POS and RT devices: how does the mandatory connection work?

From 2026, the connection does not need to be physical. The regulation allows for digital connectivity. Through fiskaly’s APIs, the payment terminal sends payment data to the cloud, which in turn generates the fiscal receipt and transmits it to the Italian Revenue Agency, making traditional physical cash registers redundant.

The 2026 Obligation: who does it apply to?

The obligation applies to all retailers and similar businesses that use electronic payment instruments (credit/debit cards, apps) for collections. Essentially, anyone accepting digital payments must ensure their collection system is securely and properly certified and connected to the fiscal transmission system.

When does the mandatory POS-to-RT connection take effect?

The official effective date is January 1, 2026. However, it will not be possible to complete the pairing until the Italian Revenue Agency publishes the new section on the "Fatture e Corrispettivi" portal that enables the connection.

The future of payments and fiscal compliance in Italy: the 2026 POS-RT obligation

The landscape of payments and fiscalization in Italy is undergoing a radical transformation. At the heart of this evolution is the new 2026 obligation, which requires a direct connection between RT and POS payment terminals.

This regulation does not simply aim for the coexistence of devices but for total data transparency: every electronic transaction must be uniquely linked to the recording and transmission of sales data (corrispettivi).

The 2026 Obligation: what changes for merchants and POS systems?

Until now, the link between payment terminals and RT devices has often been optional or managed in a fragmented manner. From January 1, 2026, the rules change. The law requires electronic payment instruments to be connected with the systems that record fiscal data.

The deadline is clear: by January 2026, the market must adopt technical solutions capable of ensuring that every electronic payment is matched by immediate fiscal reporting.

Connection, not an integration

It is essential to make a terminological distinction: we are not talking about a software integration, but a mandatory connection. The legislator's goal is traceability: the financial flow (payment terminal) and the fiscal flow (sales data via fiscal printer) must communicate in real-time to eliminate errors or tax evasion from unrecorded receipts.

Penalties and non-compliance risks

Compliance is not just a technological choice; it is a necessity to avoid heavy legal and administrative repercussions. The penalty framework for failing to meet the POS-RT obligation is severe:

Missing or incorrect data transmission: a penalty of €100 for every missed, incorrect, or late transmission, up to a maximum of €1,000 per quarter. This applies to both daily fiscal reports and electronic payment data.
Lack of POS-RT Connection: merchants failing to connect payment and recording systems face administrative fines ranging from €1,000 to €4,000.
Business Suspension: in cases of serious or repeated violations, additional penalties are drastic. License suspension can range from 15 days to 2 months, increasing to 6 months in cases of recidivism or significant contested amounts.

The Impact on businesses: from complexity to digital resilience

The shift to the 2026 regulations represents a structural change that goes far beyond simple bureaucracy, directly impacting operational agility and financial planning. For merchants, the main risk is not just financial penalties, but process obsolescence. Relying on isolated hardware systems means facing rising maintenance costs and potential sales interruptions. By contrast, using mandatory POS–RT connectivity through a cloud system turns this burden into an opportunity. It helps digitize the point of sale, reduces human error, and makes accounting reconciliation much easier.

For companies, the real impact translates into business resilience. Fiscal compliance stops being a physical "point of failure" and becomes an invisible, scalable service protected by centralized security standards. In this scenario, the digital transition is no longer a cost to be borne, but an investment to ensure operational continuity in an increasingly interconnected market.

The fiskaly solution: APIs designed for the new obligation

In a market still awaiting full clarity, fiskaly stands as the first "regulation-ready" vendor in Italy for the new POS-RT connection obligation. While we wait for the official launch of the Italian Revenue Agency (AdE) portal (expected in March 2026), we have already laid the necessary technological foundations. With the introduction of payment device support in our API, we will enable merchants, acquirers, and POS system to register and manage their electronic terminal inventory alongside fiscal devices as soon as the Agency releases the update in the "Fatture e Corrispettivi" portal.

This proactive preparation directly addresses the Director’s Provision (Prot. n. 424470, October 31, 2025): the connection must be carried out by pairing device serial numbers within the reserved portal area. Thanks to our infrastructure, we are ready to support both customers using external solutions (physical RTs) and those choosing the flexibility of SIGN IT lite. Our ecosystem will also allow large acquirers to offer the connection service directly to their merchants, simplifying a burden that would otherwise fall on individual retailers. We are ready with the core architecture and will finalize the solution as soon as the Agency's web services go live in March to ensure a smooth, secure, and uninterrupted transition.