Fertility Benefits for Employers in Italy

Written by Anna Haotanto, Founder, Zora Health. Last reviewed: November 2026. General information, not legal or medical advice. This guide covers IVF and egg freezing costs, public funding, the rules and how to build a fertility benefit.

Why fertility is a business problem for employers

Fertility treatment does not fit around a work calendar. A clinic sets the date of a scan the day before. Egg collection happens when the body is ready, usually about 36 hours after a final trigger injection. Then comes a two-week wait, and for many couples, another cycle. Your team feels it: missed meetings, unexplained absences, a strong performer who suddenly goes quiet.

The World Health Organization estimates that about 1 in 6 people worldwide are affected by infertility. In Italy, 89,870 couples started assisted reproduction in 2023 and 17,235 children were born alive as a result, 4.5% of all births (Ministry of Health report to Parliament, December 2025). Italy was not among the countries in the Ferring or Carrot surveys below.

• Resignations. 39% of respondents in Ferring‘s 2025 survey of more than 3,600 employees and employers in Australia, France, Japan, Poland and the UK had left or were considering leaving their job during fertility treatment.
• Lower performance. 36% in the same survey felt pressure from their employer to be at work during treatment, and 17% took sick leave because they lacked flexibility.
• Career fears. In 2024, half of Italian women thought having a child would worsen their job prospects, rising to more than 65% among women aged 18 to 24 (ISTAT, December 2025).

What employers gain

What IVF costs, and what the state pays

Since 1 January 2025, assisted reproduction has been part of the LEA, the care the national health service (SSN) must provide in every region, until the 46th birthday and for up to 6 cycles (Regione Toscana). Before this, regional age limits ran from under 42 in Umbria to 50 in Veneto (Salutequità, December 2024). Private treatment outside the SSN is not reimbursed (Fanpage, January 2025). At public and accredited centres, regions set the ticket: a June 2025 report put it at 100 to 300 euro (QdS), while Sicily charges couples 730.70 euro for a standard IVF cycle with their own gametes and 108.53 euro for insemination (Regione Siciliana, decree 1586/2024).

Sources: Fanpage, interview with lawyer Camilla Fasciolo, 7 January 2025; IVI Italia, price page updated May 2026; L’Espresso, 23 March 2026, citing a Stiamo Fresche survey of more than 1,000 people; Regione Siciliana, D.A. 1586 of 24 December 2024 and D.A. 1318 of 24 November 2025; Regione Toscana, updated October 2026. Private prices are set by each clinic.

Sources: Quotidiano Sanità, AIFA decision, June 2026; Regione Toscana; Constitutional Court, ruling 69/2025.

Age strongly predicts IVF success, but the latest national report (2023 data) gives no rates by age. In fresh cycles with the couple’s own gametes, 28.1% of embryo transfers led to a pregnancy (11.9% per cycle started). With donor eggs, where patients averaged 41.8 years, the pregnancy rate was 40.5% per transfer (Ministry of Health report to Parliament, December 2025).

The size of an allowance, and when employees can use it, matter as much as whether you offer one.

Fertility support that fits your workforce and budget

You do not need to overhaul your existing health insurance to support employees through fertility treatment. Start with awareness and manager education, add confidential one-to-one support, or introduce a funded allowance across your offices. There is no minimum company size.

Where included in the employer programme, eligible employees can use talks and care navigation without paying Zora a separate fee. Care navigation allowances are set in each proposal. Treatment and other third-party costs are paid separately, either by employees or through the fertility allowance their employer provides.

Optional add-ons can be added to any programme, subject to availability: hormone and fertility diagnostics and telehealth with specialists. Pricing is tailored to your headcount, your countries and the services you choose. Most companies start with a single talk.

Request a proposal See how Zora works for employers

Plan your fertility benefit budget

Already have corporate health insurance? Here is where Zora fits

Your medical plan may cover some consultations and tests, but fertility treatment is often limited or excluded, so check your policy wording. Employees still need to understand their options, the public funding they qualify for and which clinic suits them.

Zora works alongside your existing insurance and benefits. We help employees get reliable information, navigate their care options and reach suitable specialists, and we give HR manager guidance, policy templates and, on the Complete programme, anonymised reporting. You strengthen fertility support without replacing your medical plan.

How Zora works

For your employees

Employees join the Zora app with a company code, or single sign-on for larger teams. They can learn about fertility and egg freezing, understand what your benefit covers, book a confidential care navigation call and find partner clinics and specialists.

For HR

1. Kick-off, week 1. Agree goals, countries and which employees are eligible.
2. Policy and benefit design, weeks 2 to 4. Draft or update your fertility policy using our templates.
3. Launch, typically weeks 4 to 6. A launch talk for employees and managers, plus a communications pack for HR to send.
4. Live support. Employees book care navigation calls and use the Zora app.
5. Reporting, every 3 months, on the Complete programme. Anonymised usage, common themes and our recommendations, reviewed with your account manager.

Privacy

Employee privacy is central to our programmes. On the Complete programme, routine employer reports contain aggregated engagement and utilisation information, with safeguards to prevent identification of individual employees. On every programme, personal health information is not included in standard HR reporting, and employees can get help without telling their manager. Where eligibility checks or claims administration need individual-level data, access is limited to authorised parties for defined purposes, as agreed in writing before launch. Employee data is handled in line with Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act and Italy’s application of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), under which health data is special category data.

Clinics and doctors in Italy

Zora’s clinic and doctor directory does not list providers in Italy yet. It lists 421 clinics and 1,185 doctors across 25 countries, mostly in Asia Pacific and the Middle East (browse clinics or browse doctors). Employees in Italy can still use Zora’s education and the Zora app. Ask us how your team in Italy would use Zora before you launch. See Zora’s employer guides for every country.

Rules and eligibility in Italy

Why employers choose Zora

Companies including Hilton, LinkedIn, Sanofi, HSBC, Mastercard, Carousell and Singapore Management University work with Zora Health. We work alongside your existing insurance, helping employees use the cover they already have and find suitable specialists based on their needs.

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Trying to conceive with a heavy workload took a toll on my husband and me. It helped us understand our options.

Questions HR teams ask us

Is fertility leave mandatory in Italy?

No. We found no statutory leave for fertility treatment in Italy. Time off for appointments depends on company policy, collective agreements and general leave entitlements. Maternity leave is 5 months at 80% of salary and fathers have 10 working days of paternity leave at full pay.

Does the national health service pay for IVF in Italy?

Yes, since 1 January 2025. Assisted reproduction is part of the LEA for adult couples of different sexes with documented infertility, until the woman’s 46th birthday and for up to 6 cycles, at public and accredited private centres. Patients pay a ticket set by each region: a June 2025 report put it at 100 to 300 euro, and Sicily charges 730.70 euro for a standard IVF cycle. Private treatment outside the SSN is not reimbursed.

Can employees freeze their eggs in Italy?

Egg freezing without a medical reason is outside the LEA, so employees pay the private price. IVI Italia lists 3,250 euro, including one year of storage, and a February 2026 survey by the collective Stiamo Fresche put the average at 4,250 euro per cycle plus 250 euro a year for storage, before drugs. A June 2026 Quotidiano Sanità report said elective freezing lacks adequate information and structured support. In August 2026 a PD deputy, Emiliano Fossi, tabled a bill in the Chamber of Deputies for up to 3,000 euro of public funding for egg freezing for women aged 25 to 39 with an ISEE of up to 30,000 euro; it is a proposal and not law (Open, August 2026). An employer allowance can cover it.

Does Zora replace our health insurance?

No. Zora works alongside your insurance. We help employees understand their options, find suitable specialists and use the cover they already have.

How much does a fertility benefit cost an employer?

It depends on the allowance, eligibility and expected uptake. Use the budget planner on this page for a first estimate, then ask us for a tailored proposal based on your headcount and countries.

How quickly can we launch?

Typically 4 to 6 weeks from contract to launch, depending on scope and countries. Most companies start with a single talk.

Related guides for Italian employers

Information on this page is correct as of 5 November 2026. Laws, public funding, insurance rules and treatment costs change often, so check current rules with the relevant authority, insurer or a qualified adviser before making decisions. This page is general information, not legal, financial, tax or medical advice.