Employment contract for a domestic worker (colf)

What is the employment contract for a domestic worker (colf)?

This type of employment contract governs the relationship between a domestic worker and the employer. The employer is the person who decides the hours and the tasks to be done. The worker is the person who does the work. In this contract the parties set out the most important aspects of the relationship, such as working hours, duties, pay, holidays and time off.
A housekeeper is hired solely to meet the needs of the household.
In other words, a colf helps the family with the housework, from cleaning the home to doing the laundry and cooking (personal care and assistance are not part of her duties: those belong to a carer, the badante). As a rule, such a worker has no specific professional qualification and essentially does only manual housework. A housekeeper may work for one or several families (depending on the hours required).
A domestic employment contract can only be concluded between private individuals, not with a company (for example an S.R.L. or S.P.A.). The worker may live in the employer’s home (live-in, convivente) or come to the employer’s home only during working hours (live-out, non convivente).
A domestic worker can be hired on a fixed-term (tempo determinato) or permanent (tempo indeterminato) basis. In the first case the parties set the end date of the employment from the outset: for example, a domestic worker may be hired on a fixed-term basis for the summer only. With permanent employment, on the other hand, the parties set no end date.
This type of contract is not used for staff of a business. For example, it cannot govern the relationship with an office cleaner: in that case an ordinary employment contract for employees must be used (contratto di lavoro per i dipendenti).

The domestic worker’s employment contract (also known as the letter of employment (Lettera di assunzione)) is drawn up in writing in two copies (one for each party), signed by both parties, and must contain the following details:

• the start date of the employment;
• type of contract: fixed-term (tempo determinato) / permanent (tempo indeterminato); full time (full time; tempo pieno) / part time (part time; tempo ridotto);
• personal details of the employer and the worker (*for a badante, the professional grade under the CCNL Lavoro Domestico, the national collective agreement for domestic work);
• place of work;
• the housekeeper’s job title and grade;
• working hours (hours of work; full or part time);
• agreed pay;
• probationary period (if any);
• live-in or live-out arrangement;
• board and lodging (for a convivente/non convivente worker);
• agreed holidays;
• Confidentiality: to protect the family’s privacy;
• CCNL: if the employer is a member of an employers’ association;
• Other terms: for example, leave for personal reasons, extra pay for overtime, arrangements on the worker’s vaccination, etc.

What documents are needed to hire a colf?

• If the domestic worker is Italian, the identity documents needed for hiring are a valid identity card and the tax code (carta d’identità valida ed il codice fiscale).
• If the worker is a foreign national, the documents needed are a valid residence permit (permesso di soggiorno valido), a passport, an identity card and the tax code (carta d’identità valida ed il codice fiscale). In some cases the following may also be requested: certificates and diplomas from vocational training courses; insurance and social security documents (documenti assicurativi e previdenziali); and any health documents, up to date with the regulations in force.
• For the employer: a valid identity card and the tax code (carta d’identità valida ed il codice fiscale).
  
  Once all the contractual terms have been settled and both the employer and the worker have all the necessary documents, the employment contract can be concluded and signed.

Job grades for a domestic worker (colf)

When a domestic worker (colf) is hired, the employment contract must state the appropriate grade, chosen on the basis of the worker’s duties and experience.

As a rule, if we need a housekeeper for a certain number of hours a week, we can agree an hourly, live-out contract at grade A or B.

GRADE A (This grade covers family assistants with no professional experience (gli assistenti familiari senza esperienza professionale) who do purely operational work, without taking decisions of their own (lavoro a livello esecutivo), under the employer’s direct supervision, in the following profiles):

• Responsible solely for cleaning the house (addetto esclusivamente alla pulizia della casa);
• Laundry worker only (addetto esclusivamente alla lavanderia);
• Kitchen assistant. Only supports the cook (aiuto cuoco. Svolge solo mansioni di supporto al cuoco);
• Stable hand (groom). Cleans the stable and looks after the horse (Stalliere. Svolge mansioni di pulizia della stalla e cura del cavallo);
• Responsible for cleaning and watering green areas (addetto alla pulizia ed annaffiatura delle aree verdi);
• General labourer. Does heavy work, both major cleaning and small maintenance jobs (Operaio comune. Svolge mansioni di fatica, sia per le grandi pulizie, sia piccoli interventi di manutenzione).

GRADE B (This grade covers family assistants in the following profiles who carry out operational-level tasks with experience (con esperienza le mansioni a livello esecutivo)):

• Multi-purpose general helper (Collaboratore generico polifunzionale). Does the many tasks involved in the normal running of family life, such as cleaning the house and doing the laundry.
• Caretaker of a private home (Custode di abitazione privata). Keeps watch over the employer’s home;
• Ironer (Addetto alla stireria). Does the ironing.
• Waiter (Cameriere);
• Gardener (Giardiniere);
• Skilled worker (Operaio qualificato). Carries out maintenance tasks;
• Driver (Autista);
• Room tidying and breakfast service, including for the employer’s guests (Addetto al riassetto camere e servizio di prima colazione anche per ospiti del datore di lavoro).

GRADE C (This grade covers family assistants who work as a cook (Cuoco))
GRADE D (This grade covers family assistants who, with the required professional qualifications, hold specific positions marked by responsibility and independent decision-making, in the following profiles):

• Family estate manager (Amministratore dei beni di famiglia);
• Butler (Maggiordomo);
• Housekeeper/governess (Governante);
• Head cook (Capo cuoco);
• Head gardener (Capo giardiniere);
• Tutor. Teaches and/or educates members of the household (Istitutore. Svolge mansioni di istruzione e/o educazione dei componenti il nucleo familiare).

How to hire a colf

The notice of hiring (comunicazione di assunzione) is sent electronically (telematicamente) to INPS (National Social Security Institute) within the 24 hours before the employment begins, even if the deadline falls on a public holiday, as often happens.

The notice is received automatically by: INPS, INAIL, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, the Ministry of Health and the relevant Prefettura (Prefecture).

Notifying INPS is compulsory and must be done if the housekeeper is on probation, if she already works for another employer or has another occupation, if the work is irregular, if the worker is a pensioner, and even if the worker is a foreign national.

The hiring can be cancelled (annullamento dell’assunzione) within 5 days of the notice, again electronically with INPS. After those days, what must be reported is the termination of employment (la cessazione del rapporto di lavoro).

Once the housekeeper has been hired, the employer must draw up a payslip every month (la busta paga), together with an attendance record (prospetto presenze), in two copies: one is given to the worker, and the other, signed by the worker, is kept by the employer.
INPS contributions (contributi inps) are paid every quarter (ogni trimestre) by MAV payment slip, generated automatically on the INPS portal or delivered directly to the home of the employer, who must pay it by the set deadline.
At the end of the year (a fine anno) the worker is entitled to an extra month’s pay (una mensilità aggiuntiva/tredicesima) equal to the monthly salary; for workers who have not yet completed a year of service (che non raggiungono un anno di servizio), it is calculated in proportion to the time worked.

A colf’s working hours

Domestic work (as a colf) is in great demand, especially in large cities, and can be done:

• full time (a tempo pieno);
• part time.

Obviously, this depends on the family’s needs. A family may need, say, a permanent live-in housekeeper (colf fissa convivente). In this case the national collective agreement for domestic work (Contratto nazionale del lavoro domestico) provides for a 54-hour working week.

If the housekeeper works full time but does not live in (a tempo pieno, senza convivenza), the working time is 40 hours a week.

There is no minimum number of hours to be respected, but for part-time work the employment contract must state the housekeeper’s hours clearly (that is, on which days and at what times she comes to work for the family).

Nothing prevents the employer from deciding, over time, to increase the domestic worker’s hours and to change the contract with the worker’s consent (con il consenso della lavoratrice).

It is advisable to conclude contracts providing for at least 25 hours a week, because social security contributions (contributi previdenziali) for a part-time contract (contratto di lavoro parziale) of less than 24 hours a week are considerably higher.

A colf’s pay (stipendio)

As of 2024, the pay of a domestic worker (set by the national collective agreement (CCNL) in a dedicated table according to grade (livello) and hours worked) is:

1. Housekeeper, grade A (no experience; live-in; 54-hour week) (Colf livello A, senza esperienza, convivente con un orario di 54 ore settimanali) – €725.19;
2. Housekeeper, grade A (no experience; live-out; up to 40 hours a week) (Colf livello A, senza esperienza, non convivente, con un orario massimo di 40 ore settimanali) – €5.30 an hour;
3. Housekeeper, grade B (experienced and skilled; live-in; 54 hours a week) (Colf livello B, con esperienza e competenza, convivente, con un orario di 54 ore settimanali) – €928.15;
4. Housekeeper, grade B (experienced and skilled; live-out; up to 40 hours a week) (Colf Livello B, con esperienza e competenza, non convivente, con orario massimo di 40 ore settimanali) – €6.62 an hour;
5. Housekeeper, grade C (experienced and skilled; live-in; 54 hours a week) (Colf Livello C, con esperienza e competenza, convivente, con orario di 54 ore settimanali) – €1,060.76;
   
6. Housekeeper, grade C (experienced and skilled; live-out; up to 40 hours a week) (Colf Livello C, con esperienza e competenza, non convivente, con orario massimo di 40 ore settimanali) – €7.42 an hour.

If you have any questions or difficulties with drawing up an employment contract, get in touch: we can answer your questions, and will be glad to, and we will help you draw up an employment contract that reflects current realities and the law in force.