What are ROL and ex-festività permits?
ROL (riduzione dell’orario di lavoro, working-time reduction) and ex-festività permits are paid hours off that Italian employees receive on top of annual leave. Their amount is set by the national collective agreement (CCNL) that applies to the job, not directly by statute.
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Law 54 of 5 March 1977 removed several religious holidays from the civil calendar, including St Joseph’s Day (19 March), Ascension, Corpus Domini and Saints Peter and Paul (29 June), which remains a holiday only in Rome. Collective agreements compensate employees for these lost holidays with paid permits, usually 32 hours a year, the equivalent of four eight-hour days.
How ROL work
ROL hours come from collective agreements that reduced annual working time. The number of hours, and how they build up with seniority, differs by CCNL. In the commerce CCNL, for example, the entitlement depends on company size and the employee’s length of service. Employees normally take the hours in blocks during the year, under the rules of their CCNL.
Unused hours and payroll
Hours not taken within the period set by the CCNL are generally paid out at the employee’s normal hourly rate, and like ordinary pay they are taxed and subject to social security contributions. Both ROL and ex-festività build up month by month and show on the payslip, and part-time employees usually accrue them in proportion to their hours. They are a real cost to include when budgeting for an Italian hire.
ROL and ex-festività when you hire through an EOR
With TopSource as your Employer of Record in Italy, we apply the CCNL that fits the role, track ROL and ex-festività balances in payroll and pay out unused hours when the agreement requires it.
Frequently asked questions
Are ROL and ex-festività the same as annual leave?
No. They are additional paid hours set by the CCNL, on top of the statutory minimum of four weeks of annual leave.
How many ex-festività hours do Italian employees get?
Usually 32 hours a year, compensating the four religious holidays removed from the calendar in 1977. The exact entitlement depends on the CCNL.
What happens to unused ROL hours?
Most CCNLs require unused hours to be paid out after a set period, at the employee’s normal hourly rate.
Related terms in Italy
- Comunicazione Obbligatoria (Italy)
- Libro Unico del Lavoro (Italy)
- Smart Working Agreement (Italy)
- Patto di Non Concorrenza (Italy)
- Employee Categories (Italy)
- Mandatory Disability Hiring Quota (Italy)
- Cassa Integrazione (Italy)
- Decreto Flussi and Nulla Osta (Italy)
- Welfare Aziendale (Italy)
- F24 Payment Form (Italy)
- UniEmens (Italy)