The Italian government has just approved the draft for the Budget Bill 2021. The executive intends to abolish the esterometro and enhance transmission via SdI for all invoices.
In 2019, Italy introduced electronic invoicing for all transactions. The government established connections with the tax agency through SdI—for domestic transactions—and the esterometro—for cross-border invoices.
With the new legislation, Italy will abolish the esterometro in order to unify transmissions with the Agenzia delle Entrate. As of the 1st January 2022, all taxpayers will have to transmit all their invoices to the Agenzia delle Entrate via SdI.
Although the transmission channel will change, the schedule will remain the same. Taxpayers will have 12 days from the date of the transaction to send invoice details to the Tax Agency. In the case of cross-border transactions, the deadline will be the 15th of the month following the day of the transaction.
As a consequence of this modification, the Tax Agency will be able to prepare the drafts for VAT returns more precisely.
Italy, a pioneer in electronic invoicing in Europe
Italy was the first, and so far the only country in Europe, to adopt an electronic invoice clearance model. Following the approval of the Legge di Bilancio 2018, on the 1st of January, 2019 mandatory electronic B2B invoicing came into force. Electronic B2G invoicing has been mandatory since 2014.
The government took stock after the end of the first year of mandatory electronic B2B and B2G invoicing. According to the MEF-RGS report, thanks to electronic invoicing, Italy collected 2.5% more in taxes in 2019.
Simplified SdI transmission
The introduction of mandatory electronic invoicing in Italy was a headache for some businesses. They abruptly had to adapt their systems to connect with SdI and at the same time send invoices to their customers.
Other companies relied on a specialized partner, such as baVel, to develop the connection and unify data transmission to the tax agency with dispatch of all invoices to customers.
With this new legislative review, companies that have a technology partner to send their invoices will not have to worry about technological adaptations. However, companies that use the esterometro will have to wait for the technical specifications to be published by the government in order to adapt.
baVel can simplify issuance of 100% of your invoices electronically. Thanks to baVel’s technology, the platform delivers invoices to your customer and transmits via SdI at the same time.
Want to know how we can help you? Contact us.
Want to keep updated on legislative revisions to electronic invoicing in Europe? See our interactive map.
