Italy launches €1 billion grocery card giving €1,000 to 1.17 million families

Program expansion and funding breakdown

The Italian government launched the fourth consecutive edition of the Carta Dedicata a Te purchasing card on 21 September 2026, allocating more than €1 billion across 2026 and 2027 to assist low-income households. The initiative, first established in 2023 under the Meloni administration, grants €1,000 per recipient household delivered in two equal instalments. Italy's 2026 budget law committed €500 million for 2026 and €500 million for 2027. Unused residual funds from 2025, totalling about €91 million, raise the overall funding available for 2026 to €591,029,831. Total spending allocated to the program since 2023 ranges between €2.5 billion and €2.7 billion depending on official accounting records. Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida announced the details at a joint press conference at the ministry headquarters in Rome.

Over 1 billion euros will be available, 1,000 euros per family. A concrete choice that strengthens support for the most fragile households and will allow over 1.1 million families to find the first 500 euros credited to their card on 4 November and another 500 euros in April 2027.

Disbursement timeline and activation requirements

The government scheduled the first €500 payment for 4 November 2026, when funds will be loaded directly onto rechargeable electronic prepaid cards issued by Poste Italiane. Beneficiaries must complete their first purchase using the card by 16 December 2026 to validate and maintain access to the funds. Failure to carry out an initial transaction by the December deadline results in the forfeiture of the entire subsidy. The remaining €500 payment is scheduled to arrive starting in April 2027 for all active cards. In regional breakdowns, 1,283 families in the Valle d'Aosta region qualify for the support package.

Selection process and income criteria

Qualification for the card does not require citizens to submit a formal application. The national social security agency INPS identifies eligible households automatically through registry lists confirmed by local municipal administrations. Eligible households must comprise at least three members, hold an annual Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator (ISEE) below €15,000, and have no access to other state social inclusion schemes or poverty relief subsidies. Minister of Labour and Social Policies Marina Calderone, INPS President Gabriele Fava, and Poste Italiane Director General Giuseppe Lasco attended the presentation alongside ANCI President and Mayor of Naples Gaetano Manfredi.

Retail agreements and food spending

The card balance is restricted to essential grocery purchases, with a focus on Italian agricultural and food production. Cardholders also obtain a 15% discount on food purchases through ministerial agreements arranged between the agriculture ministry and major retail chains, including Federdistribuzione members, Ancc Coop, Ancd Conad, and Lidl. This 15% reduction stacks with existing retail discounts offered in participating stores. Carlo Alberto Buttarelli, president of Federdistribuzione, represented large-scale food distributors at the presentation. Lollobrigida stated that 90% of the program's expenditure flows back into the Italian agricultural economy through purchases of domestically produced food items.