What’s the tax rate for crypto?

For U.S. federal tax purposes, cryptocurrency is treated as property, so capital gains tax rules apply to your crypto transactions. If you’ve held your crypto for more than a year, any gains when you sell or exchange it are subject to long-term capital gains tax, which for most individuals ranges from 0% to 20%, depending on your taxable income. Short-term capital gains, from assets held for one year or less, are taxed as ordinary income, with rates that can go from 10% to 37%. Deductions are less common for crypto, but you can offset gains with losses in some situations. Remember, each transaction—even crypto to crypto trades—are taxable events. To get your exact rates and more detailed advice, the IRS’s Publication 544 on capital gains and losses will be your go-to resource, and consulting a tax professional with experience in cryptocurrency can ensure you comply with all tax obligations.

Not to confuse matters, but if you’ve received any cryptocurrency as a payment for goods or services, the IRS also wants you to report that as income. It’s the fair market value of the cryptocurrency at the time you received it that has to be reported. Similar to wages and bonuses received in fiat currency, this kind of income also adds up to the total that determines your tax bracket.

Alisher, have you been documenting all your crypto transactions, including purchase, sales, trades and even gifts? That’s critical for filing your taxes.

You’re right, tranquil5, documenting all crypto transactions is key. To add to this, I’ve found that using some sort of crypto tax software or tool can be really helpful. It keeps track of your trades, capital gains and losses, and makes it easy to report everything accurately on your tax returns.

In addition to what trail0 mentioned about the capital gains tax, another important fact to note is that while long-term capital gains enjoy a lower tax rate, the IRS taxes the full amount of your short-term profits as income. The rate varies depending upon your earnings.

Alisher, you should also be aware of the tax implications if you’ve mined any crypto. The IRS treats mining income as self-employed income, and you’ll have to pay additional tax known as self-employment tax. It’s worth looking into this if you have mined coins. How much have you done in the zone of cryptocurrency mining?