100 euros less from 2020

The restaurant ticket de-rating threshold has been lowered: from next year each voucher will be non-taxable up to 4 euros.

From 2020, a crackdown on meal vouchers arrives: these legitimation documents, also called ticket restaurant (from the name of a well-known company that issues the vouchers), allow the holder to receive a substitute canteen service, for an amount equal to the value facial of the voucher itself. They can also be issued in electronic form.

To date, every paper meal voucher, which is due for each working day, is exempt from taxation and contributions up to 5.29 euros per day: in practice, it means that, up to € 5.29, the voucher is not taxed and Inps contributions and Inail prizes must not be calculated up to this value.

The rules, however, will change shortly, as the non-taxable threshold will be lowered: as a result of the lower tax reduction, in favor of the employees are provided for meal vouchers 100 euros less from 2020.

Employees who benefit from luncheon vouchers, in fact, with the lowering of the non-taxable threshold will pay both higher taxes and higher contributions, for an average annual loss estimated at 100 euros; the amount of the loss increases, the higher the taxable amount of the worker.

Attention, however: the increase in taxation applies only to paper meal vouchers, while for electronically recognized vouchers, the exemption will even increase, and will go from the current seven euros to eight euros for each voucher.

This, to incentivize the delivery of electronic meal vouchers, which present minor problems regarding the recognition of the benefit and controls, since these are fully traceable instruments. But let's proceed with order and try to understand, in detail, what will change.

How do meal vouchers work today?

At present, i food stamps can be used from worker (they can be paid to either full time or part time employees or collaborators, based on what is established by collective bargaining or the individual employment contract):

• to benefit from the direct administration of food and drink carried out by public establishments, such as bars, restaurants, pizzerias, restaurants;
• to buy gastronomy products ready for immediate consumption at company canteens, rotisseries and artisanal delicatessens, public establishments, and at commercial establishments with authorization for the sale, production and preparation of foodstuffs.

In simple terms, meal vouchers can be spent either at the bar / restaurant / pizzeria, or in the rotisserie or at supermarket.

Meal vouchers:

• they can not be assigned to third parties, marketed or converted into cash;
• they can be added to be used simultaneously up to the limit of 8 vouchers;
• can be used by the holder only for the entire face value: in other words, if you buy food or drinks with meal vouchers, and the amount of food / drink purchased is less than the value of the vouchers, it is not possible to receive the rest in cash.

How will meal vouchers work from 2020?

From 2020, the threshold of tax relief for meal vouchers it will decrease: it means that taxes and social security contributions will not be calculated on a lower amount, equal to 4 euros for each voucher, instead of 5.29 euros.

Translated "in soldoni", the employee will suffer greater social security deductions, will pay a higher personal income tax and higher regional and municipal additional taxes, with a lost, for the worker, estimated at a minimum of 89 euros per year, up to a maximum of about 150 euros, depending on the income of the person concerned. The expected average loss is equal to 100 euros per year per employee.

The loss is also for the company, which will have to calculate the social security contributions at its own expense on a higher taxable amount.

This will not happen, however, for electronic meal vouchers. These vouchers, currently exempt up to 7 euros per ticket, from 2020 will be exempt up to 8 euros each: the purpose of the new rules is clear, and that is to discourage the distribution of paper titles, for which the checks relating to legitimate use are more difficult, compared to electronic vouchers which instead are fully traceable, and whose correct use can therefore be easily verified.

How will the vouchers distributed in 2019 be taxed?

The new discipline will come into force from 2020: but how should we proceed for the vouchers distributed in 2019, considering that many companies count the vouchers in the following month compared to the pay period? Based on what has been disclosed so far, the vouchers distributed up to 12 January 2020 will continue to be tax-free up to the threshold of 5.29 euros each, according to the extended cash principle. Subsequently, the threshold will be lowered to 4 euros.

Remember that meal vouchers, and all benefits in general, are considered to be perceived by the worker when the relative value enters into his "legal availability".

2020 substitute canteen allowance

Nothing will change, instead, it concerns thecanteen replacement indemnity: it is a sum of money paid to employees who cannot use the canteen service and who work at construction sites, temporary work sites or facilities located in areas without restaurant services.

For them, the threshold of exemption daily allowance paid will remain at € 5.29.

No change also regarding the simple compensation of canteen (for employees who do not work at construction sites, temporary offices or facilities located in areas without administration services), which remains fully taxable.