In order to perform a commercial or professional activity in Italy that is not merely temporary, you need to register for the purposes of VAT (IVA in Italian). In order to trade you need to have a VAT number. In order to get it, you may apply at the tax office or have an accountant request it for you. Once you have a VAT number, you can start issuing invoices. It is very important to select the most appropriate activity code, the regime and whether to register as dealing with clients and suppliers in the EU or not. The activity code is very important, as it identifies the kind of activity you are going to perform and whether you will need to register also with the local Chamber of Commerce or not. It also determines the type of contribution for which you must register and pay, which may result in paying an annual fixed amount plus a percentage of your income or just a percentage of your income. The regime you choose is also important, as it will determine how your tax base will be calculated and the tax rates that are applied. For example, professionals with an annual turnover lower than 65K Euros are eligible for a special forfeit regime for which you do not have to add VAT to issued invoices and a flat tax of 5% or 15% is applied to a part of your income.
1. European database, NGO and regular filing after VAT registration Italy
If you want to issue or receive invoices to and from EU entities, you need to specify this when you apply for your VAT number. Some not-for-profit organisations can benefit from a special VAT regime as well. If you are in the “standard” VAT regime, in addition to adding VAT to your invoices, you will need to file quarterly VAT returns, an annual VAT return, quarterly foreign operations’ returns and quarterly or monthly Intrastat returns (for intra-European activity). It is worth counting on Italian Tax experts ir order to keep up with IRPEF, IRAP and many other Italian taxes you should mind about.
