SmartRate is a financial planning platform for Italian flat-rate (forfettario) VAT holders, converting unpredictable tax payments into a single monthly savings plan. The platform automatically calculates tax and contribution amounts based on user data, provides deadline alerts, and offers a dedicated Tax Wallet—a segregated IBAN held by a Banca d'Italia-regulated electronic money institution—so funds remain the user's property until the F24 is paid.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Italian freelancers and VAT holders in the forfettario regime face concentrated tax payment peaks several times a year, creating cash-flow stress, anxiety around deadlines, and risks of late payments, penalties, and interest. Many struggle to predict how much to set aside, leading to last-minute surprises and time lost on manual calculations.
Solution
SmartRate provides a platform that transforms unpredictable tax obligations into a single, planned monthly rate. The system automatically calculates taxes and contributions in real time based on the user's data, then offers a personalized calendar with alerts for upcoming deadlines. Users can set aside their monthly amount into a dedicated Tax Wallet—a segregated IBAN in their own name, issued by an electronic money institution supervised by Banca d'Italia. At the due date, the F24 form prepared by the accountant is debited directly from these accumulated funds, ensuring liquidity is always ready without SmartRate ever holding or controlling the money.
Target Audience
Primary users are Italian freelancers and VAT holders in the forfettario regime, particularly those who struggle with tax planning and cash-flow management, as well as accountants seeking to reduce client payment delays and administrative workload.
Features
- Automatic real-time calculation of taxes and contributions based on the user's profitability coefficient and flat tax rate (5% or 15%)
- Personalized fiscal calendar with deadline alerts and reminders for F24 payments, advances, balances, and INPS contributions
- Tax Wallet: a dedicated Italian IBAN in the user's name, issued by TPPay (an IMEL supervised by Banca d'Italia), with funds protected by legal asset segregation under art. 114-duodecies of the TUB
- Embedded finance architecture: SmartRate acts as technology service provider, TPPay as custodian, and CGN Fintech as payment order transmitter under PSD2 Open Banking, with every transfer authorized by the user via strong customer authentication (SCA)
- Upcoming Pay feature for one-touch monthly savings and direct F24 payment from the Tax Wallet
- Dedicated program for accountants to reduce client late payments, insolvencies, and unpaid micro-consultations