You finish the project. You send the invoice. Then nothing happens. Ninety days later, still no payment and no explanation. Italy’s Self-Employment Jobs Act was written for exactly that situation.
Most freelancers have lived some version of that story. Independence gives you the freedom to choose your clients and your rates. It also leaves you carrying every risk alone.
Italy decided that was no longer acceptable. The Italy Self-Employment Jobs Act, known in Italian as the Statuto del lavoro autonomo, rewrote the rules of freelance contracts. In short: payment terms beyond 60 days are void, unfair contract clauses are banned, and a freelancer harmed by either can claim damages. Below is what the law actually covers, what is still moving in 2026, and what it changes for you if you work independently in Europe.
What is Italy’s Self-Employment Jobs Act?
The Italy Self-Employment Jobs Act is the everyday name of Law no. 81 of 22 May 2017. It entered into force on 14 June 2017. It protects self-employed professionals who work for companies or public bodies, and it does not cover work done for private individuals or for registered entrepreneurs.
The idea behind it is simple. A freelancer facing a large client is the weaker party in the deal, much like a consumer facing a retailer. So the law removes some clauses from the negotiation entirely. They are void, even if you signed them.
The four contract rules that matter most
- Payment terms. Any clause setting payment more than 60 days after the invoice is received is abusive and void.
- Unilateral changes. A client cannot rewrite the terms of the assignment on their own.
- Termination. Walking away from an ongoing agreement without reasonable notice is unlawful.
- Written form. Refusing to put the agreement in writing is itself treated as abusive conduct.
Break one of those rules and the client owes compensation. In other words, Italy told the market that “we will sort out the paperwork later” is no longer a legitimate way to hire a freelancer.
The social protections it added
- Maternity. An allowance covering five months, two before the birth and three after.
- Illness and injury. The assignment can be suspended for up to 150 days a year instead of being lost.
- Serious incapacity. Social contributions are suspended when the incapacity lasts more than 60 days.
- Income support. Access to the DIS-COLL unemployment allowance, later completed by the ISCRO benefit for self-employed professionals.
- Training. Professional training and certification costs became deductible.
Self-Employment Jobs Act: what is still changing in 2026
The Italy Self-Employment Jobs Act fixed the contract side of freelancing. It did much less for income security. A freelancer who falls ill, takes parental leave or simply has a quiet quarter still absorbs the shock alone.
That is exactly what the current reform targets. A proposal backed by the CNEL, Italy’s national council for economics and labour, is under examination in the Chamber of Deputies. It would strengthen the welfare available through the INPS Gestione Separata scheme:
- A maternity allowance of 808 euros a month for five months, for professionals earning under 12,000 euros a year.
- Parental leave raised from 30% to 80% of reference income.
- Sickness cover extended to 90 days.
- A dedicated fund, starting at 5 million euros.
One important nuance: this is still a bill, not a law. Nothing in it applies until it is voted through and published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale. If you freelance in Italy today, the rules that protect you are the 2017 ones.
Italy’s Self-Employment Jobs Act is part of a wider shift
Austria: new rules since 1 January 2026
Austria reformed the status of freie Dienstnehmer, the freelance service workers who operate much like employees without the legal cover. Since 1 January 2026, new contracts carry a minimum notice period of four weeks, rising to six weeks from the second year, with termination only on the 15th or the last day of a month.
For the first time, employee-like freelancers can also be covered by collective agreements on pay, holidays, working hours and sick leave. These rights cannot be signed away. Around 14,000 self-employed workers are concerned, and the rules apply only to contracts signed on or after 1 January 2026.
New York: “Freelance Isn’t Free”
New York City passed its Freelance Isn’t Free Act in 2017. The state version followed and took effect on 28 August 2024. It gives freelancers the right to a written contract above a modest value threshold, payment by the agreed date or within 30 days of delivery, and protection against retaliation when they assert those rights.
The direction of travel is the same everywhere: written contracts, capped payment terms, real consequences for clients who ignore them.
Why the Self-Employment Jobs Act still leaves you exposed
Here is the uncomfortable part. A protective law is only as strong as your ability to use it. And using it means friction, time and money you may not have.
- A void clause does not pay your rent. You still have to chase the client, and possibly go to court.
- You still finance the gap. Between delivery and payment, your cash flow is the buffer.
- Quiet months, illness and parental leave still cut your income far more sharply than an employee’s.
- Cross-border assignments complicate everything, because the protection depends on which law governs the contract.
Italy’s Self-Employment Jobs Act is real progress. But laws arrive slowly, and they protect you after the damage, not before.
There is a faster route: keep your independence and get employee-grade protection from day one. A Skalis Portage expert will look at your rate, your client and your situation, and show you what your net income and your cover would actually look like. It takes 20 minutes, it is free, and there is nothing to sign.
France already solved part of the problem
While Italy legislates, France has had a working answer in place for years: portage salarial. It is a hybrid status. You work exactly like a freelancer, choosing your clients, your rates and your schedule. Legally, you are an employee of the portage company.
In practice, the split is clean. You keep the commercial relationship and the negotiation. The portage company takes the contract, issues the invoice, follows up the payment and pays you a salary. If you are comparing models, our guide on portage salarial, umbrella companies and EOR sets out the differences.
How Skalis Portage protects independent professionals
- A real payslip every month, with unemployment insurance, pension contributions and health cover.
- Contracts and collection handled for you. A slow-paying client becomes an administrative matter, not a personal cash crisis.
- Your independence intact. You still choose your assignments and negotiate your own rates.
- Cross-border assignments covered, including through our employer of record solution in Italy and across Europe.
If you spend more time on admin and legal gymnastics than on the work itself, this is worth a serious look. And if a missing safety net is the only thing keeping you in a salaried job, this is precisely the structure that makes the jump less risky.
Five things to do before your next assignment
- Get it in writing. Even a short email confirming scope, price and deadline beats a friendly phone call.
- Fix the payment term upfront. Thirty days is a fair standard. Do not let it drift to 60 or 90.
- Agree a notice period before you start, especially on long assignments.
- Check which law applies when the client is abroad. It decides which protections you can actually invoke.
- Keep a cash cushion. Three months of expenses does what no clause can do on the day a client disappears.
Frequently asked questions
What is Italy’s Self-Employment Jobs Act in one sentence?
It is Law no. 81 of 22 May 2017, which requires written contracts, voids payment terms beyond 60 days, bans unfair clauses and gives self-employed professionals the right to compensation when a client breaches those rules.
Does the 60-day payment rule apply to every client?
No. It applies to assignments carried out for companies and public bodies. Work done for private individuals falls outside the scope of the law.
Is a new Self-Employment Jobs Act coming in Italy in 2026?
A reform of freelance welfare, backed by the CNEL, is under examination in the Chamber of Deputies. It would improve maternity, parental leave and sickness cover. It is not law yet, so the 2017 framework still governs.
I live in France and work for an Italian client. Am I protected?
Only if Italian law governs your contract, since the Italy Self-Employment Jobs Act applies to contracts under Italian law. Cross-border assignments hinge on the applicable law and jurisdiction clauses, which is why they deserve a proper written contract, or a structure that handles it for you.
Does portage salarial mean giving up my independence?
No. You keep full control over which assignments you accept and the rates you charge. What changes is the administrative and legal weight, which moves to the portage company.
Sources and further reading
- Gazzetta Ufficiale: Legge 22 maggio 2017, n. 81
- Ministero del Lavoro (Cliclavoro): lavoro autonomo
- Eurofound: Austria extends stronger labour rights to freelancers
- New York State Department of Labor: Freelance Isn’t Free Act
- Skalis: net income under portage salarial, country by country
Let’s talk before you sign your next contract
You should not have to wait for your country to legislate before you get paid on time and covered when things go wrong. Portage salarial already gives you what Italy’s Self-Employment Jobs Act has been building law by law: fair terms, a salary, and someone standing behind you when a client does not hold up their end.
Published on 27 August 2026 by the Skalis Portage team. This article summarises Italian, Austrian and New York rules in force at the time of writing. It is general information, not legal advice.
