In short
- This guide is not tax advice: every situation is different, and the answers come from your accountant.
- If you sell to your fans, receipts and VAT are yours. With Cerchia, the creator is always the seller.
- Go to your accountant with numbers: how much you expect to earn, from whom and on which platforms.
1. Before the appointment
The more precise you are, the more useful the answer. Prepare:
- How much you expect to earn in a year, even roughly: the calculator helps you estimate it.
- Where the money comes from: selling the group directly, YouTube, Twitch or Patreon subscriptions, sponsorships.
- Where your fans are: only in Italy or in other countries too.
- If you already have a VAT number: for which activity and under which regime.
2. The questions to ask
Ten questions to copy and take to the appointment.
- Do I need a VAT number to get paid for my group on a regular basis? From when?
- Which tax regime makes sense with my numbers?
- Which ATECO code describes what I sell?
- Do I have to pay social security contributions? Into which scheme?
- What do I have to issue for each payment, and how do I keep it?
- How does VAT apply to a digital subscription sold to individuals, in Italy and in other EU countries?
- How do I record the fees of Stripe, Satispay and Cerchia?
- How do I declare earnings from YouTube, Twitch or Patreon?
- What do you need from me every month: sales export, statements, platform invoices?
- What happens, tax-wise, if a fan asks for a refund?
3. What Cerchia does, and what it doesn’t
With Cerchia you are the seller: fans pay your own Stripe or Satispay Business account directly. Cerchia only takes a fee for the service and never holds the money.
| Aspect | You | Cerchia |
|---|---|---|
| Who sells to fans | You, always | No: it handles access to the group |
| Where the money goes | Your Stripe and Satispay Business | It doesn’t pass through Cerchia |
| Receipts and VAT for fans | Yours, with your accountant | Not handled |
| Numbers for your books | You pass them to your accountant | The monthly sales export |
Frequently asked questions
- Does Cerchia issue receipts to my fans?
- No. You are the seller: receipts and VAT are yours. Cerchia gives you the monthly sales export to pass to your accountant.
- Does anything change with Verifica?
- With Verifica, fans pay YouTube, Twitch or Patreon, not you directly. How to declare those earnings is something to go through with your accountant.
- Can I start and open a VAT number later?
- It depends on how much and how often you get paid: that’s exactly the first question to ask your accountant, before you start.