Today is Tuesday, March 10th, and in this tenth episode we'll talk — as always — about music therapy, but from an angle that both teachers and students tend to overlook.
My experience is that we pay a lot of attention to the ethical, scientific, practical, technical and professional sides of our craft — and even to the poetic one — but we almost never talk about VAT numbers, certified email, invoicing codes and the like. Obviously, in barely five minutes I can't go into all of this in detail. But if anyone is interested — and since I'm stuck at home anyway — we could do a live session, or a good long video call, and really get into it. Let me know with a comment on the musicoterapiadaguardare Facebook page.
So: how do I handle the tax side and the bureaucratic chores? Of course I pay an accountant. But there are countless everyday situations in which people will ask you for documents, numbers, data and information that have something to do — more or less directly — with your profession. How to cope? Here are my solutions.
I think all phones are pretty much alike. In mine, under "Contacts", there's a card dedicated to me with my mobile number — and then a customizable space where you can jot down all sorts of notes. Well: since I'd rather save my memory for more precious things, that's where I've written down the information I get asked for over and over again:
- my VAT number (partita IVA)
- the date my VAT number was activated
- its ATECO code (the activity-classification code)
- my tax code (codice fiscale)
- the unique invoicing code (Codice Univoco)
- my IBAN and BIC
- the plate of my vehicle (registered as a commercial van)
On top of that, I keep a folder on Dropbox (Google Drive works just as well) with scans of all my documents: driving licence, ID card, health card, VAT attribution certificate, my various music therapy diplomas, and a passport photo. And, naturally, in that same folder I keep an up-to-date CV in the European format.
But it doesn't end there, because now I'll hand you a few tips that nobody gave me during my training — things I had to learn on my own:
Before you start any kind of work, you must have a letter of engagement (or a contract) from the institution that contacted you. Never begin your project without it. That's where the hours, the sessions, the fee and the payment terms of your professional service are spelled out. And that's also where you'll find the recipient code (Codice destinatario) that lets you issue the invoice — especially when you're dealing with public administrations.
I know you already know this, but remember: when you issue an invoice, you have to tell your software whether your client is a private individual or a public administration. And remember that some bodies will ask you for a parcella (a fee note) rather than a fattura (an invoice). No panic — it's just a matter of specifying the document type with a code: TD01 for invoices, TD06 for the fee note.
As you can see, the poetry fades a little once you step into this dimension. But being a professional means this too — and I promise you: if I managed it, you can manage it just fine as well!