Does Coinbase Report to the IRS? (2024)

How are my Coinbase transactions taxed?

Does Coinbase report to the IRS? Yes. Currently, Coinbase IRS reporting includes forms 1099-MISC for users who are U.S. traders who made more than $600 from crypto rewards or staking in the 2022 tax year. Note that these tax forms do not report capital gains or losses.

See our article on how to report cryptocurrencies on taxes for more general information.

What information does Coinbase send to the IRS?

Coinbase sends two copies of each cryptocurrency tax form: one to the taxpayer and one to the IRS. Thus, if you have received a Coinbase 1099, so has the IRS—and they’ll expect you to file taxes on your cryptocurrency income.

Note that in 2022, Coinbase began to sunset Coinbase Pro and move those features to Coinbase "Advanced Trade" under the same account.

Gain/loss report

The Coinbase 1099 tax document does not report crypto capital gains or losses, but that doesn't mean you don't need to report them. A Coinbase 1099 signals to the IRS that a user is actively trading crypto and may have transactions other than rewards or staking to report. Coinbase does have a gain/loss report but does not report your gains or losses to the IRS.

Raw transaction report

Coinbase does not provide a raw transaction report to the IRS. That said, you can access your raw transaction report via Coinbase and Coinbase Taxes, with a range of available gain/loss reports. Raw Coinbase transaction history can be found through custom reports.

TokenTax automatically generates the tax forms and reports you need.

What does the IRS do with tax documents?

In recent years, the IRS has increased their crypto tax audits and enforcement. They are sending letters 6173, 6174, and 6174-A or even CP2000 notices. 2022 tax year 1099-K and 1099-MISC data help the IRS identify filers who may be failing to report or under-reporting.

What are 1099 forms?

A 1099 tax form is a record that an entity or person who is not your employer has paid or given you money. Here are three common 1099 forms:

  • Form 1099-K: This form is commonly used by credit/debit card networks and other payment settlement networks. The form shows the IRS the transaction volume of processed payments.

  • Form 1099-MISC: This form is used to report ‘miscellaneous’ income to the IRS. Rewards from referrals and staking would fall into this ‘miscellaneous’ category.

  • Form 1099-B: This form is used to share information about property/security disposals made through a broker. You may be familiar with this form if you’ve used stock exchanges like Robinhood or E-Trade.

What do I need to do if I receive a 1099-MISC from Coinbase?

The 1099-MISC doesn’t report individual transactions from staking or rewards, just your total income from them. You are required to report the details—as well as any crypto capital gains, losses, or ordinary income from any exchange—in order to calculate your crypto taxes. A crypto tax calculator can help with this. For more information on the 1099-MISC visit our post about cryptocurrency Form 1099s.

Does Coinbase Report to the IRS? (1)

Why did Coinbase switch from Form 1099-K to Form 1099-MISC?

Before 2021, Coinbase sent Forms 1099-K. However, because Form 1099-K reports the aggregate amount of crypto involved in an individual’s trades, rather than the net profits or loss, it was easy for transactions that ultimately represented a loss to be interpreted as generating revenue.

1099-K form example

For example, imagine you purchased a token for $1.00, but sold it later in the same year for only 75 cents. Despite the fact that this series of transactions represented a 25 cent loss, $1.75 would be reported as part of the amount on the 1099-K.

This situation can lead to confusion at the IRS. Agents sometimes interpret 1099-K calculations as crypto traders’ profits, rather than their trades’ volume. This may result in the IRS sending CP2000 letters, which inform filers they may have significantly under-reported their income on their tax filings. To address such misunderstandings usually requires the intervention of a crypto CPA.

Although IRS misinterpretations of the 1099-K are typically resolved, their effect on customers was burdensome enough to prompt Coinbase and some other crypto exchanges to stop sending these tax forms.

Does Coinbase send a 1099-B?

The short answer is: no. At time of writing, Coinbase only reports Form 1099-MISC to the IRS. This information is subject to change, so be certain to look out for updates from Coinbase.

Accessing your Coinbase tax documents

Even if you don't receive a 1099-MISC from Coinbase, you need to report any income or capital gains/losses you've realized on the exchange. Many crypto tax calculators, TokenTax included, can sync to Coinbase via API so that transaction history is automatically imported and updated.

However, if you need to download a copy of your transaction history for record-keeping or your accountant, you can do so by visiting the Taxes section of your account. Here you can download gain/loss reports and raw transaction history CSVs. You can also see if Coinbase has issued any forms about you to the IRS.

Does Coinbase Report to the IRS? (2)

Let our expert team do your crypto taxes for you.

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Frequently asked questions

Here are some common FAQs related to Coinbase IRS reporting, the Coinbase 1099, and Coinbase taxes and tax documents.

Do I pay taxes on Coinbase transactions?

Yes, you must pay the appropriate taxes on Coinbase transactions. Our crypto tax software makes reporting Coinbase taxes easy.

Will Coinbase send me a 1099?

$600 is the current Coinbase IRS reporting threshold. Currently Coinbase sends form 1099-MISC for users who are U.S. traders who made more than $600 from crypto rewards or staking in the last tax year. You can also access Coinbase tax documents through the Coinbase mobile app.

Do all crypto exchanges report to the IRS?

No, every cryptocurrency exchange does not report to the IRS. Many exchanges are based internationally and do not do business in the United States. That said, if you’re in the United States or are a United States citizen, you are responsible for reporting your crypto transactions to the IRS.

Can the IRS see my crypto wallet?

Crypto wallets interact with publicly visible blockchains, so yes, the IRS can “see your crypto wallet.” That said, depending on the wallet and the nature of your transactions, it’s possible the IRS cannot correlate a specific wallet with you as a user. That noted, Coinbase runs a KYC (know your client) process and analytics firms like Chainalysis have working partnerships with the Federal Government.

So it’s fair to assume you can’t (and obviously should not) “hide” your crypto transactions from the IRS, as of course you need an on- and off-ramp to bring fiat into and out of your crypto wallet. This is almost always done through a centralized exchange like Coinbase, which of course reports to the IRS.

What happens if you don't report Coinbase taxes?

If you don’t report Coinbase taxes, you could get in trouble with the IRS and receive a Failure to File penalty. This penalty begins at 5% of the unpaid taxes for each month (or part of a month) your tax return is late, not to exceed 25% of unpaid taxes. If the IRS determines an overt act of evasion occurred, willful failure to file could be treated as a felony. So you’ll definitely want to report Coinbase taxes.

How do I avoid Coinbase taxes?

A simple way to avoid Coinbase taxes is to purchase and hold without exchanging or selling. Other options to avoid or reduce your Coinbase taxes include:

  • Sell assets during a low income year

  • Donations to charity

  • Offset your gains with losses

Like any other income, however, if you have significant gains through Coinbase, you’ll need to properly file them as part of your tax return. For more info on crypto tax basics, visit our Crypto Tax Guide.

Does Coinbase Report to the IRS? (2024)

FAQs

Does Coinbase report everything to IRS? ›

Yes, Coinbase reports to the IRS. It sends Forms 1099-MISC to the IRS for U.S. traders who made more than $600 in crypto rewards or staking.

Do I need to report crypto on taxes if less than 600? ›

You must report income, gain, or loss from all taxable transactions involving virtual currency on your Federal income tax return for the taxable year of the transaction, regardless of the amount or whether you receive a payee statement or information return.

Why is Coinbase not reporting to IRS? ›

Does Coinbase report to the IRS if you didn't sell? If you did not have taxable income during the year, it's unlikely that Coinbase will report your cryptocurrency activity to the IRS. Simply holding cryptocurrency or transferring it between wallets you own is not considered a taxable event.

How much money do you have to make on Coinbase to file taxes? ›

Did you stake any crypto or earn crypto rewards this year using Coinbase? If you earned more than $600 in crypto, we're required to report your transactions to the IRS as “miscellaneous income,” using Form 1099-MISC — and so are you.

Can the IRS track Coinbase wallet? ›

Does Coinbase Wallet report to the IRS? No, Coinbase Wallet doesn't report to the IRS as the wallet holds no KYC data. However, if you're using Coinbase Wallet in conjunction with other Coinbase products - these other platforms may well report to the IRS.

Does Coinbase keep track of taxes? ›

Does Coinbase Pro keep track of your taxes? Coinbase Pro does provide you with a record of your cryptocurrency transactions. However, cryptocurrency exchanges have trouble tracking your gains, losses, and income if you've transferred your cryptocurrency into or out of the platform.

Will the IRS know if I don't report crypto? ›

If, after the deadline to report and any extensions have passed, you still have not properly reported your crypto gains on Form 8938, you can face additional fines and penalties. After an initial failure to file, the IRS will notify any taxpayer who hasn't completed their annual return or reports.

Will I get in trouble for not filing crypto taxes? ›

If you don't report a crypto-taxable event, you could incur interest, penalties, or even criminal charges if the IRS audits you. You may also even receive a letter from the IRS if you failed to report income and pay taxes on crypto, or do not report your transactions properly.

What happens if I don't claim crypto on taxes? ›

The IRS has made it clear that they expect people to report their cryptocurrency holdings on their taxes along with all capital assets. Failing to do so could result in a number of penalties, including fines and even jail time.

Will I receive a 1099 from Coinbase? ›

Coinbase issues an IRS form called 1099-MISC to report miscellaneous income rewards to US customers that meet certain criteria. You can find all of your IRS forms in the Documents section of your Coinbase Tax Center.

Do I need to report crypto if I didn't make a profit? ›

Do you need to report taxes on crypto you don't sell? If you buy crypto, there's nothing to report until you sell. If you earned crypto through staking, a hard fork, an airdrop or via any method other than buying it, you'll likely need to report it, even if you haven't sold it.

How do I cash out crypto without paying taxes USA? ›

Take out a cryptocurrency loan

Instead of cashing out your cryptocurrency, consider taking out a cryptocurrency loan. In general, loans are considered tax-free. If you need liquidity immediately, you should consider using your cryptocurrency as collateral to take a loan through a decentralized protocol.

How do I avoid taxes on Coinbase? ›

Any Coinbase transactions resulting in income or capital gains are considered taxable. This includes buying and selling crypto, receiving cryptocurrency as payment for services, and exchanging one type of crypto for another. On the other hand, Coinbase transactions that don't result in a gain or loss are not taxable.

What if I made less than 600 with crypto? ›

Do you have to report crypto interest under $600? Remember, you're required to report all of your cryptocurrency income, regardless of whether your exchange sends you a 1099 form.

How much crypto gains do I have to report? ›

Taxes are due when you sell, trade, or dispose of cryptocurrency in any way and recognize a gain. For example, if you buy $1,000 of crypto and sell it later for $1,500, you would need to report and pay taxes on the profit of $500. If you dispose of cryptocurrency and recognize a loss, you can deduct that on your taxes.

How does the IRS know I have crypto? ›

The IRS can track cryptocurrency transactions through several methods, including the use of subpoenas, blockchain analysis, and third-party reporting by cryptocurrency exchanges.

How do I hide crypto transactions? ›

To protect your privacy, you should use a new Bitcoin address each time you receive a new payment. Additionally, you can use multiple wallets for different purposes. Doing so allows you to isolate each of your transactions in such a way that it is not possible to associate them all together.

How is crypto reported to IRS? ›

The IRS treats cryptocurrency as “property.” If you buy, sell or exchange cryptocurrency, you're likely on the hook for paying crypto taxes. Reporting your crypto activity requires using Form 1040 Schedule D as your crypto tax form to reconcile your capital gains and losses and Form 8949 if necessary.

Can I write off crypto losses? ›

Yes, cryptocurrency losses can be used to offset taxes on gains from the sale of any capital asset, including stocks, real estate and even other cryptocurrency sold at a profit.

Why did Coinbase not send me 1099? ›

If you've earned less than $600 in crypto income, you won't be receiving any IRS 1099 forms from us. Visit Qualifications for Coinbase tax form 1099-MISC to learn more. Non-US customers won't receive any forms from Coinbase and must utilize their transaction history report to fulfill their local tax obligations.

Do I need to report crypto on taxes? ›

The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, meaning that when you buy, sell or exchange it, this counts as a taxable event and typically results in either a capital gain or loss. When you earn income from cryptocurrency activities, this is taxed as ordinary income.

How do I sell crypto without IRS knowing? ›

As long as you are holding cryptocurrency as an investment and it isn't earning any income, you generally don't owe taxes on cryptocurrency until you sell. You can avoid taxes altogether by not selling any in a given tax year.

Does the IRS know when I sell crypto? ›

In addition, major exchanges issue 1099 forms to customers and to the IRS reporting on your crypto transaction activity. If you don't report transactions that have been reported to the IRS via Form 1099, you may automatically be sent a warning letter about your unpaid tax liability.

Will I get audited for not reporting crypto? ›

Unreported income is one of the most common reasons for the IRS to conduct a crypto audit. Most crypto exchanges send 1099-B or 1099-K forms to clients that exceed certain transaction thresholds, the copies of which are then sent to the IRS.

How do I legally avoid crypto taxes? ›

9 Ways to Legally Avoid Paying Crypto Taxes
  1. Buy Items on Crypto Emporium.
  2. Invest Using an IRA.
  3. Have a Long-Term Investment Horizon.
  4. Gift Crypto to Family Members.
  5. Relocate to a Different Country.
  6. Donate Crypto to Charity.
  7. Offset Gains with Appropriate Losses.
  8. Sell Crypto During Low-Income Periods.
Apr 21, 2023

What happens if you forget to report capital gains? ›

If you fail to report the gain, the IRS will become immediately suspicious. While the IRS may simply identify and correct a small loss and ding you for the difference, a larger missing capital gain could set off the alarms.

How do I file Coinbase taxes on TurboTax? ›

Here's how to get your CSV file from Coinbase.
  1. Sign in to your Coinbase account.
  2. In the Taxes section, select the Documents tab.
  3. Generate and download the TurboTax gain/loss report (CSV) for 2022.
  4. Upload your CSV file to TurboTax.
Mar 14, 2023

Does Robinhood report to IRS? ›

It is important to note that every transaction made on Robinhood is reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and can turn into a tax nightmare if not reported properly on your tax return. In short, this means that if you sell an investment at a profit, it must be reported on your individual tax return.

Do I need to report crypto if I didn't buy or sell? ›

No, you do not need to report crypto if you don't sell. Because cryptocurrency and other digital assets are treated as property, taxable events only occur when you realize capital gains or losses through events such as swapping, trading, selling for fiat, or other methods of disposal.

Do US citizens pay taxes on crypto? ›

The IRS classifies cryptocurrency as property or a digital asset. Any time you sell or exchange crypto, it's a taxable event. This includes using crypto used to pay for goods or services. In most cases, the IRS taxes cryptocurrencies as an asset and subjects them to long-term or short-term capital gains taxes.

What states do not tax crypto currency? ›

However, there is no tax for simply owning cryptocurrency. What states have no crypto tax? Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have no state income taxes (although New Hampshire and Tennessee tax interest and dividends while Washington taxes capital gains).

Do you have to report crypto under 10k? ›

It's important to note: you're responsible for reporting all crypto you receive or fiat currency you made as income on your tax forms, even if you earn just $1.

Do I have to report a few dollars of crypto? ›

All of your taxable income needs to be reported to the IRS — regardless of the total amount. Do I need to report crypto on my taxes if I didn't make a profit? Remember, crypto losses come with tax benefits! Capital losses from crypto can offset capital gains from stocks, cryptocurrency, and other assets.

Do I need to report 70 dollars I made in crypto? ›

Any cryptocurrency capital gains, capital losses, or income events need to be reported on your tax return. You can report these events on Form 8949 and depending on your specific circ*mstances, Form 1040 Schedule B, C, and/or D.

Do I have to report crypto on taxes if I made less than 100? ›

Coinbase, for example, sends this form to customers who earned more than $600 in crypto, according to its website. However, you still need to report your earnings to the IRS even if you earned less than $600, the company says.

Do all crypto exchanges report to IRS? ›

Yes, the IRS can track crypto as the agency has ordered crypto exchanges and trading platforms to report tax forms such as 1099-B and 1099-K to them. Also, in recent years, several exchanges have received several subpoenas directing them to reveal some of the user accounts.

Do I have to report crypto on taxes if I lost money? ›

You calculate your loss by subtracting your sales price from the original purchase price, known as “basis,” and report the loss on Schedule D and Form 8949 on your tax return. If your crypto losses exceed other investment gains and $3,000 of regular income, you can use the rest in subsequent years, Greene-Lewis said.

Do you have to report crypto on taxes if you don't sell? ›

Do you need to report taxes on crypto you don't sell? If you buy crypto, there's nothing to report until you sell. If you earned crypto through staking, a hard fork, an airdrop or via any method other than buying it, you'll likely need to report it, even if you haven't sold it.

Does the IRS know if you bought crypto? ›

Yes, the IRS can track cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, Ether and a huge variety of other cryptocurrencies. The IRS does this by collecting KYC data from centralized exchanges.

What if I don t tell the IRS about crypto? ›

The best idea is to amend your tax return from whichever year(s) you didn't include your crypto trades. You have three years from the date that you filed your return to file an amended return. Some investors fear that submitting an amended return may increase their risk of a future audit.

Will I get in trouble if I don't report crypto losses? ›

The IRS has made it clear that they expect people to report their cryptocurrency holdings on their taxes along with all capital assets. Failing to do so could result in a number of penalties, including fines and even jail time.

What happens if I don't file my crypto losses? ›

Many investors believe they only need to report cryptocurrency on their taxes if they've made gains. This is not true. All taxable events need to be reported to the IRS. In addition, not reporting your cryptocurrency losses means that you won't be able to claim the associated tax benefits.

What happens if I don't report crypto losses? ›

Taxpayers are required to report all cryptocurrency transactions, including buying, selling, and trading, on their tax returns. Failure to report these transactions can result in penalties and interest.

Can you write off crypto losses without selling? ›

Note that you can only claim capital losses or gains that are realized through the process of disposing of cryptocurrency. If your cryptocurrency's value tanked before you could sell it, that's not considered a capital loss.

Do you have to list every stock trade on your tax return? ›

Enter all sales and exchanges of capital assets, including stocks, bonds, and real estate (if not reported on line 1a or 8a of Schedule D or on Form 4684, 4797, 6252, 6781, or 8824). Include these transactions even if you didn't receive a Form 1099-B or 1099-S (or substitute statement) for the transaction.

Do I pay taxes on stocks I don't sell? ›

Do you pay taxes on stocks you don't sell? You incur capital gains tax when you sell an investment for a profit — so no sale means no capital gains tax. But you incur dividend tax whenever you receive a dividend payment from an investment, regardless of when you sell it.

Do you have to pay taxes on crypto if you reinvest? ›

The IRS treats crypto as “property,” which means you'll need to report certain crypto transactions on your taxes. You'll even be asked on the main form, Form 1040, whether you received, sold, sent, exchanged, or otherwise acquired “any financial interest in any virtual currency.”

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