Self-regularisation of IPT debts: interest rates and Italian penalty regime explained
Have you identified IPT and/or Antiracket amounts unpaid in Italy?
Take three long inhales and exhales: it is not as bad as it might feel.
Year 2024 brought some relief to Italian taxpayers eager to (self)regularise positions of debt towards the State (“Erario”), whilst perhaps even more intimidating complexities for minds accustomed to a two-party electoral system. Yet we are not going to scrutinise Farage here.
Let’s make the Mediterranean dive progressive by starting with interests.
It has been common from the late 90s for the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to issue a Decree in December each year announcing the legal rate of interests to be applied from the following first of January, which has been lowered to 1.6% for 2026 by the Decree published last 10th of December.
Here is a breakdown covering the last ten fiscal years:
2016*: 0.2%
2017: 0.01%
2018: 0.3%
2019: 0.8%
2020*: 0.05%
2021: 0.01%
2022: 1.25%
2023: 5%
2024*: 2.5%
2025: 2%
2026: 1.6%
*Leap years, consider 366 days in case of debts originated therein
A practical example: regularization by 23/01/2026 of an IPT payment of €8,000 due by 31/07/2024. Amount of IPT interests per year:
2024: 8,000*2.5% *(153/366 days) 0.418=€83.60
2025: 8,000*2%=€160
2026: 8,000*1.6%*(23/365) 0.0630=€8.06
Total IPT interests: 83.60+160+8.06=€251.66
The leniency cited in the opening has more closely affected the standard penalties and, consequently, their claimable reductions (i.e. “Ravvedimento Operoso” regime) by virtue of article 3 of Legislative Decree 87/2024, which has lowered the standard penalty for delays longer than 90 days from 30% to 25%, for irregularities committed as of the 1st of September 2024.
The highest penalty rate is then halved for a tardiness between 15 and 90 days (i.e. 15% until 31/08/2024, while 12.5% afterwards), with proportional decreases allowed for each day backwards by the so called “Ravvedimento Sprint”.
Based on the days of delay, the discipline of the standard penalty goes as follows:
(Days of delay/Rate until 31/08/2024/Rate from 1/09/2024)
- 1 day: 1% / 0.83%
- 2 days: 2% / 1.67%
- 3 days: 3% / 2.5%
- 4 days: 4% / 3.33%
- 5 days: 5% / 4.17%
- 6 days: 6% / 5%
- 7 days: 7% / 5.83%
- 8 days: 8% / 6.67%
- 9 days: 9% / 7.5%
- 10 days: 10% / 8.33%
- 11 days: 11% / 9.17%
- 12 days: 12% / 10%
- 13 days: 13% / 10.83%
- 14 days: 14% / 11.67
- 15 to 90 days: 15% / 12.5%
- More than 90 days: 30% / 25%
Having established the proper standard penalty, whether the outstanding amount originated prior or from the 1st of September 2024, the taxpayer can self-regularise with a reduction to 1/10 within 30 days from the deadline; to 1/9 between 31 and 90 days; to 1/8 after 90 days but within a year or annual declaration deadline (e.g. 31/05 each year, for IPT), as applicable.
The 2024 refresh has widened – for irregularities occurred from the 1st of September 2024 - the time horizon for the reduction to 1/7, practically to any delay longer than a year/declaration deadline, if no previous formal communication (e.g. “Schema d’atto”) had been received from the Tax Authorities.
Regardless of the timeframe, the reform allowed for the total penalty to be settled altogether under the “Codice Tributo” 3362, without any split between 82% and 18% like before. As per compliant method in Italy, all tax payments are to completed via F24.
Fantasy stories point to some market operators who have tried to “automate” the above regime, either with sophisticated Excels or lengthy developers tools, to then cover clients’ massive overpayments having forgotten – perhaps during part-time hours or extended +60 days of annual leave – that liabilities, penalties and interests shall be settled simultaneously, and that the moment the liabilities are settled crystallises interests like the standard penalty, with a potential delay in paying the penalty only impacting on its fraction of reduction.
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For more information or any assistance on this subject, do not hesitate to contact us.
