Since becoming the first EU country to make electronic invoicing mandatory through a clearance process in 2019, Italy has kept a steady pace in improving its continuous transaction controls (CTC) system to close the gaps in VAT compliance.
Over recent years, Italy has gradually expanded its system by introducing various mandates. The following changes reflect the government’s efforts to tie up loose ends and assert more far-reaching control mechanisms to achieve an efficient and well-rounded system.
The changes listed below become effective on 1 July 2022, with some already available on a voluntary basis and others allowing a short grace period for adjustment.
Mandatory cross-border invoice reporting through the SDI
The retirement of the tax reporting scheme, Esterometro, will require Italian taxpayers to report all cross-border transactions through the Sistema di Interscambio (SDI). Since the clearance of cross-border invoices is not within the Italian CTC system’s scope, this is a clear step towards centralisation.
Taxpayers may continue to exchange invoices in any agreed way, including the FatturaPA format. The reporting, however, must be done through the SDI using the FatturaPA format. This has been optional since January 2022.
New taxpayers in scope for the e-invoicing mandate
Italy has recently expanded the scope of its e-invoicing mandate bringing in new groups of taxpayers:
- Taxpayers who adopt the flat-rate tax regime (regime forfettario)
- Amateur sports associations and third sector entities with revenue up to €65,000
A short grace period has been established from 1 July 2022 until 30 September 2022. During this period these taxpayers may issue e-invoices within the following month from when they carried out the transaction without any penalties being applied.
The new mandate also states that microenterprises with revenues or fees up to €25,000 per year will be required to issue and clear e-invoices with the SDI, but this only starts in January 2024.
Mandatory e-invoicing between Italy and San Marino
Following the Italian CTC mandate, Italy and San Marino began negotiations to accommodate invoice exchange between the two countries through the more modern clearance-based system, which requires taxpayers to issue and clear e-invoices using the FatturaPA format. This was established by creating a “four-corner” model with the Italian SDI as the access point for Italian taxpayers and the HUB-SM platform as the SDI counterpart on San Marino’s side.
The mandate covers the sale of goods shipped to San Marino for taxpayers who are residents, established or identified in Italy. For sales of goods to Italy, an e-invoice must be issued by the economic operators with identification attributed to them by the Republic of San Marino. A significant effect of this mandate is that the reporting obligations through Esterometro will come to an end.
The voluntary transition phase started in October 2021.
Getting ready for change
The start of the second semester of 2022 will bring significant changes, and taxpayers have limited time to conform as July approaches. Understanding how these new requirements can affect your company will ensure compliance and avoid unnecessary mistakes.
Take Action
Speak to our team if you have any questions about the latest e-invoicing requirements in Italy. Sovos has more than a decade of experience keeping clients up to date with e-invoicing mandates all over the world.
