An Italian man was notified to return around 19,000 euros to his country’s Social Security after doing a little family work during his retirement. The case serves as a warning for those who are considering accumulating work and pension without confirming, in detail, the applicable regime.
The protagonist is Angelo Menapace, a former baker and pensioner under the “Quota 100” scheme, who decided to help a cousin in the family fish shop for a short period. According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, he worked around 30 hours in a month and received 280 euros.
The thirty-hour job that was expensive
The notification from INPS (the Italian institute responsible for pensions) did not arise due to the amount earned, but due to the incompatibility rule provided for in the “Quota 100” regime. Italian Decree-Law No. 4/2019 establishes that this early pension cannot be accumulated with income from employment or self-employment up to the legal old-age pension age, with the exception of occasional self-employment within the annual limit of 5,000 euros.
In this specific case, the INPS considered that there was a violation of this incompatibility and demanded the return of around 19,000 euros, an amount presented as equivalent to one year of pension.
The legal battle continues (and the issue of sanctions is open)
According to , a portal specializing in labor and housing legislation, Menapace contested the decision and the case ended up before the labor courts. In parallel, the legal discussion in Italy has focused on a sensitive point: what consequence should the violation of the divieto di cumulo have in practice when the work is reduced and of low value.
The Corte Costituzionale, in sentence no. 162/2025, did not annul the “Quota 100” rule, but considered a similar issue inadmissible and highlighted that there is not yet a consolidated jurisprudential interpretation that imposes, as the only reading, the loss of all annual treatment. In practice, the decision points to the need for ordinary courts to analyze and interpret the scope of the consequences in each case.
Situations of incompatibility between pension and work have generated high returns in other systems. In Spain, for example, the Spanish press reported a case in which the return of more than 58 thousand euros was confirmed in a process of incompatibilities, showing that, when the activity is not compatible or is not regularized under the required terms, the settling of accounts can be difficult.
Even when it comes to family support and symbolic values, the practical rule is simple: before accepting any paid work, it is essential to confirm whether the pension in question allows accumulation and under what conditions, and whether there are limits, exceptions and reporting duties.
What if the case happened in Portugal?
In Portugal, the accumulation of the old-age pension with income from work is, as a rule, permitted. Even so, there are relevant restrictions in Decree-Law No. 187/2007.
On the one hand, the absolute disability pension cannot be accumulated with employment income, and violation may result in the loss of the right to the pension for the period in question, in addition to the refund of unduly paid benefits and sanctioning consequences.
On the other hand, in the case of early old-age pensions granted under the flexibilization regime and under the very long contributory careers regime, accumulation through work in the same company or business group is prohibited for three years. If this rule is violated, there may be loss of the right in the corresponding period, refund of amounts and application of the respective sanctioning regime, including administrative offenses.
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