How the Italian tax code is calculated
The codice fiscale has 16 characters, each with a precise meaning:
- 3 letters from the surname: the consonants first, then vowels, then X if needed.
- 3 letters from the first name: if it has 4 or more consonants, the 1st, 3rd and 4th are used.
- 2 digits for the year of birth (the last two).
- 1 letter for the month: A January, B February, C March, D April, E May, H June, L July, M August, P September, R October, S November, T December.
- 2 digits for the day of birth; 40 is added for women.
- 4 characters for the place of birth: the Italian municipality code, or a Z code for foreign countries.
- 1 check character calculated from the first 15.
Example: John Smith, born in the United States on 20 May 1980, has a codice fiscale starting with SMTJHN80E20Z404 followed by its check letter.
Why foreigners need a codice fiscale
You will be asked for your codice fiscale to sign a job or rental contract, open an Italian bank account, get a SIM card or utilities, register with the national health service and choose a doctor, enrol at university, or buy a car or a home.
More tools (in Italian)
- Codice fiscale inverso: decode an existing code to see the date, sex and place of birth.
- Verifica codice fiscale: check whether a code is formally valid.
- Codice fiscale per stranieri: full list of foreign country codes.