The short answer
Reclaiming VAT from Italy costs you nothing if nothing is refunded. The standard model among platforms that handle this for Dutch entrepreneurs is a success fee: a percentage of the amount that Italy actually pays out, never a fixed amount upfront and never an annual subscription. If you pay nothing, you retain nothing and therefore pay nothing either.
What that percentage means in your case depends on the amount of Italian VAT per year that has been left on the table on fuel, hotels, tolls and trade fair participation. At vatea.eu you see that percentage in advance, before you give authorization. If you first want to know whether it is worthwhile for your business to look into this, you can get a first indication in a few questions without needing an account for that.
Why a success fee and not a subscription
Reclaiming VAT from Italy is not a fixed, annual action with a predictable amount of work. One year an installation company has three trade fair visits and a few fuel stops in Northern Italy, the next year nothing. A subscription would make you pay regardless of the outcome; a success fee ties costs to results. That is also why the platform sends the invoice only after Italy has reviewed and approved the request, not at the moment of submission.
The percentage is independent of which EU country is involved. Italy does not have a separate fee structure for the service itself; however, it does determine, together with the other refund countries, how much can be claimed and under what conditions. The current percentages are on the pricing page, separately from this article, because they can be adjusted without changing the method of operation.
What determines the refunded amount itself
The costs are a percentage of the refunded amount, so the question actually shifts to: what does that amount depend on. Three factors play a role.
The first is simply how much has been spent in Italy with VAT on it: fuel, hotel nights, tolls, trade fair stands, business meals. The more often an entrepreneur or his staff drives or stays overnight in Italy, the higher the potential amount.
The second factor is what portion of those expenses Italy actually refunds. Not every type of expense qualifies for full refund, and Italy has its own restrictions that vary by type of expense. This is set out in the Requirements list that the Tax Authority publishes per refund country; you can find that list, and the date on which it was consulted, via the explanation of where the information comes from.
The third factor is whether the receipts and invoices are complete and correct. An incomplete or unreadable receipt does not lead to additional costs, but does result in a lower refund or a rejection of that specific request — and thus to a lower amount on which the success fee is calculated.
When you pay absolutely nothing
There are two situations in which there are no costs. The first is when the calculator or initial assessment shows that the amount falls below the threshold that Italy uses for a request; in that case nothing is simply submitted and therefore nothing is charged. The second is when a request is submitted but rejected by Italy; in that case too there is no result to calculate a percentage on.
This distinguishes the method from many separate advisory costs, where you pay for the time spent on your file, regardless of the outcome. With a success fee, the risk of rejection is shared by the platform as well, not just by you.
What you have in your own hands
The fees themselves are set as a percentage, but the amount on which they are calculated is influenced by you submitting receipts promptly and completely and by knowing which expense categories are relevant to your business. For the precise substantiation of an individual request, or when larger or unusual amounts are involved, it remains advisable to consult a VAT specialist; the platform executes the VAT recovery process and is not a tax advisor.
Would you like to know whether it is worthwhile for your business to reclaim VAT from Italy, and what costs that will approximately entail? Then check per situation what will be investigated for you or do the free quick-scan first to get an indication before you commit to anything.