INPS Exited Workers 2026: Farewell to ‘Slides’, Here’s the Definitive Guide to Bridge Payments

Lads, make yourselves comfortable, because the whole INPS exited workers saga has just taken an unexpected turn. We left off in December with yet another extension of the old ‘slides’, and then on 3 April 2026 – bang: no more ‘exited workers’ as we knew them. INPS’s own word, after years of delays and negotiations. They’ve cracked the code with bridge payments, and as of today everything changes for those hoping to leave work before reaching old-age pension. Pull up a stool, grab a coffee, and I’ll explain how it works, who gains, and why this might be the most humane reform in the last ten years.

Goodbye to slides: INPS closes the era of exited workers

Let’s take a step back. For at least a decade, the word “exited worker” gave any employee over 55 the heebie-jeebies. It was that limbo between losing your job and getting your pension, where you’d slide into a company ‘scivolo’ hoping not to fall into thin air. Every year, the same dance: government, unions, INPS scraping together a last-minute extension. But now, the tune has changed. INPS has decided to close the book with a structural bridge payment – no more annual patches. The news is fresh from yesterday, and the specialist press has already dubbed it “the end of the exited workers”.

In plain English: from 2026 onwards, if you meet certain criteria you no longer have to pray for a slide. You receive a monthly payment from INPS that bridges the gap until your actual pension kicks in. And the amount? It depends on years of contributions and your last salary, but rumours put it somewhere between €1,200 and €1,800 gross. Not a giveaway, but at least you know it’s coming and you don’t have to fight an appeal every six months.

A practical guide to find your way (without losing your mind)

Right, but how do you figure out if you’re in or out? Here’s a mini INPS guide for exited workers done the way I like it: clear, no bureaucratese. INPS published the operational instructions yesterday, and after reading them calmly (yes, I also queued for an hour at the office today, to test it myself), I’ve pulled out these key points:

• Age and contribution requirements: at least 55 years old and 30 years of contributions paid. Or 60 years old with 20 years of contributions. No more weird exemptions.
• Involuntary job loss: you must have been made redundant, or the company must have closed or undergone a major restructuring. If you resign voluntarily, no bridge payment.
• Mandatory online application: only via the INPS website using SPID or CIE. Watch the deadlines: the first window closes on 30 June 2026.
• Payment revalued every year: the amount tracks inflation (at least that’s the promise), and it’s paid for a maximum of 48 months. If your pension starts earlier, the bridge payment stops automatically.

If you want an INPS assessment of exited workers for this new mechanism, I’ll give it to you in two words: finally something straightforward. No more slides that start and stop, no more “maybe they’ll change the rules next year”. The bridge payment is a stable measure, and that takes the anxiety out of thousands of workers who still have the energy to work but can’t wait until they’re 67.

How to use the bridge payment: instructions for use

The question everyone asks me at the pub is: “Marco, how do I use the new bridge payment without making mistakes?” I’ll explain it simply. First thing: don’t trust fly-by-night patronato centres. Go to a proper CAF or a labour consultant who knows your company. The procedure is 100% digital, but a mistake filling in the online form can cost you months of waiting. Second: have all your documents ready that prove the redundancy or business closure. Your last payslip, the notice of termination, and your tax returns for the last two years. INPS has gotten strict on self-declarations.

Third point, crucial: after you submit the application, within 60 days INPS must respond with an acceptance or a refusal. If you don’t hear back, you can file a complaint via certified email. I’ve already seen the first colleagues receive the payment within 45 days, so the system seems to work. But watch the deadline: the window for the first batch closes at the end of June 2026, then reopens in October. Don’t leave it to the last day because the site will crash.

And company slides? What remains

A note for the sharp-eyed: individual agreements with companies for “pure” exited workers don’t disappear entirely. If you had already signed a slide before 31 March 2026, that remains valid until its natural expiry. But for all new cases from April 2026 onwards, it’s only the bridge payment. INPS has cleared out the thousand exceptions that made the system unmanageable for years. And I’ll tell you the truth: as a former union rep, this simplification is a godsend. I’ve seen too many colleagues get lost in appeals and court rulings. Now finally a straight road.

The only downside? The maximum amount of the bridge payment is lower than some generous slides from big companies. But it’s guaranteed by the State, it doesn’t depend on your former employer’s financial health. And with your pension approaching, better a certain payment than a company promise, right?

So, the era of INPS exited workers as we’ve known it ends here. If you’re between 55 and 62 and have lost your job, run and read INPS’s official statement from yesterday. Or better yet, drop by and I’ll give you a hand. Because some things, when you’ve lived through them, you never forget. And I’ve walked hundreds of exited workers to the exit. Finally I can tell them: “Lads, the bridge is solid. You can cross.”