Electronic invoicing for flat rates: what to do (and know) to be prepared

It is now sadly known: from 1 July 2022 the electronic invoice becomes mandatory also for flat rates (in reality not for all, as we will see shortly). A change that can be scary, especially if you are a little allergic to issues related to taxes and revenue stamps. We therefore tried to take stock of the situation with Roberto ScurtoCEO of Partitaiva24to whom we also asked for some practical advice so as not to be caught unprepared at the beginning of July, when we would like to do everything except think about tax obligations.

It was 2019 when the electronic invoice obligation came into force for the first time, which however did not affect the flat rate regime until 2022. Over the years, however, this facilitated regime has attracted more and more taxpayers, who in 2021, Scurto explains to us, came to be about 1.6 million. “The State therefore asked Brussels for authorization to expand the number of taxpayers called upon to use electronic invoicing and Europe said yes”.

The reasons are the known ones and in particular the fight against tax evasion, especially in reference to VAT which, however, the flat rates do not pay by law. In fact, “it made no sense to isolate only flat rates and minimums from this innovation.”

An innovation that undoubtedly has advantages: «it is very convenient and simple: invoices are no longer lost, they are always filed in an orderly manner on the software, there is no need to hunt for suppliers. Electronic invoicing facilitates, digitizes and speeds up the accounting registration process and therefore also the way Italian entrepreneurs work “.

The other side of the coin is that “the Revenue Agency will thus know all the details of what is happening in the Italian economic fabric, as it also manages the so-called SDI (Interchange System), the digital postman who acts as an intermediary for the billing”. Added to this are some – contained – extra costs for the flat-rate, which are essentially summarized in that envisaged for the billing program, “which can cost between 30 and 60 euros per year“. It is important to remember that there is also a free (and official) one provided by the Revenue Agency, “it is a pity that it is not really user friendly; indeed, it is very cumbersome ».

The process that leads to issuing and transmitting an invoice can be summarized as follows. You finish a job and first of all you need to ask the customer for the tax data including the recipient code, also known as the SDI code. The chosen program is opened and the invoice is filled in which, attention, is to be sent “within 12 calendar days from the date of the invoice” (until September there seems to be some flexibility on this front).

When compiling, in some programs, it is necessary to specify that you adhere to the flat-rate scheme, by selecting the code N2.2. On the other hand, the descriptive field on the type of service for which you are paid remains free, i.e. it must be entered manually.

One last change concerns the stamp which will no longer be physical, putting an end to the hunt for the open tobacconist. “Stamp duties are paid with a single F24 to be completed and paid at the end of the year”. As was already the case with paper invoices, the stamp duty will only be paid if the invoice exceeds 77.47 euros.

Not for the moment: the obligation concerns only «those who have billed in the previous year at least 25 thousand euros“. The obligation, barring further changes, will be extended to all flat rates from 2024.

Below you will find three very practical tips provided by Scurto to prepare you for the transition to electronic invoicing.