How to invoice under the flat-rate tax regime (including abroad)
Good morning,
I’m (for now) a private seller on eBay, but I’d like to open a VAT number under the flat-rate regime so I can increase my sales volume without running into trouble with the tax authorities.
I have a big doubt (which the accountant didn’t clear up for me), which is the issue of electronic invoicing following a sale.
I know that for online sales it is not mandatory to issue an invoice, unless explicitly requested by the user before purchase. Is that correct?
In that case, if I invoiced 0 (no user asks me for an invoice), what should I indicate as “turnover” or in any case as “earned”? What eBay sent me as payment month by month? And if I invoice something, the sum of the two (would I pay double where I issued an invoice)?
I will definitely end up selling abroad as well (all over the world), how does it work for both intra- and extra-EU?
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies
geogab71
·2 years agoI should preface this by saying that I sell trading cards and card albums and boxes and packs of new or vintage cards. My accountant told me that maybe the margin scheme was better, but I find it immensely complicated, and with the flat-rate scheme, even though I deduct nothing or almost nothing, it's a breeze with very few obligations. I only sell on eBay and at trade fairs. You have to note sales daily in a sales register; I do it in Excel, but then I still copy everything onto a Buffetti 3-copy register as well. I also split sales into 3 columns: ITALY, outside the EU, and EU
This is because if you do more than 10k in sales within the EU, you get caught in a maze tied to VAT in the various countries and, in theory, you'd have to open a VAT number in every country where you sell. Below 10k you don't have obligations of this kind. And EXTRA-EU sales (including Switzerland and the UK, for example) are treated the same as Italy. Since an invoice isn't mandatory and, from 2024, it’s electronic even for flat-rate taxpayers, the 1-2 times they ask me for one, my accountant issues it electronically. In previous years I issued it myself with the relevant stamp duty if it was > 74 and something euros. But in my sector the customer is a collector and it doesn't do them any good
alex_coverstem
·3 years agoHi, can I ask how you solved it?
I find myself in the situation of being the maker of an accessory that I produce by hand and sell in Italy, Europe, and the rest of the world.
With a little help from advertising on Instagram and influencers, my sales have tripled on Ebay, which allows me to accept payments more quickly and organize shipments.
I’m a private individual and I have a salaried job, since Ebay payments are weekly and electronic into a post office account opened only for sales, I would like to avoid irregularities and future audits while also avoiding opening a VAT number.
sika700
·3 years agoThe only way to be compliant and not have problems is to open a VAT number and a professional account.
Kind regards.
marioelegio
·3 years agoYou’re a craftsman who makes something that you then resell on various platforms in an organized and ongoing way, also using various advertising systems to promote your business.
But you’re a private individual and, as an employee, you can still open a VAT number for sales https://www.ilcommercialistaonline.it/partitaiva-lavorodipendente/ .
Even so, your contract could still be incompatible with crafts.
https://studiocommercialeonline.it/dipendente-e-artigiano-compatibili-oppure-no
So you need to decide whether to resign or close the now unauthorized business.
bye
mario