The thought of changing your Italian commercialista is a bit like the thought of changing banks. It’s something you’d love to do but you worry that’s it’s terribly complicated or that you’ll miss some vital deadline and land yourself in trouble. And unfortunately, some accountants in Italy prey on just these worries to make sure you stay with them!

Luckily, it really isn’t that difficult to change commercialista. Follow our simple six step guide and find the professionals you deserve.

1. Find a good commercialista. Do as the Italians do and ask people which accountant they use. Don’t just get a name, find one they really enthuse about!
2. Think about your needs. Do you have to deal with VAT in Italy or Italian tax returns? Are you looking for someone who takes a thorough interest in all aspects of your financial situation and has suggestions on how you could improve things, or do you just want somebody who fills in the forms you need? Is it important that you understand what you’re signing? Do you need someone to explain things in your own language? It’s a matter of personal choice but one thing is certain: you don’t need to continue paying someone for a service you aren’t happy with.
3. Check your current agreement. If there’s a written agreement with your commercialista, do you have to give them a specific period of notice? If you don’t have a written agreement, then reasonable notice is fine. That basically means enough time for them to get your papers together to pass on to your new commercialista.
4. Send a recorded delivery letter to your old accountant. This letter, sent by raccomandata a.r, is not a legal requirement but gives you proof that the letter was received.  We have a template for you below. The letter states that from a certain date you will no longer require their services. Tell them the name of your new commercialista and ask them to prepare your documents for handover. Ask if there are any fees to pay for work already done on your behalf, as this can be a valid reason for your commercialista not to hand over your records.
5. Give a copy of the letter to your new commercialista.  Ask them to get in touch with your old accountant to organise handover. That way they can sort things out between them and avoid any overlaps.
6. Give your new commercialista authority to access your tax records on-line. Once your new accountant has registered access to the cassetto fiscale, as it’s known, your old commercialista will automatically be excluded from having access.

And that’s it. Semplice!

We hope things will work out better with your new Italian commercialista – and if it’s the Studio Del Gaizo Picchioni, we can guarantee it! Why not contact us today for a no-obligation chat?

TEMPLATE FOR LETTER TERMINATING THE SERVICES OF YOUR COMMERCIALISTA

Categories: Articles