When buying or selling cryptocurrency, there can be tax implications. This is due to how the IRS views it as property; sales or value-added taxes apply just like with other assets.
Cryptocurrencies create tax liabilities when used to purchase goods, services or real currency; furthermore, crypto exchanges generally keep records that can lead the IRS directly to unreported crypto activity.
Capital Gains Tax
Cryptocurrency is considered property, meaning any time you sell, exchange or spend it you could potentially incur capital gains taxes. Your liability depends on individual circumstances including how long it has been owned and whether or not it was sold at a loss or profit.
When purchasing a capital asset such as cryptocurrency, such as its purchase cost will serve as your basis. When selling, the IRS will compare sales proceeds against this basis in order to ascertain any capital gain or loss; any difference is taxed both federally and by your state of residence (if applicable).
Businesses accepting cryptocurrency as payment for goods and services count this transaction as a sale or exchange for tax purposes; its dollar value corresponds with its fair market value at the date and time of the transaction, just as if someone paid you directly in cash.
Some traders utilize the “wash-sale” rule to avoid paying capital gains taxes when they buy and immediately sell cryptocurrency, however the IRS is working on shutting that loophole.
Crypto taxes could apply if you receive new coins from cryptocurrency projects through airdrops – these tokens are considered assets and as such taxable just like any other in your portfolio.
Cryptocurrency can also be used to make purchases, which is taxable as income, just like earning it through stock markets or employment. Your tax rate depends on your level of income and filing status.
To lower your crypto tax bill, gift some cryptocurrency to family members with lower incomes. This is possible as the IRS allows up to $16,000 of gifts without incurring tax consequences – although any recipient of your gift will become the owner and inherit your basis in it; any profits gained by selling or trading for profit would incur capital gains tax liability.
Sales Tax
Cryptocurrency has grown increasingly popular as both a means of payment and an asset investment, offering the promise of higher returns when managed properly. Similar to any investment, cryptocurrency taxes are determined based on both your cost basis and asset valuation; in the case of cryptocurrency this includes both sales tax and value added tax (VAT).
Since cryptocurrencies don’t correspond with government-issued fiat currency, they don’t fall under the same regulatory scrutiny as stocks and other financial assets. Unfortunately, this often leads people to assume crypto investments are tax-free when in reality it may be more complex.
As with any investment, any gains on the purchase and sale of cryptocurrency are subject to tax as long-term capital gains. For instance, let’s assume you purchase Bitcoin at $10 and sell it two years later for $100 – this would represent $90 of realized long-term capital gains that must be taxed according to your standard income tax rate.
Mining cryptocurrency to purchase goods or services also generates ordinary income that must be reported. Miners verify transactions on the blockchain, in return receiving rewards in cryptocurrency as payment. Until proof can be shown of running mining as part of your trade or profession, earnings must be taxed as ordinary income and subject to taxes accordingly.
Transferring crypto between wallets and exchanges you own is non-taxable; however, reporting of such activities must still take place to establish an accurate cost basis record. Donations made directly to qualified charities do not incur taxes, provided you do not convert their cryptocurrencies to cash first.
While cryptocurrency taxes remain unclear, the IRS is making strides to enforce compliance. They have several tools at their disposal to do this – matching pseudonymous addresses used by most crypto owners with known individuals; using data from major cryptocurrency exchanges to identify individuals who fail to report income; as well as various others.
Income Tax
Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that serves as a medium of exchange, store of value and unit of account. Unfortunately, its exponential growth and opaque nature has left tax systems scrambling to keep pace. Luckily, when cryptocurrency is sold or traded it creates taxable events and gains are taxed similarly as those made on investments such as stocks or mutual funds.
Step one in determining whether you have cryptocurrency tax liability is to determine how much you paid for them and their current market price; Coinbase makes this easy. Step two requires considering how you dispose of them – trading them on a centralized exchange or spending them as currency are considered capital transactions that trigger tax events because you treat crypto as property rather than cash.
Therefore, any cryptocurrency profits must be reported as income taxes. The exact amount owing will depend upon how long and how much cryptocurrency has increased or depreciated in value over time; short-term or long-term capital gains taxes may apply depending on how the proceeds of sale compare with your cost basis.
Cryptocurrency differs from real currency in that it cannot be printed or minten, and is supported solely by people’s trust. As a result, it has the potential to be misused for illicit activities like money laundering or financing terrorist attacks; many governments are cracking down on its usage; the IRS keeps an eye on how cryptocurrency is utilized, quickly catching those trying to avoid taxes using cryptocurrency as part of their illicit schemes.
Although some claim otherwise, cryptocurrency taxes cannot be avoided through hidden transactions on decentralized exchanges. There is a blockchain record of every crypto activity; major cryptocurrency exchanges send 1099 forms directly to the IRS that give them direct access to your account. Failing to report earnings may incur penalties as well as criminal charges from the Department of Justice.
Withholding Tax
Cryptocurrency is considered property, and like any form of property it can be taxed. More specifically, capital gains or income can be assessed accordingly.
Capital gains arise when selling an asset for more than it cost to acquire it, and are subject to IRS taxes at the same rate as stocks or real estate investments. Most cryptocurrency taxes will likely arise from capital gains transactions, so keeping track of purchases and sales can help avoid unwarranted tax liability.
Income tax, on the other hand, is paid when money comes to you from any source other than employment or investments. Cryptocurrency earnings may come in various forms – trading, mining and airdrops all count towards regular income when reported to the IRS as ordinary income – although blockchain can help identify potentially taxable transactions by linking wallet addresses with identifiable individuals.
This process works like this: the IRS will require your cryptocurrency exchanges to submit all earnings you receive via crypto to them for reporting, so this information can then be cross-referenced with their database to quickly detect taxable transactions and facilitate fraud detection efforts by regulators.
However, due to the nature of blockchain and cryptocurrency‘s pseudonymity, reporting requirements could lead people to bypass centralized exchanges altogether and transact directly on peer-to-peer platforms where blockchain transactions may be less transparent and the IRS has less tools at its disposal to monitor them.
As such, any owner of crypto should employ an accurate cryptocurrency accounting tool that automatically pulls their purchase and sale history and calculates cost basis, sales proceeds, holding period data – this helps users stay compliant with IRS guidance while protecting from accidental tax fraud. A good tax accounting platform should offer multiple accounting methods, from first in, first out to mark-to-market, so users get exactly the data they require for their taxes.