From permits that can be used on the same day to the state guarantee of up to 80% for the first home loan: the news for caregivers and workers who assist family members with disabilities
Double permits, no more night shifts, concessions on first home mortgages and many other new features. New interpretations, sentences and reforms in recent months have intervened on Law 104, redesigning the lives of thousands of caregivers who deal with family members with disabilities on a daily basis.
Double permits: when they increase and for whom
“Double permits” does not mean an increase in the hours of leave available, but greater freedom in organizing them, when more than one family member takes care of the same person with a disability. The news only concerns public employees in the Central Functions sector (ministries, tax agencies, non-economic public bodies). The typical situation is that of two brothers, or a child and a spouse, both employed in this sector, who alternate in caring for the same parent or relative. Until now, these two people had to use their absent hours on different days. From now (as clarified by Aran, the agency that negotiates collective agreements for public administrations) the two caregivers can be absent on the same working day. But two conditions are needed: the hours of leave must not overlap, and the overall limit of 18 hours per month for assistance to that person remains valid. In concrete terms? One caregiver can use leave from 8am to 12pm and the other from 2pm to 6pm, on the same day; or, with consecutive hours, one from 8 to 12 and the other from 12 to 4. What remains excluded is that both are absent, say, from 9 to 1 at the same time. It is good to remember that for employees of local authorities, healthcare, schools and all workers in the private sector, nothing changes.
First home mortgage: state guarantee of up to 80% for those who have disabilities or care for a family member
Then there is economic news on access to housing. From 3 August 2026, people with serious disabilities, and those who have lived for at least two years with a child, a brother or a sister with a serious disability, have access to the first home mortgage guarantee fund, managed by Consap for the Ministry of Economy. The Fund does not give money away and does not pay for part of the house. It is a public guarantee that the bank can enforce if the borrower does not pay the instalments, and which serves to facilitate access to credit for those who do not have a substantial advance. In practice, it covers 50% of the principal amount of the mortgage, a percentage that rises up to 80% for those with an ISEE not exceeding 40 thousand euros. However, there are limits: the mortgage cannot exceed 250 thousand euros, luxury homes (villas and castles) are excluded and you cannot already own another home (with exceptions for homes received as an inheritance or given for free use to parents or siblings). To access, simply contact a bank participating in the Fund, with ISEE, income documents and purchase agreement: Consap responds in approximately 20 working days, then the mortgage must be signed within 90 days.
No night shifts and availability even without serious disabilities
A third innovation concerns night work. In June the Supreme Court reiterated that the right to refuse night shifts to assist a family member does not require recognition of serious disability: an assessment of disability is sufficient, even without the severity requirement. However, two conditions remain: there must be effective and proven assistance and the family member must be dependent on the worker in this welfare sense, not necessarily fiscally. The civil disability report alone, without an assessment pursuant to 104, is not enough. To exercise the right, it is necessary to communicate it in writing to the employer, at least 24 hours in advance of the shift.
Other news on Law 104 to know
Then there are some updates with less impact, but useful to know. They are in force from January 1, 2026 ten additional hours per year of paid leave for visits and exams. They are reserved for those who have a disability of at least 74%, or are affected by serious oncological or chronic pathologies, and parents of minor children in the same conditions can also use them. It is a distinct benefit from 104 permits, with its own health requirements. Finally, continues the transition to the new disability assessment system, managed centrally by INPS. Since March 2026, the trial has been extended to 40 other provinces, with a view to a single model across the entire territory from 1 January 2027. Where it is already active, it is no longer necessary to submit a separate application after the medical certificate: it is the one who starts the procedure directly.
