The Italian Revenue Agency rules that purchasing revenue stamps with cash over EUR 500 disqualifies businesses from benefiting from reduced tax assessment deadlines, emphasising that complete payment traceability is mandatory for all transactions above the threshold.
Italy’s Revenue Agency has announced on 12 March 2026 that Italian taxpayers who purchase revenue stamps in cash for amounts exceeding EUR 500 cannot benefit from the two-year reduction in tax assessment deadlines, according to the Revenue Agency’s response No. 77 issued on 12 March 2026.
The two-year deadline reduction for direct taxes and VAT assessments, established under Article 3 of Legislative Decree No. 127/2015, is only available to taxpayers who ensure complete traceability of all payments above EUR 500. This applies to both incoming and outgoing transactions conducted during business or self-employment activities.
The clarification came after a VAT-registered company inquired whether cash purchases of stamped paper exceeding EUR 500 would qualify for the reduced assessment timeline, given that such transactions lack electronic invoicing or traceable payment methods.
Conditions for accessing reduced deadlines
The Revenue Agency emphasised that meeting the traceability requirement alone is insufficient. Taxpayers must fulfil several conditions simultaneously:
- All transactions must be electronically documented through the Italian Exchange System (SdI).
- Payments must be traceable for any transaction exceeding EUR 500, including taxes and additional charges.
- Prerequisites must be declared in the tax return.
The €500 threshold encompasses the total transaction value, including all applicable taxes and fees, regardless of whether they affect the taxable base. Any single untraceable payment during the reporting period disqualifies the taxpayer from the benefit entirely.
The Agency concluded that cash purchases of revenue stamps above €500 represent untraceable transactions, making taxpayers ineligible for the two-year assessment deadline reduction provided by Legislative Decree No. 127/2015.
