Social electricity bonus: goodbye extraordinary contribution, here’s how the amounts change from 1st April

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From April goodbye to the extraordinary contribution of the social electricity bonus which, to date, it adds up to the ordinary one. Designed to help families in financial difficulty, the extraordinary contribution it was introduced by the Government in 2023 and then reconfirmed with the Budget Law in the last quarter of 2023 and in the first quarter of 2024. From April therefore we will return to basic version of the electricity social bonus, with an amount quantified directly by Arera (the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment). The amount of the benefit will not be “flat”, but will vary depending on the number of members within the family unit, as declared in the Single Self-Declaration. A step towards larger families who have particularly suffered the cost of living in the previous two years.

Lighter amount

As the extraordinary contribution ceases, the amount of the benefit decreases. Before seeing the amounts, it should be remembered that the discount applied to the bill will be the same every month. So, for example, if the discount is equal to 20 euros per month, in each bimonthly bill, families who can access the social electricity bonus will find 40 euros discount. Remaining only the ordinary contribution, these will be the bonus amounts starting from April 1st. However, a clarification must be made: the social electricity bonus is paid either for reasons of poverty or for reasons of physical discomfort. In the latter case, unlike those who access it for economic reasons, the taxpayer is entitled to a discount which varies based on consumption and power bands expressed in kW.

The value of the bonus increases as the number of members of the family unit increases

For 2024, excluding the extraordinary contribution which, as mentioned, has not been renewed, the overall value of the bonus for the entire year remains as always linked to the size of the family unit and therefore grows as the number of members increases: it ranges from 142.74 euros for a family with 1-2 members to 183 euros for one with 3-4 members, and then reaching the threshold of 201.30 euros for large families (over 4 members).

Relief for physical discomfort

If you access the benefit due to physical discomfort, the ISEE is not necessary to obtain the electricity bonus and the application must be submitted to the Municipality of residence. If, however, you access the bonus for reasons of poverty, the ISEE requirements just seen apply and it is not necessary to apply, because the benefit is paid automatically as long as you fill out the DSU and have the ISEE. 2024.

Correlation between poverty and number of children

The Istat data analyzed by the Openpolis #conibambini educational poverty observatory certify the correlation between poverty and the number of children. Families in absolute poverty (here to understand how poverty is measured in Italy) are 8.3% of the total in Italy, but with large differences: The end of the extraordinary economic contribution for the electricity bonus is facilitated by the end of the winter and the drop in the price of electricity in March 2024. Inflation also slows down, but its effects on the poorest families will remain for a long time. In 2023, in fact, the increase in interest rates, food and raw materials for energy has swallowed up Italians’ expenses. In percentage terms, mandatory expenditure in 2023 represented 41.5% of total consumption, marking a clear +4.9% compared to 1995. Between 1995 and 2023 the average price of marketable goods grew by almost 53%, that of obligatory expenses increased by 120% with the energy component rising by almost 175%. A situation that had led the government to introduce an extraordinary contribution to the Light Bonus which from 1 April, however, will only be subsidized through the ordinary contribution.