With the surge in digital asset popularity, governments around the globe have created crypto tax guidelines.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the integral aspects of these guidelines, diving deep into taxable events and reporting necessities.

How Do Crypto Taxes Work

Understanding your obligations and the mechanics of crypto taxes is a non-negotiable requirement for every cryptocurrency investor and trader.

Yes, crypto taxes can spiral into complexity, but once you firmly understand your tax responsibilities, you’ll be well-equipped to stay within the bounds of tax regulations.

Here’s an example: say you’re a real estate investor. You understand that the properties you buy and sell aren’t just buildings but taxable assets. 

The IRS, too, views cryptocurrencies as property, not currency. As a result, your crypto transactions could either enlarge your capital gains or deepen your losses, contingent on factors like your holding durations and cost basis.

To avoid penalties, you must accurately report your gains and losses and maintain meticulous records of every crypto transaction.

Mastering the basics of crypto taxation isn’t just an option – it’s a lifeline. 

It’s also worth emphasizing that tax regulations aren’t universal – they differ from country to country. Taxation in developing countries might be more relaxed than in developed nations.

Therefore, getting a firm grip on the tax laws that apply to your geographic location is critical—more on this in this article. 

Types of Crypto Taxes

There are three types of crypto taxes. 

1. capital gains tax
2. income tax
3. gift tax

Capital gains tax

In crypto, selling or exchanging digital assets could mean you’re eligible for capital gains tax.

Let’s say you invested in one Bitcoin for $10,000. After watching the market trends, you decided to sell it when its value jumped to $15,000.

This sale has now given you a capital gain of $5,000 ($15,000 sale price minus $10,000 purchase cost). This gain is a boost to your portfolio; it’s also taxable.

Income tax

Any cryptocurrency you receive due to mining, staking, or payment isn’t just digital assets – they’re income. And as we know, income is taxable.

An example would be setting up your computer and starting to mine Ethereum.

After some time, you manage to mine 5 ETH, each valued at $2,000 at the time of mining, totalling $10,000. This profit is more than just a good day’s work.

It’s also $10,000 of taxable income, which you must report on your tax return. The rate of tax you owe on this income will depend on your overall income level and tax bracket.

Gift tax

Gifting cryptocurrency might seem like a simple, generous act, but it may carry tax implications based on the gift’s value and the annual gift exclusion limit.

Say you decide to give someone cryptocurrency worth $15,000. Depending on your relationship with the recipient and the prevailing annual gift exclusion limit, your act of generosity could be subject to gift tax rules.

Understanding these potential tax obligations is crucial before gifting cryptocurrency.

Difference Between Taxes in Developed and Developing Countries

Regarding crypto taxes, developed and developing nations’ playing field is dramatically different.

This variance manifests in regulation levels, guidelines’ clarity, and tax treatment methods.

Developed countries have defined their tax regulations for cryptocurrencies, acknowledging this emerging asset class’s significance.

Frequently, they categorize cryptocurrencies as property or capital assets, subjecting them to capital gains taxes. 

Let’s delve into two examples of developed countries:

As we said in the article, cryptocurrencies are subject to capital gains tax rules like those applied to stocks, bonds, and real estate in the USA.

When you buy, sell, or exchange cryptocurrencies, you must report any ensuing capital gains or losses on your tax returns.

In the U.K., cryptocurrencies are considered property for tax purposes. Consequently, you might be liable to pay capital gains tax when you sell or exchange cryptocurrencies.

If you’re a business using crypto for transactions, you may be subject to income tax or corporation tax.

Contrarily, developing countries need more robust regulations and varying tax treatments.

Crypto-specific guidelines might need to be revised, complicating taxpayers’ attempts to pin down their tax obligations.

This reality births a broad spectrum of cryptocurrency tax treatments across developing countries.

Take El Salvador, for example. This developing nation recently welcomed Bitcoin as a legal tender, but its tax regulations surrounding cryptocurrencies are still in the early stages of development.

The government’s decision to adopt Bitcoin as a legal tender has resulted in unique challenges for crypto tax reporting and compliance. 

If you’re a taxpayer in El Salvador, you might need help understanding and complying with the tax implications of cryptocurrency usage. 

Crypto Tax Report: An Essential Guide for Filing Cryptocurrency Taxes

Filing your cryptocurrency taxes involves deploying specific tax forms accurately to account for your income and transactions.

These forms will differ based on your unique cryptocurrency activities.

Capital gains and losses, which form the backbone of cryptocurrency transactions, are reported to the IRS through Form 1040 Schedule D and Form 8949, where applicable.

Form 8949 houses two sections:

Part I – short-term disposals

Part II – long-term disposals.

When filling out Form 8949, confirming if you reported transactions on Form 1099-MISC is vital. Suppose your exchange didn’t issue a Form 1099-B for your crypto dealings.

In that case, you typically opt for option C on Form 8949 for short-term transactions not previously reported.

Furthermore, conventional income linked to cryptocurrency activities, such as rewards exceeding $600 within a tax year, should be reported using forms like 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC.

Remember that even if a 1099 form isn’t available, you must still report these earnings. Failing to do so could mean severe legal consequences.

Your tax reporting’s precision heavily leans on comprehensive record-keeping.

This process means diligently preserving records of all crypto transactions, including key details like dates, amounts, the coins’ fair market value at the trade time, cost basis, and any pertinent expenses or fees.

These records form the cornerstone for correctly calculating capital gains or losses and efficiently tracking all taxable events created by trading or spending your crypto assets.

When you ready yourself to file your crypto taxes with paper forms, this involves assembling these records, computing your capital gains and losses, and documenting each transaction on Form 8949.

After this, you transfer the totals to Schedule D, which aids in ascertaining your overall capital gains or losses for the tax year.

Regarding cryptocurrency taxation, some transactions, such as those conducted in tax-deferred or non-taxable accounts like IRAs, typically escape tax. Understanding these subtleties can empower you while maintaining compliance. 

Consider seeking expert advice or employing trustworthy tax software to guarantee compliance and make well-informed financial decisions.

Doing so will dodge potential penalties or legal hiccups and lay the groundwork for strategic financial planning.

Understanding Tax Rates and Implications for Buying and Selling Cryptocurrency

Tax rates for cryptocurrency transactions depend on your asset holding period length.

If you hold assets for a year or less, you’ll encounter short-term gains.

These gains are taxed according to your ordinary income tax rate, falling anywhere between 10% to 37%. Hence, short-term gains could mean higher taxes.

In contrast, long-term gains apply when you hold assets for over a year.

These gains benefit from favourable tax rates varying from 0% to 20%, offering substantial tax savings. Keeping your cryptocurrency for at least a year can help reduce taxes. 

For instance, let’s say you held a cryptocurrency for 15 months, and you made a profit of $3,000 upon selling it. This profit would be subject to the lower, long-term capital gains tax rates.

The act doesn’t invoke immediate taxation when you buy cryptocurrency. Purchasing cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum doesn’t prevent a taxable event.

Instead, tax implications emerge when you sell, exchange, or employ your cryptocurrency for goods or services.

You may be required to report and pay taxes on any capital gains or losses generated from these transactions, depending on the holding period and other aspects.

Depending on whether your capital gains are short-term or long-term, in both scenarios, you determine the profit or loss by subtracting the original cost basis from the selling price.

You must declare this figure in your tax returns.

Strategies to Optimize and Minimize Crypto Taxes

There exist legitimate avenues for cutting down your tax obligations; however, it’s crucial to thoroughly comprehend these techniques and utilize them judiciously to remain compliant with tax regulations.

Reporting and Record-Keeping

Ignoring crypto transactions in your reporting can result in severe penalties. Form 8949 may be necessary to disclose details of your cryptocurrency sales.

Should your cryptocurrency rewards or activities exceed $600 in a tax year, you must document this on Form 1099-MISC.

Regardless of whether you received a 1099 form or not, you are obligated to report your earnings to adhere to the law.

Keeping precise and exhaustive records is paramount.

Stay on top of all crucial details such as transaction dates, amounts, cost basis, and relevant expenses or fees.

Tax-Loss Harvesting

Tax-loss harvesting is an intelligent tactic to lower your tax burden.

This strategy revolves around strategically selling investments that have suffered losses, enabling you to balance out capital gains and bring down your taxable income.

By engaging in tax-loss harvesting, you can optimize your tax results and potentially keep your tax expenses in check.

Let’s take a real-life scenario into account. Suppose you encounter losses of $5,000 from selling a particular cryptocurrency.

You can employ those losses to counterbalance capital gains from selling another cryptocurrency, thereby minimizing your tax obligation.

However, to comply with tax norms, keeping an eye on the IRS’s wash-sale rule is crucial, which imposes limitations on repurchasing identical or comparable assets within a 30-day window.

Consider Your Selling Strategy

When liquidating crypto assets, you can choose between the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) method or Specific Identification.

FIFO operates on the assumption that the initial assets you procure are the first ones you offload.

At the same time, Specific Identification grants you the freedom to choose the help you wish to sell.

Each method carries different tax implications, making it critical to deliberate your choices thoroughly.

Potential Deductions

Certain expenditures related to using cryptocurrency for business purposes may be deductible.

For instance, costs for specific computers or hardware used for mining cryptocurrency, fees paid for trading or selling, professional services, software subscriptions, and even additional electricity costs for mining could be deductible.

International Considerations and Professional Assistance

Engaging in cross-border transactions necessitates a thorough understanding of the tax rules for each jurisdiction involved.

Employing a tax professional is highly advised, given the intricacies and evolving landscape of crypto tax laws.

Long-term Holding and Retirement Accounts

Preserving your crypto investments for at least one year before selling can qualify you for the more advantageous long-term capital gains rate.

Another tactic is investing in crypto through retirement accounts like traditional IRAs or Roth IRAs, which enables you to defer or potentially evade investment gains.

Charitable Donations

Allocating a portion of your crypto to charitable causes can serve the dual purpose of supporting a worthy initiative and lessening your tax liability.

You’re entitled to claim a deduction based on the fair market value of the crypto at the time of donation.

While there are methods to optimize and potentially reduce your crypto taxes, it’s essential to employ these strategies responsibly to maintain compliance with all pertinent tax laws and regulations.

Failure to Report Cryptocurrency Can Be Costly.

Neglecting to disclose transactions involving cryptocurrencies can result in significant financial consequences.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. government agency responsible for tax collection, actively monitors compliance with cryptocurrency tax.

Taxpayers who fail to report their cryptocurrency transactions could be subjected to monetary penalties or, in severe cases, legal proceedings.

Cryptocurrency transactions are taxed, making it obligatory for taxpayers to declare their gains or losses from buying, selling, or trading digital assets.

The IRS actively monitors and identifies potential tax dodgers.

It actively accumulates information from crypto exchanges and other relevant sources, emphasizing the dire need for crypto investors to record their activities accurately.

Using cryptocurrency tax software offers a significant buffer against errors, ensuring adherence to tax regulations. It empowers taxpayers to navigate cryptocurrency taxes, avoiding unnecessary mistakes.

How to Track Cryptocurrency for Tax Purposes

Regardless of whether you’re an occasional investor or an experienced trader, maintaining meticulous records streamlines the tax-filing procedure and assists in mitigating tax liabilities.

Here’s a short guide to mastering the tracking of your cryptocurrency for tax purposes:

Organize Your Transactions

Establish a secured folder or digital archive to retain cryptocurrency-associated documents, including exchange reports, wallet dealings, and invoices.

Classify and sort your trades into divisions such as purchases, sales, mining, staking, airdrops, and gifts.

Refer to the Google Sheet linked below for a straightforward illustration of consolidating your dealings:

Keep Track of the Cost Basis

Document each cryptocurrency’s purchase rate, transaction charges, and other relevant costs. Understanding your cost basis is paramount for precise gain calculations.

Monitor market values

Consistently update the valuation of your cryptocurrencies in your local fiat currency to monitor fluctuations in their worth over time.

This process ensures precise reporting of profits and losses upon the disposal of your assets.

Stay Updated on Tax Regulations

1. Understand the transactions that create a taxable event, such as transforming one cryptocurrency to another, accruing interest through staking, or liquidating assets for fiat currency.

1. Different jurisdictions have varying tax laws for cryptocurrencies. Stay informed about the tax regulations of your country.

1. Fulfil your duty of filing your cryptocurrency taxes by the deadline to evade penalties and potential audits.

How Cryptocurrency Tax Software Can Help

Cryptocurrency tax software is fast becoming a must-have tool for crypto investors. It simplifies the intimidating task of handling tax obligations in the fast-paced realm of digital assets.

This software steers users through complicated cryptocurrency taxes, assures precise calculations, reduces errors, and collects data effortlessly from exchanges and wallets, thus saving precious time.

By automating calculating gains and losses, the software gives users a transparent view of their tax liabilities for each transaction, encompassing capital gains or losses.

This visibility enables investors to make well-informed decisions and streamline their tax strategy, all without the hassle of manual data entry or intricate tax computations.

Let’s take a real-life scenario for better understanding. Imagine you have made multiple trades throughout the year across various platforms like Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken.

Manually tracking all these transactions can be a nightmare. Instead, good cryptocurrency tax software can link to these exchanges, import your transactions, and calculate your gains and losses.

It simplifies your life and ensures you don’t miss any crucial details, helping you avoid penalties.

Understanding How Crypto Interest and Staking Rewards are Taxed

Interest accrued on cryptocurrency generally falls under the Income Tax bracket, similar to dividends or bonuses.

When you part with the interest-earning crypto — via selling or swapping — any profit derived is also liable to Capital Gains Tax.

Taxing interest from decentralized finance (DeFi) apps presents more complexity. The specific transactions might classify it as either income or capital gain.

Therefore, you must thoroughly understand the nature of your transactions to report your taxes accurately.

Cryptocurrency staking is another arena within the crypto world that attracts taxation. You contribute to the network’s consensus mechanism by staking your cryptocurrency and earning rewards.

When you receive them, the value of these staking rewards qualifies as taxable income, and you must report the tokens on your tax return.

The tax rate for staking dividends will vary based on your total income and tax bracket.

For example, if you earned $500 in staking rewards by participating in a proof-of-stake network, you must report that amount as taxable income on your tax return. 

Consider Bob, an active cryptocurrency investor, for a real-life illustration. He invested $10,000 in a DeFi lending platform that offers an annual interest rate of 6%.

By the end of the year, Bob earns $600 in crypto interest, which he needs to report as income on his tax return, much like registering interest earned from a regular bank savings account.

Furthermore, if Bob decides to stake his Ethereum coins and makes additional coins as staking rewards, the value of these coins at the time of receipt also gets added to his taxable income for the year.

How Airdrops Are Taxed

Airdrops in cryptocurrency can have tax implications for the recipients.

Tokens obtained via airdrops or hard forks qualify as ordinary income, and you must report them on your tax return.

The taxable value is set by the asset’s market value when you gain complete control, irrespective of whether you accept the tokens or not.

Airdrops in the cryptocurrency space can trigger tax implications for recipients. 

Let’s say you obtain 50 ETH tokens from an airdrop, each valued at $2,000 upon receipt, which equates to a total value of $100,000.

This amount should be reported as income on your tax return, irrespective of the token’s subsequent price fluctuations.

If you decide to sell, swap, or trade the airdropped ETH later and its value has appreciated since you received it, you’ll be liable for capital gains tax on the increased value.

In essence, receiving airdrops isn’t just a windfall; it also brings the responsibility of declaring them as income.

Like paying taxes on your regular income, airdropped tokens aren’t tax-free. So, keeping track of these transactions and ensuring you comply with all relevant tax laws is essential.

How Hard Forks Are Taxed

In the U.S., hard forks undergo taxation as income. The IRS categorizes any new coins acquired due to a hard fork as income, subject to Income Tax.

In contrast to the U.S., countries like the U.K. and Australia handle hard forks differently. In these jurisdictions, you won’t face Income Tax when you acquire new coins through a hard fork.

However, upon disposal of these assets, you will encounter Capital Gains Tax.

The cost basis is typically zero for new coins from a hard fork. You’ll pay Capital Gains Tax on the total value of the coins as profit.

In some jurisdictions, like Canada, there’s a provision for a 50% long-term Capital Gains Tax discount for assets held for more than a year, which can apply to coins received from a fork.

Let’s say you’re in the U.S., and a hard fork results in you receiving ten new tokens, each worth $200. You must declare these tokens as income.

Thus $2000 will be added to your taxable income for that year. In contrast, if you’re in the U.K. and you sell these tokens for $3000, you’ll pay Capital Gains Tax on the full $3000 since the cost basis is considered zero.

Understanding your jurisdiction’s tax laws is crucial for compliant and accurate reporting.

How Cryptocurrency Soft Forks Are Taxed

Soft forks in cryptocurrency usually do not result in new coins, which means they have no immediate tax implications.

As an investor, you don’t have to be concerned about taxes when a soft fork takes place, as there are no additional assets to report or taxes to pay.

How Cryptocurrency Loans Are Taxed

Cryptocurrency loans’ tax treatment is an ongoing debate, as they don’t neatly fit into existing tax laws, necessitating applying general tax principles.

One of the key points to consider is whether the virtual currency transfers initiating and concluding a crypto loan are taxable events or if it’s just the fees or interest paid and received that carry tax implications.

The nature of the tax treatment hinges on the tax status of the loan, which requires the borrower’s unconditional commitment to repay a specified sum to the lender.

If the transaction isn’t deemed a loan, it may be seen as a taxable sale or property exchange, leading to the recognition of gains or losses.

For example, if you’ve taken out a cryptocurrency loan and the coins you initially transferred have appreciated when you repay them, this could be considered a capital gain under certain jurisdictions.

How Stablecoins Are Taxed

Stablecoins, including DAI, USDT, and USDC, have carved out a niche in the crypto sphere, mainly due to their utility in everyday transactions.

But when tax season rolls around, stablecoins are grouped with other cryptocurrencies.

• Whenever you trade stablecoins for other cryptocurrencies or use them to make purchases, you trigger a taxable event, leading to capital gains or losses. However, transferring stablecoins between wallets isn’t a taxable event.

• Earning interest on your stablecoin qualifies as regular income. If, however, the value of your stablecoin plummets, you possess the right to declare a capital loss.

To report taxes on stablecoins, utilize Form 8949 for documenting gains and losses—record income generated from stablecoins as ‘Other income’ on Schedule 1 of Form 1040.

Conversely, if you’ve used a stablecoin like USDC to buy another cryptocurrency that has since appreciated, your profit on that transaction would also be taxable.

How NFT Taxes Work

NFT taxes might seem complex, but let’s demystify them.

As of March 2023, the IRS has announced plans to categorize some NFTs as collectibles, subjecting them to a higher % tax rate of 28%.

As a U.S. taxpayer, you’ll face taxes on any profits from selling NFTs. There exists no legal loophole to sidestep these taxes.

NFTs, typically viewed as property, get taxed similarly to other cryptocurrencies.

But, if you mint NFTs as an artist or creator, you could encounter self-employment tax. The minting process for an NFT only initiates a tax event if there’s an associated cost.

You’re liable for capital gains tax when you sell or trade NFTs for fiat or other cryptocurrencies.

Although donating NFTs doesn’t trigger taxes, you must meet specific conditions. Most activities become taxable in play-to-earn gaming since they classify as crypto-to-crypto trades.

For instance, you’re an artist who mints and sells an NFT for 2 ETH. If those 2 ETH are worth $6,000 at the time of the transaction, you’ll need to report that $6,000 as income.

Later, if you sell those 2 ETH for $8,000, you’ll also need to write a capital gain of $2,000 on your taxes. In this way, the income and capital gains related to NFTs are taxable.

How Transaction Fees Are Taxed?

In the United States, tax law typically treats transaction fees associated with cryptocurrency as deductible expenses.

If you experience transaction fees when you buy or sell cryptocurrency, you can use these expenses to counterbalance your capital gains or losses.

Should you decide to sell a fraction of your cryptocurrency holdings, and if the associated transaction fees are linked to the sale, you have the opportunity to deduct these expenses from your total earnings. This has the potential to reduce the count of capital gains that you’re required to disclose for tax-related matters.

If you decide to sell 1 Bitcoin for $50,000, and the transaction fee for this sale amounts to $500, you can deduct the $500 from your $50,000 gain, lowering your taxable capital gain to $49,500.

By doing this, you avoid paying taxes on the entire $50,000 and only pay taxes on $49,500. This strategy ensures you’re in the pocket for transaction costs regarding tax season.

How You Can File Crypto Taxes with Paper Forms

Begin your tax filing process by gathering all your records of cryptocurrency transactions.

These records should encompass every aspect of your dealings, from buying and selling to trading and other crypto-related earnings.

With these records, move to the next step: computing your capital gains and losses. The data you’ve compiled will serve as the basis for this calculation.

Once calculated, report each transaction on Form 8949 and transfer these totals to Schedule D. This form determines your overall capital gains or losses for the tax year.

For instance, imagine you purchased a Bitcoin for $10,000 and later sold it for $20,000; you’ve made a capital gain of $10,000. You’d report this gain on Form 8949 and summarize it on Schedule D.

Now, if you’re a freelancer who has earned cryptocurrency or gathered income through other crypto-related activities, you’ll likely need to report it on Schedule C.

This form allows self-employed individuals to report business income and expenses.

Remember to attach any other relevant schedules once you complete the necessary documents. Ensure all calculations are correct – an oversight here could lead to unnecessary trouble.

When you’re confident everything is accurate and complete, you can return your paper to the IRS for processing.

How to File Your Crypto Taxes with TurboTax

Although TurboTax allows cryptocurrency tax reporting, it wasn’t initially built for this purpose, lacking full integration and functionality.

To address this, TurboTax has partnered with CoinLedger, enabling users to aggregate crypto transactions from various wallets and exchanges and import tax forms directly into TurboTax.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to entering crypto gains and losses in TurboTax Online:

1. Choose your package and complete the initial prompts.
2. Select “I Sold Stock, Crypto, or Other Investments” under the “Federal” tab.
3. Access the Cryptocurrency section under “Wages & Income.”
4. Add your cryptocurrency data and confirm investment income for 2022.
5. Opt to “Enter a different way” for tax import and select CoinLedger as the platform.
6. Upload the “TurboTax Online” CSV file from CoinLedger to import your aggregated gains and losses.
7. Review your transactions, select taxable ones, and hit ‘Continue.’

TurboTax does not directly support reporting ordinary crypto income (e.g., mining and staking rewards).

For this type of income, go to the “Federal” tab, click “Wages & Income,” then select “Less Common Income,” and proceed accordingly. TurboTax Desktop users need to download a TXF file of their crypto transactions. 

While TurboTax imports from Coinbase, it may overstate capital gains due to limited tracking of transfers between wallets and exchanges.

CoinLedger’s integrated reports can help ensure accurate tax reporting in TurboTax.

FAQs

Do You Pay Taxes on Bitcoin? 

The IRS treats Bitcoin as an asset, and its taxation follows similar principles as capital gains tax for transactions. 

When you sell Bitcoin or exchange it for property or services, you must recognize capital gains or losses based on the difference between the acquisition cost and the sale/exchange value. 

Mining Bitcoin is also a taxable event; you can make business deductions for mining equipment if you run a mining business.

Which Country is Crypto Tax-Free?

As of the time of writing (August 2023), here is a list of countries with no clear crypto tax

• Belarus
• Bermuda
• Hong Kong
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Puerto Rico
• El Salvador
• Georgia
• Germany
• Malaysia
• Portugal
• Malta
• Singapore
• Slovenia
• Switzerland 
• The United Arab Emirates 

What are the Worst Countries for Crypto Tax

The countries listed below are countries with high crypto tax rates. 

• Denmark
• The Netherlands
• India
• Spain

What if You Forgot to Report Your Crypto Taxes?

If you forgot to report your crypto taxes, you should file an amended return as soon as possible to avoid penalties and interest.

Do I pay tax for holding cryptocurrency?

No, holding cryptocurrency in the USA does not incur immediate tax liabilities.

Taxes are triggered when you sell, exchange, or use cryptocurrency for goods or services, resulting in potential capital gains or losses.

Do You Pay Taxes on Crypto in the USA?

Yes, the IRS treats cryptocurrencies as property, and taxpayers must report capital gains or losses from crypto transactions.

Do you get taxed if you trade from crypto to crypto?

Yes, trading one cryptocurrency for another is taxable, and you must report any resulting capital gains or losses.

How much crypto is taxable?

Regardless of the amount, all crypto transactions are generally taxable events you must report on your taxes.

What happens if I don’t report crypto losses on taxes?

Not reporting crypto losses on taxes may result in missed opportunities to offset capital gains and reduce your tax liability.

What date do I pay taxes on crypto?

You must report crypto taxes on your annual income tax return, typically due on April 15th of each year.

Do I get taxed every time I sell crypto?

Selling crypto triggers a taxable event, and you may owe taxes on any resulting capital gains.

How long do you have to hold crypto to avoid taxes?

Holding crypto for more than one year may qualify you for long-term capital gains tax rates, which are generally more favourable.

How much tax will I pay after I sell crypto?

The tax you owe after selling crypto depends on your income, tax bracket, and the length of time you held the crypto.

How do I legally avoid crypto taxes?

Consulting a tax professional and utilizing tax strategies, such as harvesting losses, may help legally reduce your crypto tax liability.

Do I need to report crypto on taxes if less than $100?

The IRS requires reporting all crypto transactions on your tax return, regardless of the amount.

How do I avoid taxes when selling crypto?

Legal ways to minimize crypto taxes include tax-loss harvesting or structuring transactions to optimize tax outcomes.

How to calculate crypto taxes?

Calculate crypto taxes by determining capital gains or losses from each trade and reporting them on your tax return.

Do I have to report crypto on taxes?

You must report crypto transactions on your taxes, including buying, selling, mining, and receiving crypto as payment.

Are crypto losses tax deductible?

Yes, crypto losses are tax-deductible and can be used to offset capital gains on your tax return.

Are crypto mining rewards taxed?

Yes, crypto mining rewards are taxable income, and you should report on your tax return.

Are crypto staking rewards taxable?

Yes, crypto staking rewards are taxable, and you should report it as income on your tax return.

What Happens If You Don’t Report Cryptocurrency on Taxes?

If you fail to report cryptocurrency on taxes, you could face civil and criminal liabilities, as the IRS treats cryptocurrencies as digital assets subject to capital gains taxation. 

Can the IRS Track Crypto Activity?

The IRS can track crypto transactions due to the transparency of blockchain technology and crypto exchanges’ data-sharing requirements.

Non-custodial wallets may also link personal data, making anonymity difficult.  

Do you pay taxes on lost or stolen crypto?

Lost and stolen cryptocurrency are generally not tax-deductible in the U.S. after the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, except in specific cases like exchange bankruptcies.

Gains and income can offset investment losses from selling crypto at a loss.

Does Coinbase Report to the IRS?

Coinbase transactions are taxed, and Coinbase reports particular information to the IRS.

This information includes forms 1099-MISC for U.S. traders who earned more than $600 from crypto rewards or staking in the 2022 tax year.

Notably, these forms do not cover capital gains or loss reporting.

How is Transferring Crypto Between Different Wallets Taxed?

Transferring cryptocurrency is generally not taxed in the U.S. As long as you move the cryptocurrency without selling or exchanging it, there are no immediate tax implications. 

Do I Have to Pay Crypto Taxes for Play-to-Earn Games like Axie Infinity?

Absolutely! You must report your earnings from Axie Infinity as taxable income on your tax filings.

By accurately reporting these earnings, you maintain compliance and avoid potential penalties.