Despite what you may believe, receiving electronic invoices is very simple, as much for "normal" taxpayers as for those with a VAT number
In just one year, electronic invoicing has made an "impression" on Italians. According to data released by the MEF at the end of 2019 speak of 2 billion documents issued by 3.8 million subjects and addressed, for the most part, to other companies or individuals. If you're one of the recipients of the 2 billion invoices and you're wondering how to receive electronic invoices, know that you won't have any major difficulties.
The functioning of electronic invoicing between private individuals, in fact, is extremely simple, both in terms of sending and consulting the electronic invoice. It's enough to understand, even in broad terms, how e-invoicing works to get an idea of how to read the digital invoices linked to our VAT number. Then, in order to receive and read them, it will be enough to properly configure an administrative software such as Libero SiFattura, which allows you to receive free of charge and store all the invoices related to your activity.
How the electronic invoice works
At the base of the functioning of the electronic invoice is the SDI, the Interchange System created and managed by Sogei and the Italian Revenue Agency. Every fiscal document that companies and professionals create through platforms such as Libero SiFattura is sent to the servers of the Interchange System, which verify the "formal" and fiscal correctness and forward them to the recipient. In fact, the invoice is sent to the SDI, which acts as a "post office" that takes care of correctly sorting the fiscal documents.
To do this, the system relies on the SDI Recipient Code, which allows to uniquely identify companies and professionals who use the electronic invoice.
Receiving Electronic Invoices
For a company or a professional - even with a flat rate VAT number - the easiest way to consult electronic invoices is through an administrative software. As mentioned above, it will be necessary to properly configure the tool, so you can receive tax documents related to your VAT number and your name.
With Libero SiFattura, for example, you will have to provide the recipient code 10ZKECO after activating the free BASIC plan and configure your electronic profile, so that the system can correctly address the invoices to our "box". This is a simple procedure that takes only a few seconds. From that moment on, it will be sufficient to access one's own personal SiFattura area to consult our electronic invoices.
Consultation of private electronic invoices
Private individuals who, on the other hand, wish to receive electronic invoices associated with their tax code can use two tools. The most convenient one is the Certified Electronic Mail: it will be enough to provide the professional or the company that has to issue the fiscal document with its PEC address to receive it and keep it for as long as you want. Open a certified mailbox with Libero Mail PEC, for example, is very easy and allows you to receive many electronic invoices, without additional costs to be incurred. With a PEC box, then, you can send documents with legal value to the bodies of the Public Administration or companies, use it as a mo' of digital domicile and much more.
Or you can choose to consult electronic invoices by joining the online service designed by the Inland Revenue. By signing up before May 3, 2020 (barring further extensions), you will be able to consult all invoices associated with your tax code issued since January 1, 2019. By joining at a later date, however, you will only be able to consult those issued from that day onwards.