They change every quarter: if you find a different figure, the right one is on your bill — and if you like, tell us it does not add up with the button at the end of the page.
The three conditions that make it fail
The bonus arrives on its own, but only if these are in order. These are the three points where it gets lost, and they are worth checking.
- The electricity or gas contract must be in the name of someone in your family, the one appearing in your ISEE. If the bill is in the landlord's name, or a flatmate's who is not in your household, the discount will not reach you.
- The supply must be domestic and active. It counts even if it is suspended for unpaid bills, which matters: being behind with payments does not exclude you.
- The ISEE must be renewed every year. The bonus lasts twelve months and then stops. Nobody warns you: you find out by looking at the bill.
If the gas system is shared in the building and serves the heating, the bonus may still apply: ask the building manager. For shared water supply, a member of the household needs an active electricity contract.
How to check it is arriving
Look at the bill: the discount appears as a separate line reading «bonus sociale». It is not a discount on the price of energy, it is a sum taken off the total.
If your ISEE is below the threshold and nothing appears on the bill, two things to check: that the ISEE was actually issued (the certificate, not just the application) and that the contract is in the name of someone in your household. Beyond that there is ARERA's freephone number, 800 166 654.
Why this article starts from the ISEE
Because everything here depends on it. An ISEE done in January gets you the discount for the year; an ISEE not done is worth nothing, even if your income is very low.
How to do it, step by step, is in ISEE step by step: how to do it yourself, from your phone. And it is free, on your own or at a CAF (tax assistance centre).
One thing worth more than the discount
The bonus takes a few dozen euros off your year. Changing offer can take off much more, and the two add up: the bonus stays if you switch supplier. You compare on ARERA's Portale Offerte, which is public and sells nothing.
If someone calls saying they can get you the bonus sociale in exchange for a new contract, they are lying: the bonus does not depend on your supplier and nobody can «get it for you». Hang up.
