Software Engineer Salary in Italy: Pay, EU Comparison and Employer Cost
Software engineers in Italy earn around €49,600 gross a year: professionals in information and communication, the closest official group, earned a mean of €49,625 in 2022 (Structure of Earnings Survey, ISTAT and Eurostat). That is 1.33 times the mean of €37,302 for all employees. On top of that pay, an employer adds about 32.3% in pension and unemployment contributions and TFR at 2026 rates (our calculation).
Software engineers in Italy earn around €49,600 gross a year on average: that was the 2022 mean for professionals in information and communication, the closest official group. This page is for software engineers deciding what to ask for in Italy and for companies, often in the US or the UK, budgeting a hire there. It sets out what the official survey run by ISTAT and published by Eurostat shows, how pay changes with age, how Italy compares with France, Spain, Austria and Germany, and what an employer pays on top of salary in 2026.
Pay in Italian information and communication by occupation group
Pay of ICT sector professionals: Italy and neighbours
What software engineers earn in Italy
Professionals working in information and communication in Italy, the group that includes software developers, earned a mean of €49,625 gross a year in 2022, according to the Structure of Earnings Survey that ISTAT runs and Eurostat publishes. The figure covers employees of firms with 10 or more employees. The mean for all employees in Italy was €37,302, so these professionals earned about 1.33 times the national average (our calculation). ISTAT publishes the 2022 earnings by occupation group, not for software developers alone, so this sector and occupation figure is the closest official measure.
Across everyone working in information and communication, the mean was €45,696 a year, and €18.28 an hour in October 2022, against €16.40 an hour for all employees. Technicians and associate professionals in the sector earned €40,906 a year and managers €153,283. Women among the sector's professionals earned €46,199 and men €51,160, so women earned about 90% of what men earned (our calculation).
Pay by age
Official statistics do not group pay by job title, such as junior or senior. Age is the closest guide to experience. In October 2022, employees in information and communication earned a mean of €3,168 gross a month. Those under 30 earned €2,080, those aged 30 to 49 €3,063 and those 50 and over €4,101. These monthly figures cover all occupations in the sector, not only professionals.
How Italy compares in Europe
On the same Eurostat measure, Italy's professionals in information and communication earned 0.86 times the EU average of €57,522 in 2022 (our calculation). France was at €60,737, Austria at €71,668 and Germany at €78,189, while Spain was lower at €45,646. Italy had 904,800 ICT specialists in work in 2025, 3.8% of total employment, against 5.0% across the EU. That was down from 945,400 in 2024, according to Eurostat estimates.
What an employer pays on top of salary
The pension contribution (IVS) for employees in the main INPS fund is 33% of pay, of which the employer pays 23.81% and the employee 9.19%. The employer also pays 1.61% for unemployment insurance (NASpI), plus an extra 1.40% on contracts that are not open-ended. On top of that, the employer sets aside 6.91% of annual pay each year as TFR, a severance sum owed to the employee when the job ends.
For a software engineer on €49,625, that comes to €11,815.71 for pension and €798.96 for unemployment insurance: €12,614.67 a year, or 25.4% of pay. Adding the TFR accrual of €3,429.09 brings the total on top of salary to €16,043.76, or 32.3%, for a total of €65,668.76 (our calculation, 2026 rates applied to 2022 pay). Left out are contributions that vary by sector, size and worker category, such as family allowance (CUAF), maternity, the wage guarantee fund (FIS, 0.50% or 0.80% of pay depending on company size, before any reductions), accident insurance with INAIL, and any pension or health fund set by the collective agreement. Rates vary by sector and company size, so check them with a payroll provider.
Hiring a software engineer in Italy remotely
We do placement. We source, screen and interview remote software engineers and other professionals across Europe, then deliver a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Every placement carries a 12-month replacement guarantee. See how placement works.
Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299, live for 60 days, and reach more than 1,000,000 European remote professionals.
Once you have chosen someone, there are 3 common ways to employ them in Italy:
- Italian entity: you register a company in Italy, run payroll and pay the employer's contributions yourself.
- Employer of record (EOR): a third-party provider becomes the legal employer and runs Italian payroll for a monthly fee. Your company directs the work.
- Contractor: the person invoices you as a freelancer. The relationship has to be genuinely independent, or it can count as employment.
Euro Remote Talent does not employ people on your behalf. We find and shortlist the candidate, and you employ them through the route that fits.
Looking for a role yourself? Browse remote jobs in Italy or see how our Land a Great Remote Job program helps.
How we built these figures
The pay figures come from the Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, which ISTAT carries out in Italy every 4 years and Eurostat publishes for all EU countries. It covers firms and public bodies with 10 or more employees in industry, construction and services. The annual figures are gross means converted to a full-time, full-year basis, as ISTAT describes them; the hourly and monthly figures refer to October 2022. The survey groups jobs by broad occupation (ISCO major groups) and by sector, so the headline covers all professionals in information and communication, not software engineers alone, and it does not cover software engineers working in banks, manufacturers or consultancies outside that sector. There are no official figures by job title, years of experience or remote status. The ICT specialist count is a Eurostat estimate from the Labour Force Survey. Contribution rates come from INPS; where we multiply or divide, we say so.
More guides
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and collective agreements can set different terms. Confirm with a local accountant or lawyer before you hire.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average software engineer salary in Italy?
Professionals in information and communication, the closest official group to software engineers, earned a mean of €49,625 gross a year in 2022, according to the Structure of Earnings Survey. That is 1.33 times the €37,302 mean for all employees (our calculation).
How much do experienced software engineers earn in Italy?
Official statistics do not use job titles like senior. In October 2022, employees in information and communication aged 50 and over earned a mean of €4,101 gross a month, against €3,063 for those aged 30 to 49 and €2,080 for those under 30.
How do Italian software salaries compare with the rest of Europe?
In 2022, professionals in information and communication in Italy earned €49,625 a year on average, 0.86 times the EU 27 level of €57,522 (our calculation). That is above Spain and below France, Austria and Germany.
How much does a software engineer cost an employer in Italy?
At €49,625 a year, the employer pays about €12,615 in pension and unemployment contributions and sets aside about €3,429 as TFR, 32.3% on top of pay at 2026 rates (our calculation). Family allowance, maternity, wage guarantee fund, accident insurance and collective agreement funds come on top and vary by sector and size.
Can a company outside Italy hire a software engineer there without an Italian entity?
Yes. The usual routes are an employer of record, which employs the person for you, or a genuine contractor agreement. Euro Remote Talent handles the placement: a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, and you choose the route.
Sources
- Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, earn_ses22_49, mean annual earnings by occupation and economic activity, Italy. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, earn_ses22_49, professionals in information and communication, all countries. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, earn_ses22_20, mean monthly earnings by age and economic activity. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, earn_ses22_15, mean hourly earnings by economic activity. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Employed ICT specialists, isoc_sks_itspt. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- ISTAT, La struttura delle retribuzioni in Italia, anno 2022, press release of 20 Jan 2025. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- ISTAT, Struttura delle retribuzioni 2022, full report and methodological note. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- INPS, Aliquote contributive. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- INPS, Circolare n. 82 of 14 Jul 2022, pension contribution split (copy published by informazionefiscale.it). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- INPS, Circolare n. 140 of 14 Dec 2012, unemployment insurance contributions. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- INPS, Circolare n. 18 of 1 Feb 2022, wage guarantee fund (FIS) rates. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- INPS, Il Trattamento di Fine Rapporto (TFR). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
