Начинающий пользователь может допустить множество ошибок при покупке биткоина, каждая из которых способна привести к потере капитала. Есть риск перевести средства на биржу, созданную мошенниками, переплатить за монеты из-за завышенного курса или комиссий, доверить активы ненадежной платформе. Всего этого можно избежать, если соблюдать простые правила. Редакция «РБК-крипто» подготовила список рекомендаций и предложила представителям индустрии дополнить его своими советами. При покупке биткоинов не используйте сомнительные сервисы. Это может дорого стоить, и не только в переносном смысле.
However, investors may pay less tax overall as their most recently purchased assets may not have appreciated in value as much. As the crypto market is so volatile, in some instances using the LIFO method will result in more capital losses, which are not subject to tax. Average cost basis ACB is another simple cost basis method and often the preference when dealing with other financial assets like shares.
To calculate the cost basis using ACB, you need to figure out an average cost for all assets. The highest price you paid for a given asset is the cost basis you use when you sell it. The benefits of HIFO for investors are clear - the larger the cost basis, the lower the capital gain.
However, not all countries allow investors to use the HIFO cost basis method when calculating their capital gains. The Specific Identification Spec ID cost basis method lets you use the actual cost basis for the asset you sold. This is much easier to track with digital assets thanks to TXN numbers than it is with other financial assets like shares.
It is, however, the most accurate way to report your real capital gains and losses compared to other methods and will hold up best under scrutiny by tax authorities. Short-term losses are prioritized over long-term losses. So if you want to use the LGUT method, you should speak with an accountant for advice beforehand. As you can see, with so many different cost basis methods available, there are a lot of ways to calculate your capital gains and losses - all of which will affect your Capital Gains Tax bill.
In countries where you can choose the cost basis method you use, the best cost basis method to use is the one that allows you to optimize your tax position. You made a disposal and you need to calculate your gain or loss. You know the asset you sold was bought in December from the TXN number. Use the Bitcoin tax spreadsheet below to see how each cost basis method changes how you calculate Bitcoin tax and your resulting gains and losses. Some countries - like America - let you pick the cost basis method you use.
This lets you pick the cost basis method that optimizes your tax position. In general, the best rule of thumb to avoid an unwelcome audit is to pick one cost basis method and stick with it every financial year for consistency.
All this said, some countries give specific guidance on which cost basis methods you can use. There are other cost basis methods available to investors that wish to take a more aggressive tax strategy. If in doubt, contact the IRS and clarify which cost basis methods you can use before calculating and reporting your crypto taxes. This is to stop crypto investors from manipulating the ACB method by purchasing and selling assets at a loss in a short period of time to create an unrealistic view of gains and losses.
In the UK, there are three possible cost basis methods you can use and you need to work through them in order of which applies to your assets:. You can find more information in our Australian Crypto Tax Guide. The Canadian Revenue Agency says taxpayers must use the adjusted cost basis method when calculating crypto capital gains and losses.
The adjusted cost basis method is the cost of an asset plus any fees related to it. You can either use the fair market value FMV of the asset at the point you acquired it or the FMV of the asset at the end of the year - whichever is lower. For this reason, you need to keep very accurate records of your crypto transactions in Canada. For investors with multiple assets, you can choose to value your entire inventory for its FMV at the end of the year instead.
You can find more information in our Canada Crypto Tax Guide. Koinly calculates your cost basis and resulting gains or losses for you, based on the preferred cost basis method in your country. For example, share pooling is the default cost basis method for UK Koinly users. For investors with a variety of cost basis methods to pick from, you can head into your settings in Koinly and pick the cost basis method you want to use and let Koinly do the rest.
In addition to the challenges created by frequent cryptocurrency - for - cryptocurrency exchanges and the dearth of readily available information, cryptocurrency investors also must contend with transactions unique to the asset class. Perhaps the most prominent such transaction is the hard fork. Hard forks may be triggered for different reasons, but for the purposes of discussing basis in cryptocurrency, the relevant consideration is that two distinct cryptocurrencies will exist after the hard fork — one representing the old blockchain ledger and one representing the new blockchain ledger.
A hard fork could be viewed in multiple ways, and the approach taken would affect how basis is calculated. One way to view a hard fork is that it results in the receipt of a new asset, which is supported by the fact that a cryptocurrency resulting from a fork will have at least some differentiating characteristics from the original cryptocurrency. This approach would result in ordinary income recognition based on the opening market value of the new cryptocurrency and a matching basis.
The basis in the original cryptocurrency would be unaffected. An alternative viewpoint on a hard fork is that it is somewhat like a spinoff or stock split and should be regarded as splitting an existing cryptocurrency in two. This viewpoint is much more likely to be viewed as aggressive by the IRS, as cryptocurrency does not fit well into the existing provisions allowing for nonrecognition treatment.
For example, Secs. In most cases, a cryptocurrency will not be considered a security. Nonetheless, investors taking this position would not immediately recognize income on the new cryptocurrency received and would instead split the basis tracked in the original cryptocurrency between the two using the respective market values following the split using the best available data.
A third approach that has been suggested is to apply a zero basis to the new cryptocurrency. The rationale behind this approach is that although the new cryptocurrency may be a new asset, the volatility of the cryptocurrency market makes assigning a market value immediately to it difficult. In a letter to the IRS requesting guidance on hard forks, the American Bar Association Section of Taxation also pointed out that there is no guarantee a market will develop for the new cryptocurrency produced by a hard fork.
These factors could yield the conclusion that the true market value of a new cryptocurrency immediately following a fork is zero. This creates no taxable income and establishes a zero basis even if the hard fork is deemed to be a taxable transaction. Under the second scenario, this investor would conclude that Regardless of the path chosen, it would be advisable for investors to take the same position for all hard forks to avoid the perception by the IRS that they are " cherry - picking " favorable tax positions.
Another transaction unique to cryptocurrency is the airdrop. An airdrop occurs when certain users of a blockchain project receive an additional cryptocurrency as a reward for participating in the project or as a marketing initiative. For the purposes of discussing basis in cryptocurrency, this type of receipt is much less ambiguous than the hard fork.
An airdrop is almost certainly classified as income and will receive a matching basis treatment. An investor receiving an airdrop will record ordinary income based on the market value of the cryptocurrency received and use that same amount as the basis in the airdropped cryptocurrency. Overall, cryptocurrency is still an emerging asset class with a largely undefined tax framework.
As a result, little authoritative guidance is available for investors with respect to basis tracking. Thus, investors should adopt a method that is both thorough and consistent based on what is known about current tax law, until further guidance becomes available from the IRS. AICPA requests guidance. Editor Notes. For additional information about these items, contact Mr.
Bakale or tbakale cohencpa. Business meal deductions after the TCJA. This article discusses the history of the deduction of business meal expenses and the new rules under the TCJA and the regulations and provides a framework for documenting and substantiating the deduction. This article discusses some procedural and administrative quirks that have emerged with the new tax legislative, regulatory, and procedural guidance related to COVID Toggle search Toggle navigation.
One way to view a hard fork is that it results in the receipt of a new asset, which is supported by the fact that a cryptocurrency resulting from a fork will have at least some differentiating characteristics from the original cryptocurrency. This approach would result in ordinary income recognition based on the opening market value of the new cryptocurrency and a matching basis. The basis in the original cryptocurrency would be unaffected. An alternative viewpoint on a hard fork is that it is somewhat like a spinoff or stock split and should be regarded as splitting an existing cryptocurrency in two.
This viewpoint is much more likely to be viewed as aggressive by the IRS, as cryptocurrency does not fit well into the existing provisions allowing for nonrecognition treatment. For example, Secs. In most cases, a cryptocurrency will not be considered a security.
Nonetheless, investors taking this position would not immediately recognize income on the new cryptocurrency received and would instead split the basis tracked in the original cryptocurrency between the two using the respective market values following the split using the best available data.
A third approach that has been suggested is to apply a zero basis to the new cryptocurrency. The rationale behind this approach is that although the new cryptocurrency may be a new asset, the volatility of the cryptocurrency market makes assigning a market value immediately to it difficult. In a letter to the IRS requesting guidance on hard forks, the American Bar Association Section of Taxation also pointed out that there is no guarantee a market will develop for the new cryptocurrency produced by a hard fork.
These factors could yield the conclusion that the true market value of a new cryptocurrency immediately following a fork is zero. This creates no taxable income and establishes a zero basis even if the hard fork is deemed to be a taxable transaction.
Under the second scenario, this investor would conclude that Regardless of the path chosen, it would be advisable for investors to take the same position for all hard forks to avoid the perception by the IRS that they are " cherry - picking " favorable tax positions.
Another transaction unique to cryptocurrency is the airdrop. An airdrop occurs when certain users of a blockchain project receive an additional cryptocurrency as a reward for participating in the project or as a marketing initiative. For the purposes of discussing basis in cryptocurrency, this type of receipt is much less ambiguous than the hard fork. An airdrop is almost certainly classified as income and will receive a matching basis treatment.
An investor receiving an airdrop will record ordinary income based on the market value of the cryptocurrency received and use that same amount as the basis in the airdropped cryptocurrency. Overall, cryptocurrency is still an emerging asset class with a largely undefined tax framework.
As a result, little authoritative guidance is available for investors with respect to basis tracking. Thus, investors should adopt a method that is both thorough and consistent based on what is known about current tax law, until further guidance becomes available from the IRS. AICPA requests guidance. Editor Notes. For additional information about these items, contact Mr. Bakale or tbakale cohencpa. Business meal deductions after the TCJA.
This article discusses the history of the deduction of business meal expenses and the new rules under the TCJA and the regulations and provides a framework for documenting and substantiating the deduction. This article discusses some procedural and administrative quirks that have emerged with the new tax legislative, regulatory, and procedural guidance related to COVID Toggle search Toggle navigation. Basis issues in cryptocurrency By Brandon M.
Miller, CPA, Baltimore. Editor: Anthony S. Bakale, CPA. Crypto assets have been the subject of a lot of stress and confusion when it comes to taxes. Despite its ambiguous guidance, the tax agency sent thousands of letters to crypto traders and investors warning them to pay the tax that they owe or face fines and other penalties. The cost basis is the amount that you spent to acquire an asset, including the purchase price, transaction fees, brokerage commissions, and any other relevant cost.
If you sell two Bitcoins in , you would use the cost basis for the purchase and one of the purchases. The capital gain or loss of a position is the difference between your cost basis and sale price—or the fair market value at the time of the sale. The cost basis is relatively straightforward for cash-to-crypto transactions, but crypto-to-crypto transactions are a different story and involve an extra step in the process. Suppose that you sold one Bitcoin to acquire the equivalent value in Litecoin.
The cost basis for Litecoin would be the fair market value of the Bitcoin at the time of sale in U. You should keep a record of each transaction to ensure that you have the right cost basis on file. Otherwise, you may have to short through historical data to find the fair market value for different cryptocurrencies at different times. The good news is that you can use reputable price indexes in the process.
The cost basis can also be complicated by the lack of liquidity. For example, how do you know the cost basis of a thinly traded initial coin offering ICO? ICOs were initially designed to finance early-stage blockchain projects using a crowdfunding approach. Investors received tokens e. While the cost basis for ICO investors is fairly straightforward, the cost basis for issuers is a little less certain. When you sell the asset, you must pay tax on the entire amount. Hard forks and airdrops also create an immediate tax obligation for the current tax year.
In other words, you owe tax on the cost basis or fair market value at the time of acquisition of the new crypto in the current tax year. The only requirement is that you have technical control over the asset. The good news is that there has been a lot of pushback among lawmakers for better solutions. If you use multiple wallets or exchanges, you cannot rely on exchanges to accurately report your cost basis figures.
The process of manually aggregating, merging, and sorting data from multiple exchanges and wallets is tedious and time-consuming. Fortunately, crypto tax software can automate the process and help you avoid making costly mistakes. ZenLedger simplifies the cost basis by stitching together your trading history and exporting based on the accounting method you select.
It provides a comprehensive introduction to blockchain, and covers smart contracts, that form the basis for traceability monitoring and acquisition. The infiltration of blockchain, the technology that supports which are handling heavy volumes of transaction data on a daily basis,” Ahlburn said. Cryptocurrency as a qualitatively new payment instrument and the prospects of its integration into the global financial system [journal article].