The degree is not only used to open the doors to the world of work: it can also become a tool for retiring early. How? Through the redemption of the degree, a possibility provided by the Italian social security system which allows you to transform the years spent at university into pension contributions by paying a sum to INPS. In this way, the time spent on books and the time dedicated to lessons and exams can be recovered for social security purposes, helping to reach the requirements for leaving work sooner.
But how much does this operation cost? Since 2019 there has been a subsidized formula that allows you to reduce spending, even if its cost has progressively increased: in 2026, to redeem just one year of university, you will need over 6,200 euros. Let’s see how it works and when it can be convenient.
What is the 2026 degree redemption, what changes and who can request it?
In simple terms, redeeming your degree allows you to count the years spent at university for pension purposes, even if no contributions were paid through employment during that period. To obtain this recognition, a sum must be paid to INPS, which credits the redeemed period to the social security position of the interested party.
The advantage can be twofold: on the one hand, the years recovered increase the contribution period and can help to reach the necessary requirements for retirement sooner; on the other hand, they increase the so-called contribution amount, i.e. the capital formed by the contributions accumulated during the working career, used to calculate the amount of the future allowance.
However, it does not mean that the pension will automatically increase significantly: the benefit depends on the calculation system applied and your contribution history. Both workers registered with INPS and unemployed workers who have never started a job and are not registered with any compulsory form of social security can request the redemption.
The fundamental condition is to have obtained the qualification: it is therefore not enough to have attended university without having completed the course. Redeemable securities include:
- university diplomas,
- three-year, master’s and specialist degrees,
- degrees of the old system,
- PhDs,
- some academic diplomas issued by AFAM institutes (Higher Artistic, Musical and Dance Education).
Qualifications obtained abroad can also be redeemed, as long as they are recognized for social security purposes. However, there are some limits: only the years corresponding to the legal duration of the study course can be recovered, excluding those outside the course and the periods already covered by compulsory contributions. Furthermore, it is possible to redeem just part of the university years, without necessarily having to recover the entire course.
What are the costs today to retire early
Redeeming your university years can have very different costs depending on your work situation and the period of study. There are two main possibilities: the ordinary redemption, introduced by Legislative Decree 184/1997, the amount of which varies based on the salary, and the facilitated redemption, provided for by Legislative Decree no. 4/2019, which instead provides for a fixed cost for each year to be recovered.
In the first case, for the periods after 31 December 1995, subject to the contributory system, the cost is calculated by applying the contribution rate established by social security management to the taxable salary of the last 12 months preceding the application.
To contain expenses, the subsidized redemption was introduced in 2019, which allows you to recover your university years at a cost independent of your salary.
In 2026, redeeming a year of university costs 6,206.64 euros. The calculation starts from the minimum reference income expected for artisans and traders, which in 2026 is 18,808 euros. A rate of 33% is applied to this figure, resulting in a cost of 6,206.64 euros for each year of university redeemed.
In total, therefore, redeeming a three-year degree costs 18,619.92 euros, while for a five-year single-cycle master’s degree it costs 31,033.20 euros. However, the facilitated redemption is not possible for all years of university. It can only be used for periods that fall within the contributory system. In some cases it can also concern the years of study prior to 1996, but only if you choose to calculate the entire pension with the contributory system. A choice to be carefully evaluated, because it could reduce the amount of the pension you will receive in the future.
Once the most suitable formula has been identified, the application must be submitted online through the INPS portal, logging in with SPID, CIE or CNS and selecting the service dedicated to redeeming the degree course. Alternatively, it is possible to contact a patronage: the Institute communicates the amount to be paid, which can be paid in a single solution or in a maximum of 120 interest-free monthly installments, i.e. over ten years.
How many Italians do it and when it is convenient: calculation with the simulator
How many Italians really choose to recover their university years for pension purposes? According to data referred to in a parliamentary question in May 2026, applications for facilitated redemptions went from an initial peak of around 78,000 to around 25,000 in 2024, with a decrease of 67%. These are requests presented, not necessarily redemptions actually concluded.
The progressive increase in costs, linked to the updating of the minimum contribution used for the calculation, is indicated among the possible factors underlying this decline. A measure created to make recovering from university years more accessible thus risks becoming increasingly burdensome for the young workers for whom it was intended.
Is redeeming your degree really worth it? There is no one-size-fits-all answer: you need to evaluate the relationship between the expense incurred and the benefit you will get on your future pension. The ordinary formula can involve a greater investment, but also a more significant increase in the contribution amount; the subsidized one instead allows the cost to be contained, with a generally lower pension benefit.
Before deciding, it is therefore advisable to use the free INPS simulator, which allows you to compare the different possibilities based on your social security situation.
