— Tax, VAT & Sales
Crypto Tax Calculator
Estimate US crypto tax across capital gains and ordinary income. Enter one trade or paste a buy/sell ledger, choose a cost-basis method, and include staking, mining, or airdrops to see gains, income, and total tax.
Total crypto tax
$450
- After-tax crypto income
- $2,550
- Capital gains tax (short + long)
- $450
- Effective rate on crypto
- 15%
- Short-term gains
- $0
- Long-term gains
- $3,000
— How it works
Disposal gain = proceeds − cost basis; short-term (held ≤ 1 yr) is taxed as ordinary income, long-term (> 1 yr) at 0/15/20%. Lot matching (FIFO/LIFO/HIFO) sets which purchase a sale draws its basis from. Staking/mining/airdrops are ordinary income at receipt value.
Two taxes: gains and income
The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, so the rules mirror stocks with two twists. Disposing of crypto — selling for cash, or swapping one coin for another — is a capital gain or loss: proceeds minus what you paid, taxed at short-term (ordinary) rates if held a year or less, or the lower long-term rates if held longer. Separately, crypto you earn — staking rewards, mining, airdrops — is ordinary income at its fair-market value the day you receive it (and that value then becomes its cost basis for a later sale). Many people forget the second part and under-report. This calculator handles both and splits them out.
Worked example — bought $5,000 of crypto, sold for $8,000, held over a year, $50,000 other income (single, 2025): The $3,000 long-term gain is taxed at 15% = $450. If you’d held it under a year, it would be taxed at your 22% ordinary rate = $660.
Lot matching: FIFO, LIFO and HIFO
When you have bought crypto at different prices and sell only some, which purchase does the sale come from? That choice — the cost-basis method — changes your gain. FIFO (first-in, first-out) sells your oldest coins first; LIFO sells the newest; HIFO (highest-in, first-out) sells your most expensive coins first, which minimises the gain and the tax for the year. Paste your buys and sells in ledger mode, pick a method, and the calculator matches each sale to lots and shows the per-disposal gain and holding term. HIFO and specific-identification can save tax, but you must keep records that support the method you use.
Crypto-to-crypto, losses and the wash-sale gap
Every disposal is a taxable event, including crypto-to-crypto swaps — trading ETH for SOL realises the gain on the ETH, even though no cash changed hands. Enter the swap as a sale at fair-market value. Losses are useful: they offset gains and up to $3,000 of ordinary income a year, with the rest carried forward — and, unlike stocks, the wash-sale rule does not currently apply to crypto, so loss harvesting is more flexible (you can sell at a loss and rebuy immediately). This calculator focuses on the common net-gain case; report losses and carryovers on your return. As always it is federal-first, excludes the 3.8% NIIT, and is an estimate, not advice.
— Reader questions
How is cryptocurrency taxed?
As property. Selling or swapping crypto is a capital gain (short-term/ordinary if held ≤ 1 year, long-term/preferential if longer); staking, mining and airdrops are ordinary income at their value when received. This calculator computes both.
Do I pay tax when I swap one crypto for another?
Yes. A crypto-to-crypto trade is a taxable disposal — you realise the gain or loss on the coin you gave up, valued at the trade. No cash needs to change hands. Enter the swap as a sale at fair-market value.
What cost-basis method should I use — FIFO, LIFO or HIFO?
FIFO (oldest first) is the default; HIFO (highest-cost first) minimises your gain and tax for the year by selling your most expensive coins first. LIFO sells newest first. You can use HIFO or specific-ID if you keep adequate records. The calculator shows the gain under each.
Is staking income taxable?
Yes — staking rewards (and mining and airdrops) are ordinary income at their fair-market value when you receive them, taxed at your normal rate. That value also becomes the cost basis, so a later sale is taxed only on the further gain.
Can crypto losses reduce my taxes?
Yes. Crypto losses offset crypto and other capital gains, and a net loss deducts up to $3,000 against ordinary income a year, with the rest carried forward. The wash-sale rule does not currently apply to crypto, so you can sell at a loss and rebuy immediately.