Canone RAI: how to opt out of the TV tax

Having received an electricity bill in Italy, many newcomers are surprised by the line for a television: this is the canone RAI, the television fee, which according to the community is about 90 euro per year (the amount has changed - in some years it was 70 euro; check the current one on agenziaentrate.gov.it) and since 2016 is automatically included in the electricity bill on the household tariff. It is charged by default to everyone who has a household electricity meter - even if there is no television in the home. The good news: if you really have no receiver, you can officially opt out of the fee by declaring this to the tax office. This is an overview based on the community's experience, not legal advice: amounts and deadlines are time-dependent, so be sure to verify the current details on agenziaentrate.gov.it.

This fee is part of your utility costs, so it is useful to look at the general piece on utilities (electricity, gas, water) too.

What is the canone RAI and how do you opt out of it?

The canone RAI (also the canone TV) is a fee for owning a television receiver; if there really is no receiver at home, you can officially opt out of the fee by filing an exemption declaration with the Agenzia delle Entrate via SPID/CIE or PEC. You have to declare it actively and on time - by default the tax office assumes everyone has a television. According to the community, the fee surprises even Italians themselves, because it is arranged in an unusual way:

• the fee is tied not to the television itself, but to the presence of a household electricity meter on the residenziale tariff (domestic use);
• since 2016 it is automatically added to the electricity bill rather than billed separately;
• it is charged by default, on the assumption that everyone has a television - and that is precisely why, to avoid paying, you have to actively declare the opposite.

According to the community, the annual sum (about 90 euro) is usually broken up by periods within the electricity bills - members describe a breakdown into small parts (on the order of a few dozen euro) over several payments in the year. It is better to verify the specific figure and the current procedure on agenziaentrate.gov.it, because amounts change over time.

An important nuance that members warn about: simply not paying the canone line on the electricity bill is a bad idea. Earlier, when the fee came as a separate slip, many ignored it, but now it is embedded in the electricity bill, and if you do not pay precisely this part, the whole electricity bill ends up unpaid - the provider does not care that you wanted to skip only the canone, the entire bolletta goes into arrears. So the only correct way not to pay is an official declaration of the absence of a television, not selective nonpayment.

At first I did not understand at all where a television came from on my electricity bill - I do not have one at all. It turned out it is charged automatically to everyone with a household meter. Until you file the declaration yourself, the system assumes you have a television.

Who can opt out and who cannot

The main condition is simple: the exemption is for those who have no television receiver in their home.

According to the community, the logic is this:

• the declaration is filed by the owner or tenant of the home in whose name the household electricity meter is registered (or the heir in the corresponding case);
• the grounds for opting out is the absence of a television in the household;
• if there is a television, the exemption is not granted, and trying to falsely declare its absence is a violation with sanctions, so you should not do it;
• according to the community, monetary fines are provided for a false declaration (members cite a range of roughly one hundred to a little over five hundred euro), and in some cases there may even be a criminal side; the amounts and the scope of liability are time-dependent - verify on agenziaentrate.gov.it;
• the declaration may be checked - both by inspection and by cross-referencing household data, so you should not declare the absence of a television "on the off chance" when a receiver really stands there.

That is, opting out is not "I want not to pay" but an honest statement that you have no receiver. If one appears later, it is more correct to stop declaring the exemption. Formally this is called a dichiarazione sostitutiva di non detenzione - a statement of the absence (non-possession) of a television receiver.

What is important to know from the community about the technology: the fee is tied precisely to a device capable of receiving a terrestrial or satellite television signal. An ordinary laptop, PC, tablet and smartphone do not fall under it, even if you can watch streaming and online TV on them. That is, living with a computer instead of a television and honestly declaring the absence of a receiver is exactly the case for which the exemption was devised. Where exactly the line "receiver or not" runs in contentious situations (for example, a monitor with a tuner) is better clarified on agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

It is important to understand that this is not a loophole but a declaration of fact. We really have no television, we watch everything on a laptop - that is exactly the case it was made for. If a television stood there, I would not even try: there are sanctions for false information.

For a long time I wondered whether my laptop counts as a "television" for this fee. I found out it does not: the fee is for devices that catch a terrestrial or satellite signal, and a computer, tablet and phone do not fall under it, even if you watch online on them. So I filed the declaration of the absence of a receiver calmly.

By what date to file: the deadlines

The deadlines here decide for what period you will not pay, so they are worth memorizing separately. According to the community, the guideposts are these:

• by roughly 31 January - to avoid paying the fee for the whole year;
• from February to roughly 30 June - the exemption will work only for the second half of the year;
• after this deadline - the exemption will start applying from the next year onward.

A separate case according to the community: if you have just concluded a new contract for electricity, the declaration must be filed within a set short period after the connection (usually they speak of the end of the following month). These dates are time-dependent, so verify the specific deadlines for the current year on agenziaentrate.gov.it.

I dragged my feet and filed in the summer - in the end the fee was still charged for the first half of the year, the exemption started only from the second. So it is better not to put it off and to file closer to the start of the year to cover it in full.

How to file through the Agenzia delle Entrate site (SPID/CIE)

The most convenient way, according to the community, is online on the tax service's portal, logging in via digital identity.

The approximate order:

• log in to the Agenzia delle Entrate site via SPID or CIE (how to arrange SPID is in a separate piece);
• find the service for the dichiarazione sostitutiva on the television fee on the electricity bill (the wording is long but recognizable - it is about the canone TP/TV for private use);
• fill in the form and complete the submission.

If you do not yet have a digital identity, start with the piece on SPID - without it online submission will not work. According to the community, the whole procedure takes little time if the bill's data is at hand.

Through SPID it all took about ten minutes. The main thing is to have the SPID itself in advance, because without it you simply cannot get into the tax service's portal. I found the right service by the word canone, filled it in and sent it.

Which block to fill in: Quadro A (and when Quadro B is needed)

The declaration itself has several blocks (Quadri), and you have to fill in the right one, otherwise the point is lost.

According to the community:

• Quadro A is precisely the block about the complete absence of a television in the home; it is the one you mark to opt out of paying the fee;
• Quadro B and Quadro C in the ordinary case of opting out do not need to be filled in;
• Quadro B comes in handy in a separate situation: when cohabitants receive separate bills for electricity but there is a television in the home. Then there is no need to pay the fee twice - one of the residents uses Quadro B to indicate who is already paying the canone, so as to exclude a repeat charge on their own bills.

The main thing, according to the community, is not to mix up the blocks: for "I have no television" you need precisely Quadro A.

I almost got confused in those squares. In fact it is simple: no television - you tick the boxes in Quadro A, do not touch the rest. Quadro B is already for the case when there are several of you with separate bills, so as not to pay the fee a second time.

The exemption form: how to fill it

The official form is called "Dichiarazione sostitutiva relativa al canone di abbonamento alla televisione per uso privato" (Agenzia delle Entrate) - this is the modulo for the esenzione from the canone RAI. Always take the blank form and the instructions from agenziaentrate.gov.it; you can also see what the document looks like in our library: the canone TV declaration form. According to the community, the form is laid out as follows - let us go field by field (all values below are fictitious, for the example only):

• Dati del dichiarante (declarant's data) - who is filing: cognome/surname, nome/first name, date and place of birth, codice fiscale, plus the household electricity meter's data (client number / POD per the form's instructions). It is filed by the owner or tenant in whose name the meter is registered.
• Quadro A - dichiarazione di non detenzione - the main block for opting out: you mark that there is no television receiver at all in the home at this meter's address. This is the box you fill in so the fee is not charged.
• Quadro B - for the case where the canone for this household is already being paid on another bill (for example, cohabitants with separate bills): you indicate the codice fiscale of whoever already pays, to exclude a repeat charge. In an ordinary opt-out (no television at all) you leave Quadro B untouched.
• Heir field - a separate filing variant: then the deceased's data is added. An ordinary declarant does not need it.
• Firma (signature) - place, date and signature. This is a dichiarazione sostitutiva under D.P.R. 445/2000, i.e. a statement under your own responsibility; sanctions are provided for false information (the community cites art. 75-76 D.P.R. 445/2000 - verify the current details on agenziaentrate.gov.it).

You can submit this form through two channels (according to the community):

• online - log in to the area riservata on agenziaentrate.gov.it via SPID/CIE and fill in the declaration directly in your personal area; a separate paper form is then not needed (more detail in the section on filing through the site above);
• on paper - print and sign the model, then send it by registered letter (raccomandata) to the Agenzia delle Entrate at the receiving address indicated in the form's instructions (the community cites an address of the form "via Giorgione 106, 00147 Roma"; be sure to verify the current address and procedure on agenziaentrate.gov.it).

An alternative: filing by PEC and important nuances

If the online portal does not suit you for some reason, there is a backup path.

According to the community, the declaration can be sent by certified email PEC with a digital signature to a special RAI/tax-office address indicated in the instructions for the form. The form can also be sent by registered letter - the receiving details are indicated in the official instructions.

A few nuances worth remembering:

• the exemption, according to the community, applies for one calendar year, so if the situation persists (there is still no television), for the next year the declaration is filed again;
• take the form template and the filling instructions only from the official tax-office site, not from retellings;
• when filing by PEC you need precisely a valid digital signature - an ordinary letter from an ordinary email will not do.

On certified email and the digital signature it is useful to look at the separate piece on PEC and CIE. Verify the exact PEC address and the filing procedure on agenziaentrate.gov.it.

It did not work through the portal for me right away, so I sent it by PEC with a digital signature - that was accepted too. Just do not forget that this has to be repeated every year: filing once is not forever, for the new year you confirm again that there is no television.

Two things on which newcomers stumble. The first - the fee is charged on the household-tariff electricity meter automatically, so if you have no television, the declaration has to be filed actively, it will not fall off on its own. The second - it is an annual story: you filed once, for the next year in the same situation you file again. Verify the deadline on the tax service's site, they usually go by the start of the year so that the exemption covers it in full.

Related articles

• Utilities: electricity, gas, water - how electricity bills, which contain the canone RAI, are arranged.
• SPID: setting up a digital identity - logging in to the tax service's portal for online submission of the declaration.
• PEC and CIE - certified email and digital signature for filing by PEC.
• Italy's social benefits and bonuses - other ways to lawfully reduce everyday costs (including the bonus sociale on utilities).

Official sources

• agenziaentrate.gov.it - Italy's tax service: the declaration of exemption from the canone TV, the form template, instructions, deadlines and the address for filing.
• spid.gov.it - the official SPID portal: digital identity for logging in to the tax service's site.
• agid.gov.it - Agenzia per l'Italia Digitale: SPID, PEC and digital services for filing documents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the canone RAI and why is it on the electricity bill?

According to the community, the canone RAI is a television fee of about 90 euro per year, which since 2016 is automatically included in the electricity bill on the household (residenziale) tariff. It is charged by default to all holders of a household meter, even if there is no television. Verify the exact amount and rules on agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

Who can opt out of the canone RAI?

According to the community, the one who can opt out (more precisely, declare an exemption) is someone who has no television receiver in their home. The declaration is filed by the owner or tenant in whose name the household electricity meter is registered, by completing the official Agenzia delle Entrate declaration. If there is a television, the exemption is not granted. Check the conditions on agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

By what date do you need to file the declaration?

According to the community, to avoid paying the fee for the whole year the declaration is filed by roughly 31 January; if you file between February and roughly 30 June, the exemption applies only to the second half of the year, and after that - from the next year onward. The deadlines are time-dependent, verify the current details on agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

Do you need to file the declaration every year?

According to the community, yes: the exemption usually applies for one calendar year, so if there is still no television, the application has to be filed again toward the start of the next year. When concluding a new electricity contract, the declaration must be filed within a set short period after the connection. Check on agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

How exactly do you file the exemption application?

According to the community, the easiest way is online on the Agenzia delle Entrate portal, logging in via SPID or CIE: find the service for the dichiarazione sostitutiva on the canone TV and fill in the needed block. An alternative is to send a signed declaration by certified email PEC. Check the current procedure on agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

Do you have to pay the canone if you only have a computer or laptop but no television?

According to the community, no: the fee is tied to a device capable of receiving a terrestrial or satellite television signal, and an ordinary laptop, PC, tablet and smartphone do not fall under it, even if you watch online TV and streaming on them. But to keep the fee from being charged automatically, you still have to file a declaration of the absence of a television receiver (dichiarazione sostitutiva di non detenzione). Verify contentious cases and the current procedure on agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

What happens for a false declaration of the absence of a television?

According to the community, monetary fines are provided for a false statement (members cite a range of roughly one hundred to a little over five hundred euro), and in some cases there may even be a criminal side; the declaration may be checked by inspection or by cross-referencing household data. So you should not declare the absence of a television when a receiver really stands there. The amounts and the scope of liability are time-dependent - check on agenziaentrate.gov.it, this is not legal advice.

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Documents for this topic

• Declaration of exemption from television fee (Agenzia delle Entrate)
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