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Helping you easily find everything you need to know about the rules and regulations regarding transfer pricing and Country by Country reporting for every country you do business with.
Global transfer pricing guide
Transfer pricing - Italy
01 Jan 202512 min read
This publication provides a high-level overview of Italy's transfer pricing rules and outlines who to contact for expert guidance in this area.
Contents
Introduction to transfer pricing in Italy
The Italian transfer pricing (TP) legislation is mainly contained in Article 110 paragraph 7 of the Italian Tax Code (Testo Unico Imposte e Redditi – TUIR) enacted by the Presidential Decree no. 917 of 1986. The arm’s length principle mirrors Article 9 of the OECD Model Tax Convention on Income and Capital.
The Ministerial Decree of 14 May 2018 implements the arm’s length principle in Italy by analyzing few provisions and by referring to the OECD Guidelines for the other subjects.
The TP rules apply to all cross-border operations involving Italian resident entities, including the Italian permanent establishment of foreign companies and permanent establishment of Italian resident entities for which the branch exemption regime has been opted.
The structure and the contents of the Italian Master File and Local File are rigid and are established by the Implementation Decree of the Italian Inland Revenue Director dated 23 November 2020. Circular Letter no. 15/2021 and no. 16/2022 provide some clarifications with reference to the aforementioned Implementation Decree.
The filing of transfer pricing documentation with the Italian Tax Authority is not required. If a transfer pricing documentation according to the Implementation Decree is prepared and this is notified to the Tax Authority by ticking the appropriate box in the relevant yearly tax return, the taxpayer may benefit from the so-called 'penalty protection regime'.
For larger groups (sales over €750m) Italy has implemented, with the Ministerial Decree of 23 February 2017, the Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR) requirements.
Article 31-ter of Presidential Decree no. 600 of 1973 rules the Advanced Pricing Agreement procedure in Italy.
Article 31-quater of Presidential Decree no. 600 of 1973 rules the unilateral and bilateral procedures to remove double taxation.
The Italian TP legislation follows the OECD Guidelines. The Ministerial Decree of 14 May 2018, implements the arm’s length principle in Italy by analyzing few provisions and by making a direct reference to the OECD Guidelines as updated from time to time.
The most appropriate pricing method should be selected on a transaction-by-transaction basis, providing the most reliable measure of an arm’s length result in each case. The current OECD methods, namely the comparable uncontrolled price, resale price, cost plus, transactional net margin, and profit split methods are all accepted, but the method used must be in line with the functional and risk profile of the tested party.
There is no set hierarchy as the Italian legislation refers to the OECD Guidelines. In practice, however, a ‘natural hierarchy’ may be said to favor the 'comparable uncontrolled price method' and the 'traditional transaction methods' in general.
Alternative methods can also be used if justifiable and appropriate.
Italy has a self-assessment regime, where the onus is on the taxpayer to ensure that transfer pricing regulations are adhered to.
Transfer pricing documentation
Transfer pricing documentation is not compulsory in Italy, but necessary if you want to benefit from the 'penalty protection regime'.
The Master File and Local File should be prepared on a yearly basis.
If the taxpayer prepares transfer pricing documentation that complies from both a formal and substantial point of view with the Implementation Decree of the Italian Inland Revenue Director dated 23 November 2020, it benefits from the so-called 'penalty protection regime'.
As a general principle, the TP documentation should allow the Tax Authority to 'walk through' the transfer pricing policy applied and the economic analysis. Formal errors do not prevent the taxpayer from benefiting from the 'penalty protection regime'.
Lack of carefully prepared documentation will generally be seen as (at least) 'careless' behavior with no application of the 'penalty protection regime' in the case of a tax audit. Therefore, any adjustment may result in penalties.
The Master File and Local File must be signed electronically by the Legal Representative or a delegated substitute and time stamped. The time stamp gives certainty to the signing date, which must be prior to the tax return filing date for the relevant fiscal year. It is possible to extend this deadline by filing a new tax return within 90 days from the ordinary deadline. Failure to finalize the TP documentation with electronic signature and time stamp by the deadline will not allow the taxpayer to be eligible for a penalty protection regime.
The Master File and Local File must be submitted, in electronic format, within 20 days from the official request by the Tax Authority. Any additional or supplementary information must be provided within 7 days from the relevant request.
The Local File must be prepared in Italian language meanwhile the Master File can be prepared in Italian or English language.
Italy has introduced, by implementing the ad-hoc Directive, the CbCR regulations for groups with revenues over €750m.
The Master File contains information on the multinational group activities and global allocation of income among different entities.
The Local File supplements the Master File, with a focus on the local entity. The document contains specific information on the peculiarities of the local entity, as well as the transfer pricing analyses related to the transactions occurring between the latter and related parties located in different jurisdictions.
In terms of contents, both the Master File and the Local File are in line with the recommendations provided by the OECD TPG in their last updated version of January 2022.
As a general rule and also in light of the clarifications provided by Circular Letter no. 15/2021, should an intercompany cost be considered as not “inherent”, penalties are always applicable notwithstanding the preparation of the proper Master File and Local File according to the local rules.
Charges for intercompany services usually require analysis on both the application of the arm’s length principle and on their inherency (i.e., benefit test). The taxpayer is therefore required to prove that the activities have been actually undertaken by the service provider, as well as the effectiveness of the costs sustained and deducted.
High-risk business models include toll and contract manufacturing, commissionaire and agency activity.
Limited risk profiles are challenged in case of recurring losses and/or in case of identification of additional functions and risks that are not in line with a limited risk profile.
In general, the Italian Tax Authority adopts a very formal and aggressive approach with reference to economic analyses, by carefully reviewing the searching criteria and the comparable selection. Pan-European benchmark analysis may be accepted, but they need to include Italian comparable entities.
Intercompany financial transactions are increasingly subject to scrutiny by the Italian Tax Authorities.
In Italy, tax audits may be performed by either the Inland Revenue (Agenzia delle Entrate) or the Tax Police (Guardia di Finanza), the latter being a specialized law enforcement body with investigative powers in economic and financial matters.
A penalty equal to 70% of the higher tax assessed is applicable in case of remarks raised by the Italian Tax Authorities for violations committed starting from September 2024 (e.g. starting from transactions reported in the tax return referred to fiscal year 2023, in case of a fiscal year corresponding to the calendar year, for which the tax return was filed in or after September 2024). Meanwhile, for violations committed before 1 September 2024 the penalty range is from 90% to 180% of higher taxes due. In relation to transfer pricing transactions, penalties are applicable in the following cases:
the transfer pricing documentation does not exist, or
the Tax Authority does not recognize it as 'the proper documentation' according to the Implementation Decree of 23 November 2020, or
the remark is raised on the grounds of non-inherence of the costs (e.g., in the case of services) rather than non-compliance with the arm’s length principle.
Non-compliance with CbCR and notification requirements can draw penalties ranging from €10,000 to €50,000.
Economic analysis and how to demonstrate an arm’s length result
The Italian Tax Authorities usually deeply analyze the search criteria applied in the database in order to assure their compliance with the local practice.
The list of comparable companies to be provided to the Tax Authority should contain some information to allow the Tax Authority to proceed with its revision, such as financial details, VAT number, BVD number, address.
If the tested party is an Italian entity, local comparable companies are preferred, whilst Pan-European companies can be accepted in a set of comparable that includes Italian comparable companies.
According to the clarifications provided by Circular Letter no. 16/2022, any point of the full-range should be considered at arm’s length, assuming that all the selected entities are “comparable” according to the criteria provided by the OECD Guidelines. However, based on our experience, the median value is usually taken as a reference by the Tax Authorities for the determination of the possible adjustment.
In order to adopt the so-called 'simplified approach' with reference to 'low-value-added services' transactions, the taxpayer must prepare a specific report resembling a full benefit test to be embedded in the yearly TP documentation.
Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs), dispute avoidance and resolution
Advanced Pricing Agreements (APAs) are written agreements between one or more taxpayers and one or more Competent Authorities to govern the appropriate transfer pricing method for a forward-looking period. The Italian Competent Authority manages both APAs and MAPs.
The Italian Competent Authority manages both bilateral and unilateral APAs.
The conclusion of a unilateral APA binds the parties for five years starting from the fiscal year in which it is signed, provided that no changes occur to the factual or legal conditions which constitute the premise on which the clauses of the agreement are based. The deadline to submit a renewal application for a unilateral APA falls 90 days before the end of the fiscal year in which the APA’s validity expires.
As for bilateral or multilateral APAs, these are binding according to the agreements reached with the foreign tax authorities. The duration of bilateral or multilateral APAs is agreed by the contracting competent authorities, and the tendency of the Italian Tax Authorities is to propose a duration no longer than five years, aligned with the maturity of unilateral APAs.
If certain conditions are met, the roll-back of the APA is applicable up to the oldest assessable fiscal year.
For the filing of a Bilateral or Multilateral APA request, a fee is required by the Italian Competent Authority. The fee varies on the basis of the amount of the Group’s consolidated revenues:
Fee of €10,000 for Groups with consolidated revenues up to €100 million;
Fee of €30,000 for Groups with consolidated revenues up to €750 million;
Fee of €50,000 for Groups with consolidated revenues over €750 million.
The fees here above listed are reduced by 50% in case of renewal.
There is no charge for Unilateral APA or MAP procedure.
Exemptions
There is no exemption for the application of the arm’s length principle and documentation provisions.
An SME (i.e. an entity whose turnover, does not exceed €50 million) is required to prepare the TP documentation on a yearly basis in order to comply with the Italian TP documentation requirements.
If there are no significant changes in the comparability analysis, an SME may use the same benchmark analysis for the subsequent two fiscal years, conditional upon the benchmark analysis being based on publicly available data.
Should an SME directly or indirectly be controlled by or control an entity whose turnover exceeds the threshold of €50 million, it is required to update the benchmark analysis on a yearly basis. Thus, it cannot use the same benchmark analysis for the subsequent two years as per the point here above.
Related developments
No additional clarifications are expected.
The digital service tax (DST) is a rate of 3% applied to specific types of revenue arising from digital, applying in Italy since January 1st, 2020.
With the approval of the 2025 Italian Budget Law (n. 207 of December 30th, 2024), the Italian government removed the €5.5m threshold for annual revenue from qualified digital services taking place in the Italian territory. This change means that any level of revenue generated in Italy will now be subject to the DST, provided the global threshold of €750m in worldwide revenue is met. Companies that qualify as taxable persons will need to comply with relevant reporting, accounting and payment obligations starting from January 1st, 2025.
The revenue threshold should be met in the fiscal year preceding the one when DST comes due. It follows that in order to verify if the DST will be due for revenues obtained in FY 2025, companies should exceed the revenue threshold in FY 2024.
An account payments system was introduced, requiring businesses to pay 30% of the previous year's DST liability by November 30th, with the balance due by May 16th of the following year.
Qualified digital services are divided into four categories:
Digital advertising: the placing of a digital advertisement interface targeted for users;
Intermediation services: the making available of multi-sided digital interfaces to users that allow them to find and interact with others; and that may also facilitate the direct supply of goods or services;
provision of underlying supplies of goods or services directly between users;
the transmission of data collected about users that have been generated from such users' activities on digital interfaces.
The DST applies to the gross revenues earned from the qualified digital services.
In several occasions, the Italian Tax Authorities outlined that a collaborative behavior should be at the basis of a tax audit, especially in transfer pricing audits.
The report 'Guidance on transfer pricing implications of the Covid-19 pandemic' released by the OECD on 18 December 2020 should be considered as a reference of international best practice in Italy.
It is also likely that the Italian Tax Authority will continue to focus challenges towards companies with commissionaire/LRDs and 'cost plus' service entities, especially where they are claiming losses because of the pandemic.
No domestic guidelines on this matter have been published by the Italian Tax Authority.
Contact us
For further information on transfer pricing in Italy please contact:
