Italy has one of the oldest populations in Europe, and in many households an elderly parent or grandparent now needs help to wash, dress, eat, take medicines or simply not be alone during the day. For decades, Italian families have filled that gap by hiring a badante, a home carer who sometimes lives with the person being cared for. Alongside them work colf, the domestic helpers who keep homes running, and the assistants who staff residential care homes. Together they form a care workforce that is quietly essential to Italian family life.
This article explains what caregiver work in Italy really involves. It covers the main roles, the national domestic work agreement and its 2026 minimum rates for live-in and hourly carers, how working hours and rest are protected, what families must pay on top of wages, how jobs in care homes (RSA) differ from home care, the 18 February 2026 click day for family care workers, and the emotional side of the job. It is general career information and is not a job offer.
Why Italian Families Turn to Home Carers
Many older Italians prefer to stay in their own homes rather than move to a residential facility, and families often feel strongly about that choice. Adult children may live in another city or work full time, so a carer becomes the daily link between the elderly person, the family and the doctor. Public home-care services exist, but they usually cover only a few hours a week. As a result, the private family employer, not a company, is the most common hirer of care workers in Italy.
This has a big effect on the job. Your employer is usually a son, daughter or the elderly person themselves. There is no HR department, and much depends on trust, clear agreements and a good relationship in a shared home.
Five Care Roles and How They Differ
Live-In Badante (Badante Convivente)
The live-in carer moves into the family home and supports one person with daily living: personal hygiene, meals, medicines at set times, light housework, walks and company. Room and board are provided by the family. The role suits people who want to save money and can accept living in someone else’s house with limited privacy.
Hourly Badante (Badante Non Convivente)
The hourly carer lives in their own accommodation and comes for agreed hours, for example mornings for washing and breakfast, or afternoons for company and errands. Some hourly carers work for two or three families. Pay is calculated by the hour, and you cover your own rent and food.
Night Assistant (Assistenza Notturna)
Some families need someone only at night, to help with turning in bed, trips to the bathroom or simply to be present. The domestic agreement treats night assistance as a separate arrangement with its own rates, and it is often combined with a daytime carer from another family.
Domestic Helper (Colf)
A colf cleans, washes and irons, shops and sometimes cooks, without personal care duties. Colf work is often hourly and spread over several homes. Experienced colf who also cook or manage a household can be placed at higher levels of the agreement.
Care Home Assistant in an RSA (OSS or ASA)
Residential care homes, called RSA (residenze sanitarie assistenziali), employ healthcare assistants to support many residents in shifts. Most RSA roles require a recognised regional qualification such as OSS (operatore socio-sanitario). Staff are employed by the care home or a cooperative under health or social sector agreements, not under the domestic agreement.
The Domestic Work Agreement in Numbers
Home carers and colf are covered by the national collective agreement for domestic work, which sorts workers into levels from A to D, each with a “super” version (AS, BS, CS, DS). Minimum rates are updated every year in line with the cost of living, and from 1 January 2026 they rose by 1 percent. The figures below are published 2026 minimums.
| Who the Level Fits | Live-In, Gross per Month | Living Out, Gross per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| A: new colf, little experience | About €908 | About €6.51 |
| B: experienced colf | About €983 | About €7.01 |
| BS: carer, self-sufficient person | About €1,053 | About €7.45 |
| C: skilled cook or helper | About €1,124 | About €7.86 |
| CS: carer, dependent person | About €1,194 | About €8.30 |
| DS: trained carer, dependent person | About €1,682 incl. role allowance | About €9.97 |
Read these amounts as estimates drawn from published minimum tables; families are free to pay more, and the rules may be updated. Nothing here is a job advert, and we do not act as a recruiter or provide immigration or legal services. Agree your terms in writing with the family, and check current rules with the Italian Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of the Interior and the Italian consulate.
The key difference for carers is between BS and CS. Looking after a person who can still move and manage alone is level BS; caring for someone who is not self-sufficient, for example bedridden or living with advanced dementia, is level CS or higher. Make sure the level on your contract matches the real condition of the person you care for, because it often changes over time.
Live-In or By the Hour: A Practical Comparison
The agreement sets different limits for the two arrangements. A full-time live-in carer can work up to 10 hours a day, not in one block, and up to 54 hours a week. A carer who lives out can work up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Live-in carers are entitled to at least 11 consecutive hours of rest each day, plus a break of at least two hours, usually in the afternoon, when the working day spreads across the morning and evening. Weekly rest is generally 36 hours, part of it on Sunday.
Money works differently too. A live-in carer earns a monthly amount that looks lower than a full week of hourly work, but pays no rent or food. When meals or lodging are not provided, the agreement sets a daily allowance, about €6.66 in 2026 for lunch, dinner and lodging together. An hourly carer may earn more per hour and keep evenings free, but must cover housing, which can be costly in Milan, Rome or Bologna.
What the Family Pays Beyond Wages
- INPS contributions: the family registers the job with INPS and pays contributions every quarter, part of which is deducted from your pay. These count towards your pension and unemployment benefit.
- Thirteenth month: domestic workers receive an extra monthly payment, usually in December.
- TFR: severance builds up each year and is paid when the job ends, including when the person cared for dies or moves to a care home.
- Paid holidays: the agreement gives annual leave, which live-in carers often use to travel home for several weeks.
- Sick pay: domestic workers have a limited number of paid sick days a year, rising with seniority, paid by the family.
- Accident cover: INAIL insurance is included through the contributions the family pays.
When the person you care for passes away, the job usually ends. Notice rules and the payment of TFR still apply, and heirs normally settle what is owed.
Working in an RSA Instead of a Private Home
Care homes offer a different working life: shifts on a rota, a team of colleagues, a nurse in charge and many residents rather than one. Pay follows the sector agreement used by the care home or cooperative, and supplements apply for nights and holidays. The trade-off is that most RSA roles require the OSS qualification or a similar regional certificate, plus reasonable Italian. Many experienced badanti later take an OSS course to move from private homes into care homes or hospitals, where hours are more regular and the work is less isolated.
The February 2026 Click Day for Family Care
EU citizens can work as carers in Italy without a permit. For non-EU citizens, the main route is the Decreto Flussi quota system, which for 2026 to 2028 foresees close to 500,000 entries over three years. Family and domestic care has its own quota, and its 2026 click day was 18 February, with applications accepted until 31 December 2026 while places lasted. The family employer, not the worker, files the request online, and the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione must issue a nulla osta before the worker applies for a visa at the consulate.
Separate out-of-quota rules have also been introduced in recent years for carers of very elderly or disabled people, so families should check current conditions. In every case, be wary of anyone who sells a “guaranteed” badante permit. Fraud in the quota system has been investigated, and paying for a nulla osta is never legitimate.
The Emotional and Physical Weight of Care
Caring for a frail person is meaningful work, but it can be lonely and tiring. Live-in carers may spend most of the day with someone who has memory loss, mood changes or pain, and the line between work and personal time can blur. Lifting and turning a person can strain the back, so ask the family for aids such as a hoist, a shower chair or an adjustable bed, and learn safe moving techniques. Keep in touch with friends, protect your rest hours and speak up early if the workload grows. Many cities have migrant associations and parishes where carers meet on their day off.
Where Families Most Often Search for Carers
Demand is strongest in the regions with the oldest populations and higher family incomes. Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Tuscany and Liguria all have large numbers of elderly residents, and Rome and Lazio are another major centre. Smaller towns and rural areas also need carers, sometimes with less competition, although families there may need a carer who can cope without much public transport. Seaside towns popular with retirees are another steady source of work.
Warning Signs in Care Offers
- A family that refuses to register the job with INPS or wants to pay entirely in cash.
- Duties that are clearly level CS work, such as caring for a bedridden person, on a contract at a lower level.
- No real rest time, no day off or a promise to “sort out holidays later”.
- Your passport kept by the employer or an intermediary.
- An agency abroad asking for large fees for a job or a permit.
Growing a Career in Italian Care Work
Many carers start as colf or hourly badanti, move to live-in work for a few years to save money, and then train as OSS for jobs in care homes, hospitals or home-care cooperatives. Others specialise in dementia care or care for people with disabilities, which can justify level DS and higher family rates. Regional training courses, first aid certificates and steady progress in Italian all improve your options. Good references from families are worth a great deal in a sector where trust decides most hiring.
Caring Work That Holds Families Together
Caregiver jobs in Italy offer steady demand and a national agreement with clear levels, yearly updates and protected rest, whether you live in or come by the hour. The challenges are real: long days, emotional strain and the risk of informal work. Check that your level fits the care you actually give, insist on INPS registration, protect your rest and think early about an OSS qualification. Done that way, care work can be both secure employment and a bridge to a wider career in Italian health and social care.
Common Questions From Future Carers
What is the difference between a badante and a colf in Italy?
A badante gives personal care to an elderly or ill person, while a colf does housework such as cleaning, laundry and shopping. They sit at different levels of the domestic work agreement.
How many hours can a live-in badante work each week?
Under the domestic work agreement, a full-time live-in carer can work up to 54 hours a week and 10 hours a day, with at least 11 consecutive hours of daily rest.
Do I need an OSS certificate to work in an Italian care home?
In most cases, yes. Care homes generally require the OSS or a similar regional qualification, while private home care with families usually does not.
