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Refund of the annual Italian VAT credit in the VAT return

A year-end VAT credit is claimed back in the annual VAT return, if one of the conditions of articles 30 and 38-bis of Presidential Decree 633/1972 is met; form IVA TR is used instead for the credits of the first three quarters. The 2026 VAT return, for tax year 2025, is filed only electronically between 1 February and 30 April 2026. Up to 30,000 euros the refund is paid without a guarantee and without special formalities; above that, the guarantee is avoided with the compliance endorsement (visto di conformità) and a sworn statement, except in the risk cases where it remains mandatory. The refund is paid into the tax account (conto fiscale).

Up to date for 2026 — verified on September 25, 2026Official procedure, no printed formGuide: about 20 min

Deadlines

From 1 February to 30 April 2026
Electronic filing of the 2026 VAT return (tax year 2025), in which the refund of the annual credit is claimed
Within 120 days of the certification request
Outcome of the request for certification that the credit is certain and liquid, needed to obtain an advance from a partner bank

Documents to prepare

  • The amount of the annual VAT credit shown by the registers and periodic settlements
  • Confirmation of the refund condition (articles 30 and 38-bis of Presidential Decree 633/1972)
  • Above 30,000 euros: compliance endorsement and sworn statement, or the ISA score, or the guarantee
  • Credentials for electronic filing or an authorised intermediary
See the procedure on the official site

No form is attached to this procedure: the link leads to the official page that describes it.

What this page gives you

The guide above and the link to the official site. ActioFin does not produce any document for this page: whatever you fill in or file is done on the official medium.

Who this applies to

  • Resident businesses and professionals ending the year with a VAT credit and meeting one of the conditions of articles 30 and 38-bis of Presidential Decree 633/1972
  • Non-residents with a permanent establishment in Italy, a tax representative or direct identification
  • Only those entitled to deduct: the business must make taxable supplies, and deduction is excluded on exempt supplies
  • Those making both taxable and exempt supplies deduct VAT on purchases proportionally, under article 19-bis of Presidential Decree 633/1972

Worked example

Tessitura Morandi srl claims a refund of an annual credit of 42,000 euros

Tessitura Morandi srl closes 2025 with a VAT credit of 42,000 euros and, after checking with its adviser that it meets one of the conditions of article 30 of Presidential Decree 633/1972, claims the refund in its 2026 VAT return, filed on 20 April 2026. The refund exceeds 30,000 euros, but the company applies the ISA reliability indices and reached a score of 9: it can obtain it without a compliance endorsement and without a guarantee up to 70,000 euros a year. It is not in a risk case: it has been trading for over two years and has received no assessments with significant discrepancies. The refund will be paid into its tax account.

How to fill it in, step by step

  1. Check that you meet one of the refund conditions of articles 30 and 38-bis of Presidential Decree 633/1972 and that the credit arises from supplies carrying a right to deduct.
  2. Establish whether the amount claimed exceeds 30,000 euros and, if so, whether the higher threshold for ISA taxpayers applies to you (50,000 euros with a score of at least 8, 70,000 euros with a score of at least 9, also as the average of the previous two years).
  3. Above the threshold, add to the return the compliance endorsement (or the alternative signature of the supervisory body) and the sworn statement on financial soundness and social-security compliance; otherwise prepare the guarantee.
  4. Fill in the refund request in the annual VAT return following the instructions to the 2026 VAT form and file it electronically by 30 April 2026.
  5. If the Agenzia asks, provide the guarantee, usually a bank or insurance surety, and the documents requested by the office or the collection agent.
  6. If you want an advance on the refund, request certification that the credit is certain and liquid by certified e-mail (PEC) to agenziaentratepec@pce.agenziaentrate.it, with the dedicated forms and an identity document.

Good to know

  • The refund is paid into the tax account, except when the taxpayer ceases trading or is subject to insolvency proceedings.
  • A guarantee remains necessary if the return lacks the compliance endorsement or the sworn statement where required, and in the riskiest cases: business carried on for less than two years (except innovative start-ups), refund claimed on ceasing trading, assessment or adjustment notices with significant discrepancies served in the previous two years.
  • Trading businesses awaiting a refund can obtain an advance, as a loan at a reduced rate, from banks that signed protocols with the Agenzia, by presenting the certification that the credit is certain and liquid and an irrevocable payment order endorsed by the office and the collection agent.
  • In residual cases, when the ordinary routes are not available, a refund can be requested on plain paper within two years of paying the tax not due, or of the day the condition for repayment arose, if later.
  • For certain goods used for both private and business purposes, a flat-rate deduction applies.

Common mistakes

  • Using form IVA TR for the whole year's credit: TR only covers the first three quarters, the annual credit is claimed in the return.
  • Claiming more than 30,000 euros without a compliance endorsement or sworn statement, and without the ISA requirements: the refund remains subject to a guarantee.
  • Counting on the guarantee exemption when the business has traded for less than two years or the refund is claimed on ceasing trading: a guarantee is needed in these cases.
  • Claiming back VAT linked to exempt supplies, on which deduction is excluded.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the refund of the annual VAT credit claimed?

In the annual VAT return. Form IVA TR is used instead for the credits of each of the first three quarters of the year.

Is a guarantee needed to obtain the refund?

Not up to 30,000 euros. Above that, it is avoided by adding to the return the compliance endorsement and a sworn statement on financial soundness and social-security compliance; ISA taxpayers with a score of at least 8 or 9 are exempt up to 50,000 or 70,000 euros. In risk cases the guarantee remains mandatory.

How is the VAT refund paid?

Into the tax account, described on the Agenzia delle Entrate-Riscossione website, except when the taxpayer ceases trading or is subject to insolvency proceedings.

Can I get the money without waiting for the refund?

Yes, with a bank advance from banks that joined the protocols with the Agenzia, presenting the certification that the credit is certain and liquid issued by the Agenzia, which communicates its outcome within 120 days.

Go further

Related forms

Official sources

Read in Italian

Guide and document provided for information purposes only; they do not constitute personalised legal or tax advice. Check the recipient organisation's requirements and consult a professional if needed.