Cryptocurrency Tax Calculator — USA

Calculate your estimated capital gains tax on cryptocurrency. Enter your purchase price, sale price, and holding period for an instant estimate.

What you paid including fees

Sale price or current fair market value

Affects your tax rate

Your federal income tax bracket

Gain/Loss = Sale Price - Purchase Price; Short-Term Tax (held < 1 year): Taxed as ordinary income (10-37%); Long-Term Tax (held > 1 year): 0%, 15%, or 20% based on income; Tax = Gain × Tax Rate
Example: Bought $10,000 BTC, sold for $15,000 after 18 months in 22% bracket; Gain = $5,000 (50% return); Long-term rate = 15%; Tax owed = $750; Net profit = $4,250

How is cryptocurrency taxed in the USA?

The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, not currency. You owe capital gains tax when you: Sell crypto for fiat (USD), trade one crypto for another, use crypto to buy goods/services, or receive crypto as income/payment. Short-term gains (held < 1 year) are taxed as ordinary income (10-37%). Long-term gains (held > 1 year) are taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on income. You must report all crypto transactions on Form 8949 and Schedule D.

Do I pay taxes if I didn't sell my crypto?

No. Simply holding cryptocurrency (HODLing) is not a taxable event. You only owe taxes when you dispose of crypto through selling, trading, spending, or gifting. However, if you received crypto as income (mining, staking rewards, airdrops, payment for work), that IS taxable as ordinary income at the fair market value when received, even if you never sell it.

Can I deduct crypto losses on my taxes?

Yes. Capital losses can offset capital gains dollar-for-dollar. If losses exceed gains, you can deduct up to $3,000 in excess losses against ordinary income per year. Remaining losses carry forward to future tax years indefinitely. This is called "tax-loss harvesting" - selling losing positions before year-end to reduce your tax bill. The "wash sale" rule currently does NOT apply to crypto (as of 2025), meaning you can sell at a loss and immediately rebuy.

What records do I need for crypto taxes?

You need: Date of each transaction (acquisition and disposal), Fair market value in USD at time of each transaction, Cost basis (what you paid including fees), Proceeds (what you received minus fees), Holding period (short-term vs long-term), Type of transaction (buy, sell, trade, income, gift). Most exchanges provide transaction history, but you may need third-party software (CoinTracker, Koinly, CryptoTrader.Tax) to track across multiple wallets and exchanges. Keep records for at least 3-7 years.