What is the Comunicazione Obbligatoria?

The Comunicazione Obbligatoria (CO, mandatory communication) is the online notice an Italian employer sends to the public employment services when it hires, extends, converts or ends an employment relationship. For employees it is filed on a standard form called the UniLav (Modello Unificato Lav).

When it must be sent

A hire must be notified by midnight on the day before the employee starts work. The end of an employment relationship must be notified within five days of the end date, and extensions and conversions, such as a fixed-term contract becoming permanent, are reported on the same form.

In urgent cases linked to production needs, the employer can first send a short form called UniURG, with the full UniLav following within five days of the start.

Staffing agencies use a separate form, the UniSomm, for workers they place with clients. Households that hire domestic workers notify INPS directly, also by midnight on the day before the work starts.

One filing, several authorities

The employer files online through the CO service, and the Ministry of Labour shares the data with INPS, INAIL, the Prefecture and other public bodies. A single communication therefore covers the employer’s duty to notify each of them about that event.

Penalties

Failing to follow the communication rules carries an administrative fine of €100 to €500 for each worker concerned, under article 19 of Legislative Decree 276/2003. Work that was never notified can also be treated as undeclared work, which carries much higher penalties.

The Comunicazione Obbligatoria and EOR

When TopSource employs your team as your Employer of Record in Italy, we file the Comunicazione Obbligatoria before the employee’s first day and report every later change, alongside INPS and INAIL registration and monthly payroll.

Frequently asked questions

When must an Italian employer send the Comunicazione Obbligatoria for a new hire?

By midnight on the day before the employee starts work. The end of the employment must be reported within five days.

What is the UniLav?

The standard online form used for the Comunicazione Obbligatoria on employment relationships. It covers hires, extensions, conversions and terminations.

What is the fine for a missing Comunicazione Obbligatoria?

€100 to €500 for each worker concerned. Work that was never notified can also be treated as undeclared, with higher penalties.

Comunicazione Obbligatoria (Italy)