Hiring guide · EMEA
How to hire in Italy
To hire in Italy you need an entity registered with INPS and INAIL, or an Employer of Record that holds those registrations. Employer contributions add roughly 29–32% of salary, plus TFR severance accruing at about 7.4% of annual pay, with 13 or 14 monthly payments.
- Currency
- EUR
- Payroll cycle
- Monthly, 13–14 payments
- Employer cost
- ~29–32% + TFR
- Notice
- Set by the CCNL
The talent market in Italy
Italy has strong industrial, automotive and design engineering talent alongside a growing software sector in Milan, Turin, Rome and Bologna, with salary levels below France and Germany for comparable seniority.
The national collective agreement — the CCNL — governs almost every employment relationship, setting salary levels, job classifications, notice, probation and the number of annual salary payments. Selecting the correct CCNL and level is the first structural decision in any Italian offer.
Salary benchmarks in Italy
Indicative annual gross base salary in EUR for common roles. Treat these as planning ranges — actual offers move with city, seniority, sector and equity mix, and we model a live benchmark before you go to offer.
| Role | Annual gross base |
|---|---|
| Software engineer (mid) | EUR 38,000 – 52,000 |
| Senior software engineer | EUR 52,000 – 72,000 |
| Account executive (SaaS) | EUR 45,000 – 70,000 incl. variable |
| Customer support specialist | EUR 24,000 – 33,000 |
Employment rules and payroll in Italy
The statutory framework any offer has to sit inside — hours, leave, notice and the contributions that turn salary into fully loaded cost.
Working week
40 hours, with a 48-hour average cap including overtime
Probation
Set by the CCNL, commonly up to 6 months for senior roles
Notice period
Set by the CCNL by level and service, typically 1–4 months
Paid leave
At least 4 weeks, often more under the CCNL, plus ex-festività hours
Public holidays
12 days including the local patron saint's day
Payroll cycle
Monthly, with a 13th and often a 14th payment
Employer contributions
~29–32% INPS plus INAIL, and TFR severance accrual of about 7.4% of annual salary
Contractor, EOR employee or your own entity?
Three ways to engage someone in Italy. The right one depends on how permanent the role is, how much direction you give, and how much local risk you want to carry.
Contractor
Fastest to start and simplest to end. Suitable for genuinely independent, project-scoped work where the person controls how and when they deliver, invoices you, and works for other clients. No statutory benefits, no notice period, no severance.
Employee via EOR
The right structure for a full-time role with fixed hours, managerial direction and exclusivity. A licensed in-country partner is the legal employer, so the person gets a compliant contract, statutory benefits and local payroll — without you opening an entity.
Your own entity
Worth it once headcount, permanence and local revenue justify the incorporation, tax registration, statutory filings and local directorship. Most companies reach that point somewhere between 15 and 30 employees in a single country.
Misclassification risk in Italy
Italy presumes subordinate employment for continuous, personally performed and client-organised work — the co.co.co and partita IVA routes are narrowly scoped. Reclassification brings back INPS contributions with penalties, TFR from the start date, and CCNL-level minimum pay differences.
Work permits and right to work
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals work freely. Others generally need a nulla osta work authorisation, in most cases within the annual decreto flussi quota, followed by a visa and residence permit. The EU Blue Card route is available for qualifying highly skilled roles and sits outside the quota.
Hire in Italy without an entity
TalentStores orchestrates Employer of Record employment in Italy through licensed in-country partners, with cost modelled before you extend an offer.
Explore Employer of Record- Fully loaded cost modelled before offer
- Licensed partner matched, not assumed
- One contract, one consolidated bill
Hiring in Italy: frequently asked questions
What is TFR and how is it funded?
Trattamento di fine rapporto is a statutory deferred severance benefit accruing at roughly 7.4% of annual salary, payable on any termination including resignation. It is either provisioned by the employer or transferred to a pension fund, and it must be accrued monthly.
Which CCNL applies to a software role?
Most technology employers apply the Metalmeccanico, Commercio or Terziario agreements depending on the business activity. The choice sets minimum salary levels, notice, probation and the number of annual payments, so it should be confirmed before an offer is issued.
Can we hire in Italy without an Italian entity?
Yes. An Italian Employer of Record employs the person under its own INPS and INAIL registrations, applies the correct CCNL and level, provisions TFR, and issues payroll with the 13th and 14th payments where the agreement requires them.
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Get the Italy Hiring Cost Guide
A country brief covering fully loaded employment cost in EUR, salary benchmarks by role, statutory contributions, leave and notice rules, and a sample offer breakdown for Italy.