Blood donation: INPS instructions for reimbursement to employers

With Circular no. 96 of May 26, 2025, INPS summarizes the regulatory framework concerning absences from work for blood donation by employees and provides private employers with operational instructions for obtaining reimbursement of wages paid for the days or hours of leave taken by donor employees. The right to remuneration is recognized for absences due to blood donation and is also extended to employees deemed unfit to donate, limited to the time required to assess eligibility. In both cases, the remuneration is advanced by the employer, who can subsequently request reimbursement from INPS.

As clarified in the circular, reimbursement may occur through offsetting: the employer is required to complete the UNIEMENS flow, indicating the informational data related to the type of absence that occurred in the month of the event, as well as the data specifically referring to the offsetting of the advanced remuneration, in accordance with the operational instructions contained in the same circular. Alternatively, for employers who do not use the offsetting system, it is possible to submit a direct reimbursement request, exclusively online, no later than the end of the following month.

The circular states that the employer must retain the documentation related to the employee’s participation in the donation for ten years. In particular, for employees who made the donation, the medical certificates confirming the minimum amount of 250 grams of blood collected must be kept, in order to validate the right to the paid day off and corresponding remuneration, as well as the declaration issued by the donor confirming the actual use of the paid day and the gratuity of the donation. For employees deemed unfit, the certificate must be retained indicating the employee’s personal details, the tax code of the healthcare institution or association to which the collection unit belongs, the reason for the unfitness, and the time spent at the transfusion center.