Crypto tax, written by someone who files it
Every figure on these pages is checked against gov.uk and carries the date it was checked. Where the answer depends on judgement rather than on a rule, the post says so and tells you whose judgement it is.
73 posts · 129,487 words · all reviewed since 27 August 2026
Deep guidethe whole subjectHow much HMRC can charge for unpaid crypto tax
What HMRC crypto tax penalties actually cost: late filing, late payment and undeclared gains. How penalties are calculated and how disclosure reduces…
Reviewed 27 August 2026 · 12 minRead alongside it
Deep guideHow to disclose unpaid crypto tax before HMRC finds it
How to disclose unpaid crypto tax to HMRC through voluntary disclosure, what to expect on penalties, and why coming forward first almost always pays…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minDeep guideWhat happens during an HMRC crypto enquiry
HMRC crypto enquiry explained: how it differs from a nudge letter, section 9A, discovery assessments, COP8 and COP9, timelines and penalties.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minDeep guideFrom 2026 HMRC receives your crypto data automatically
The Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) starts sharing your exchange data with HMRC from 2026. What CARF reports, who is affected, and how to…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minWhen HMRC gets in touch
14 postsLetters, enquiries, disclosures and what each one actually is. Start here if something has arrived in the post.
An HMRC nudge letter is not a tax bill
Had an HMRC crypto nudge letter? It means they already have your exchange data. What the letter means, what not to do, and how to respond before the…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·9 minDeep guideWhat happens during an HMRC crypto enquiry
HMRC crypto enquiry explained: how it differs from a nudge letter, section 9A, discovery assessments, COP8 and COP9, timelines and penalties.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minDeep guideHow to disclose unpaid crypto tax before HMRC finds it
How to disclose unpaid crypto tax to HMRC through voluntary disclosure, what to expect on penalties, and why coming forward first almost always pays…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minDeep guideHow much HMRC can charge for unpaid crypto tax
What HMRC crypto tax penalties actually cost: late filing, late payment and undeclared gains. How penalties are calculated and how disclosure reduces…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minExplainerA letter from HMRC is rarely as bad as it looks
Most HMRC letters are routine and a few are not. How to tell tax codes and calculations apart from nudge letters and compliance checks, and what to…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·7 minExplainerHow HMRC’s Digital Disclosure Service actually works
Notify, then 90 days to disclose and pay. How the DDS works, how far back you go by behaviour, and why unprompted beats prompted on every line of the…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerCan HMRC see my bank account
Banks report your interest automatically, platforms and exchanges report activity, and Schedule 36 notices can demand statements. What HMRC sees,…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerCan HMRC take money out of your bank account
Direct Recovery of Debts lets HMRC take established debts over £1,000 from bank accounts and cash ISAs, after a face to face visit and with £5,000…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerHow to tell a real HMRC letter from a scam
HMRC never threatens arrest and never asks for bank details to pay a refund. The thirty second sorting method, and where to forward the fakes.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerThe HMRC warnings doing the rounds, sorted into real and noise
Savings interest letters, tax code changes, scam waves and crypto nudge letters. Which of the warnings in your feed are genuine HMRC activity and…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerHow an HMRC tax refund actually reaches you
P800 letters go out between June and March, Self Assessment refunds come through the return, and every text message about a rebate is fake. The real…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerWhat ETMP means on your HMRC account
Explainerone question answered What ETMP means on your HMRC account Fahad ZarCrypto tax accountant. MSc Accounting and Finance, BPP University…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minDeadlineWhat HMRC’s own numbers say about the crypto crackdown
Deadlinedated and time limited What HMRC’s own numbers say about the crypto crackdown Fahad ZarCrypto tax accountant. MSc Accounting and Finance, BPP…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·7 minDeadlineThe HMRC savings tax warning is about your bank interest
Banks report interest automatically and rising rates pushed ordinary savers over the £1,000 allowance. What the letters and tax code changes mean and…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minWorking out what you owe
16 postsAllowances, rates, losses and the mechanics of getting a crypto position onto a return that survives inspection.
What capital gains tax is and how the bill is actually worked out
Capital gains tax is charged on the profit when you dispose of something that grew in value, at 18% or 24% above a £3,000 allowance. The computation,…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerYour capital gains tax allowance for 2026 to 2027
£3,000 per person, resets each April, never carries forward. How the annual exempt amount works, the spouse doubling, and the £50,000 reporting trap.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·7 minDeep guideWhat you actually pay on crypto gains in 2026 to 2027
How Capital Gains Tax on crypto works in the UK: rates, the annual allowance, Share Pooling, and the same-day and 30-day rules HMRC requires. With…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·8 minExplainerWhen do you pay capital gains tax
UK residential property has a 60 day clock. Everything else waits for Self Assessment, due 31 January after the tax year. The three timelines and…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minDeadlineUnclaimed capital losses expire after four years
A loss HMRC has never been told about is worth nothing, and the claim window closes four years after the tax year ends. How to claim and what a…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerHow to report capital gains on your Self Assessment
Gains go on the SA108, property runs on its own 60 day track, and proceeds over £50,000 mean reporting even with no tax due. How the reporting…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerHow to report crypto to HMRC
Explainerone question answered How to report crypto to HMRC Fahad ZarCrypto tax accountant. MSc Accounting and Finance, BPP University London. Four…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·8 minDeadlineCrypto tax deadlines for the 2026 to 2027 tax year
Key UK crypto tax dates for 2025/26: Self Assessment registration, the 31 January filing and payment deadline, and what happens if you miss them.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minExplainerThe UK tax year runs 6 April to 5 April and every deadline hangs off it
The tax year runs 6 April to 5 April, and everything else follows from it. Registration by 5 October, paper by 31 October, online and payment by 31…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minDeadlineHow to register for Self Assessment
The deadline is 5 October after the tax year ends, and registering is not filing. Who needs to register, how the UTR works, and what happens if you…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerDividend tax went up this April and most investors have not noticed
The dividend allowance is £500 and the rates rose on 6 April 2026, to 10.75% at basic rate and 35.75% at higher rate. What you pay, when you report…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerStamp duty reserve tax is the 0.5% you pay without noticing
Buy UK shares electronically and 0.5% comes off automatically. What SDRT covers, what escapes it entirely, and how it feeds into your capital gains…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·5 minDeep guideWhat HMRC expects you to keep after every crypto trade
Crypto record-keeping UK: exactly what records HMRC expects you to keep, for how long, and why dead exchanges are the biggest gap in your data.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guideWhy crypto tax software gets UK returns wrong
Koinly, CoinTracker and CoinLedger compared for UK tax, and where each one gets HMRC rules wrong. What the best crypto tax software can and cannot do…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minExplainerCapital gains tax on shares and the 30 day trap
Share matching rules define your cost, the 30 day rule rewrites rebuys, and accumulation funds hide base cost. What share investors actually need to…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerCapital gains tax in Scotland uses UK bands
CGT never devolved. The 18 to 24 percent split uses the UK £50,270 threshold, not Scottish bands, and some Scottish taxpayers pay less than they…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·5 minDeFi, staking and earning
8 postsWhere the income and capital line falls once tokens start producing more tokens. The area HMRC guidance covers least well and software handles worst.
Is your DeFi yield income or capital in HMRC’s eyes
DeFi tax in the UK explained: lending, staking, liquidity pools and yield. Where HMRC guidance draws the line between income and Capital Gains, with…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minExplainerWhat HMRC actually says about staking rewards
How HMRC taxes crypto staking in the UK: income at receipt, Capital Gains on disposal, and the records stakers need. With worked examples for Self…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·7 minDeep guideAdding liquidity to Uniswap is a taxable disposal
Adding and removing crypto from a liquidity pool can each be a taxable disposal under HMRC rules. How LP tokens, impermanent loss and rewards are…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guideHow HMRC taxes lending and borrowing on Aave and Compound
Crypto lending and interest rewards are taxable in the UK, and the loan itself can trigger a disposal. How HMRC treats CeFi and DeFi lending, and how…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minDeep guideCrypto mining is taxed twice and miners plan for one
Crypto mining is taxed in the UK as income, then Capital Gains on disposal. Hobby vs business, allowable costs, and how to report mining income to…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minDeep guideWhen an airdrop is income and when it is capital
Crypto airdrops can be Income Tax at receipt or only Capital Gains on disposal, depending on why you received them. How HMRC decides, and how to…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guidePlay-to-Earn and Gaming Token Tax UK
Play-to-earn crypto and in-game token rewards are taxable in the UK. When they count as income, when as capital gains, and how HMRC expects you to…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minDeep guideCrypto Margin, Futures and Leverage Tax UK Explained
How HMRC taxes crypto margin, futures and perpetuals in the UK. When it is Capital Gains, when it is income, and why exchange reports rarely get it…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minMoving, wrapping and bridging
3 postsWhich movements are disposals and which are not. Getting this wrong is the most common cause of an inflated gain.
Do You Pay Tax Moving Crypto Between Wallets? The UK Rules
Moving crypto between your own wallets is not taxable in the UK, but it wrecks your cost basis if unmatched. How to keep transfers from inflating…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minDeep guideIs Wrapping or Bridging Crypto a Disposal? UK Tax Rules
Is wrapping or bridging crypto a taxable disposal in the UK? Where HMRC rules leave WBTC, stETH and cross-chain moves, and how to stay on the safe…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guideMoving abroad does not end your UK crypto tax bill
Leaving the UK with crypto? Temporary non-residence rules can still pull your gains back to HMRC. What to check before you go and how the five-year…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minEarning it rather than holding it
10 postsPayment in crypto, trading as a business, company structures and the badges of trade that decide which one you are.
Paid in crypto means income tax before capital gains tax
Paid in crypto in the UK? It is taxed as income at receipt, then again for Capital Gains when you sell. How to report salary or freelance crypto to…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minExplainerThe badges of trade decide if HMRC calls you a trader
Nine tests decide whether you pay capital gains tax or income tax on your profits. What they are, and why crypto day traders almost never count as…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minDeep guideCrypto Tax for Limited Companies and Businesses UK
Crypto tax for UK limited companies: corporation tax not CGT, no annual exempt amount, trading vs investment, and incorporating as a disposal.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minDeep guideWho pays the tax when a bot does your crypto trading
Every trade your bot makes is your taxable event. How HMRC and the IRS treat automated crypto trading, AI agents, and thousands of machine-made…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minDeep guideYour founder tokens create a tax bill on the day they unlock
Token vesting tax hits founders before the tokens can be sold. How the UK and US tax vested tokens, the 83(b) election, and the trap UK founders…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minDeep guideNFT creators and traders are taxed under different rules
How HMRC taxes NFTs in the UK: Capital Gains Tax on disposals, Income Tax for creators and traders, and the record keeping most NFT holders miss.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guideBitcoin on the balance sheet is taxed before you sell
Nearly 200 listed companies hold 1.27m bitcoin. How treasury companies are actually taxed: US CAMT and fair value rules, and the UK corporation tax…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minDeep guideHow HMRC taxes Polymarket and Kalshi winnings
Prediction markets did $44.8bn in June 2026, but Polymarket and Kalshi taxes remain unsettled. The four US positions, the UK betting question, and…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minDeep guideCrypto ETFs and ETNs are not taxed the same way
Bitcoin ETF taxes work nothing like holding coins. Grantor trusts, staking funds, UK crypto ETNs and the ISA window: the wrapper decides what you…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minExplainerCFD profits are taxable and spread betting is not
CFDs are capital gains under section 143, spread bets are untaxed gambling with no loss relief. The tax difference between the two products, and what…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minGifts, estates and life events
8 postsWhat happens to a portfolio at a gift, a death, a divorce or a move abroad.
Capital gains tax treats a gift as a sale you were never paid for
Gifting an asset is a disposal at market value, so tax can fall due when no money changed hands. The spouse and charity exemptions, and where the…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerGifting crypto outside marriage triggers capital gains tax
Gifting crypto in the UK is usually a disposal for Capital Gains Tax, even with no cash changing hands. When it is taxed, when it is not, and the…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guideWhat your heirs will owe on crypto they inherit
Crypto counts towards your estate for UK Inheritance Tax at 40 percent. How HMRC values it, what your executors need, and the planning that reduces…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guideHow crypto is split and taxed in a UK divorce
Splitting crypto in a UK divorce: transfers between spouses, the no gain no loss window, and the Capital Gains Tax traps that catch couples after…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minDeep guideDonating crypto to charity is not always the cheaper route
Donating crypto to charity in the UK can be free of Capital Gains Tax and may cut your Income Tax. How the relief works and how to claim it correctly…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minExplainerInheriting assets resets capital gains tax in your favour
No tax on inheriting, and your cost resets to the value at death, wiping lifetime gains. Where tax starts again and why the probate valuation matters…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerSelling your home rarely triggers capital gains tax
Private Residence Relief usually covers the lot. The five ways people fall out of full relief, the nine month rule, and when the 60 day clock applies.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerCapital gains tax on a second property
Sixty days from completion to report and pay. The rates, the costs people forget to deduct, and the planning that only works before you sell.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minWhat the platforms report about you
5 postsExchange reporting, CARF, 1099 forms and what arrives whether you asked for it or not.
From 2026 HMRC receives your crypto data automatically
The Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) starts sharing your exchange data with HMRC from 2026. What CARF reports, who is affected, and how to…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minExplainerWhat Coinbase and Binance actually send to HMRC
Yes, Coinbase shares UK customer data with HMRC, and CARF widens it from 2026. What HMRC sees, what it means for you, and how to get ahead of a nudge…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minExplainerDoes Revolut Report to HMRC? Crypto on Revolut Explained
Does Revolut report to HMRC? What Revolut shares, what CARF changes from 2026, and why your crypto disposals on Revolut are still taxable.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guideForm 1099-DA Explained for UK Residents Using US Exchanges
Form 1099-DA is a US tax form, but UK residents on Coinbase or Kraken can receive one. What it means, why it does not set your UK tax, and what HMRC…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·12 minExplainerWhere to find your Crypto.com tax forms
Where to find your Crypto.com tax forms and statements in 2026, what each one covers, and how to turn them into a correct report for HMRC or the IRS.
Reviewed 27 August 2026·7 minPaying less of it, legitimately
3 postsLoss harvesting, disposal timing, spouse transfers and the reliefs HMRC actually accepts.
Ways to pay less crypto tax that HMRC accepts
Legal ways to reduce your UK crypto tax: the CGT allowance, loss harvesting, spouse transfers, pensions and timing. Real reliefs HMRC allows, not…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guideHow to use crypto losses to cut your capital gains bill
Crypto loss harvesting can legally cut your UK Capital Gains Tax, but the 30-day bed and breakfasting rule catches most people. How to do it properly…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·10 minDeep guideHow to report stolen crypto on a UK or US tax return
Scammed or hacked? How to report stolen cryptocurrency in the UK and US: what HMRC refuses to allow, the IRS memo that helps scam victims, and what…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·11 minSide income and self assessment
4 postsMarketplace reporting, trading thresholds, changing accountants and the returns that follow.
eBay reports your sales to HMRC and most sellers owe nothing
Thirty sales or about £1,700 gets you reported, but reporting is not owing. When selling is tax free, when it becomes trading, and what to do about…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerVinted sellers rarely owe tax even when Vinted reports them
Selling your own clothes below what you paid is never taxable. Why Vinted asked for your details, what gets reported, and where the actual tax line…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minExplainerYour cashback is almost never taxable and HMRC said so in 1997
Ordinary cashback on cards, shopping and bank switching is not taxable for private individuals, per HMRC’s Statement of Practice 4/97. The exceptions…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·5 minExplainerHow to change accountants without losing your records
Four steps, a few signatures, and the professional clearance process does the rest. What your old accountant can and cannot withhold, and when to…
Reviewed 27 August 2026·6 minEverything else
2 postsHMRC sent 81,000 crypto letters last year, four for every person who filed
HMRC posted 81,172 crypto nudge letters in 2025-26, triple the volume of two years ago, while only 17,600 people reported gains. What changes in May…
Reviewed 29 August 2026·7 minExplainerOnly 17,600 people reported crypto gains to HMRC last year
HMRC data shows 17,600 people reported crypto gains in 2024-25 while the FCA counts 4.5 million UK holders. What the gap means and what happens in…
Reviewed 28 August 2026·11 minNothing matches that. Try a shorter term, or pick a topic above.