Crypto Tax Calculator
The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, so every sale, trade, or purchase with crypto is a taxable event. This calculator estimates your 2026 capital gains tax on a crypto sale. Enter your cost basis (what you paid), your proceeds (what you sold for), and your holding period. A gain held one year or less is short-term (taxed at ordinary income rates); more than a year is long-term (0%, 15%, or 20%). Your other taxable income sets which long-term rate applies, since the gain stacks on top of it. High earners also owe the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax. All brackets are the 2026 IRS figures.
A $20,000.00 long-term crypto gain, on top of $80,000 of other income, is taxed at about 15.0% for $3,000.00, leaving $27,000.00 after tax.
How crypto capital gains tax works
gain = proceeds - cost basis
short-term (held 1 year or less): taxed at your ordinary income rate
long-term (held over 1 year): 0% / 15% / 20% by total taxable income
+ 3.8% NIIT on the gain above the high-income threshold
The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property. A gain held one year or less is SHORT-TERM, taxed at ordinary income rates (it stacks on top of your other income). A gain held more than one year is LONG-TERM, taxed at 0%, 15% or 20% depending on where the gain falls once stacked on your other taxable income. High earners also pay the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) on the gain above the MAGI threshold. Brackets are the 2026 IRS figures (Rev. Proc. 2025-32).
Where crypto gains estimates go wrong
The field labeled "other taxable income" is where most people go wrong. It means your taxable income after the standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly for 2026), not your gross salary. Enter gross pay and the tool pushes your gain into a higher long-term band than you actually face. Because the rate depends on where the gain lands once it stacks on that income, a single sale can straddle two rates: part taxed at 0%, the rest at 15%. A single filer with modest other income can realize gains up to $49,450 in 2026 before the 15% rate even begins.
The costlier surprises are about what counts as a sale. Since the IRS treats crypto as property, trading one coin for another, or buying a coffee with Bitcoin, is a disposal you must report even though no cash reaches your bank. Moving coins between wallets you own is not taxable. And because crypto is property rather than a security, the wash sale rule does not apply: you can sell at a loss to offset gains and rebuy the same coin minutes later, a move stock investors are barred from making.
Accuracy lives and dies on your cost basis. Starting with 2025 transactions, exchanges began issuing Form 1099-DA reporting your proceeds to the IRS, so if your own basis records do not match, expect a notice. This tool estimates one sale; a full year of trades belongs on Form 8949, with every disposal totaled and carried to Schedule D.
Crypto tax: frequently asked questions
How is cryptocurrency taxed?
The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, so selling, trading, or spending crypto is a taxable event. Your gain is the sale value minus your cost basis. If you held it one year or less, it is a short-term gain taxed at your ordinary income rate; more than one year is a long-term gain taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20%.
What are the 2026 crypto capital gains rates?
Long-term crypto gains are taxed at 0% (taxable income up to $49,450 single / $98,900 joint), 15% (up to $545,500 single / $613,700 joint), or 20% above. Short-term gains use the ordinary income brackets. High earners also pay the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax.
How is the rate determined?
Your long-term gain stacks on top of your other taxable income to find the rate. For example, $80,000 of other income plus a $20,000.00 long-term gain here is taxed at an effective 15.0% for $3,000.00. Enter your figures above.
Can I deduct crypto losses?
Yes. Capital losses offset capital gains, and up to $3,000 of net losses can offset ordinary income per year, with the rest carried forward. This calculator shows a loss as zero tax; report losses on Form 8949 and Schedule D.
Official sources
- 2026 capital gains brackets: IRS (Rev. Proc. 2025-32); crypto property treatment: IRS Topic 409. As at 15 July 2026.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 15 July 2026. See our methodology. An estimate, not tax advice; report on Form 8949 / Schedule D.