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2026-07-05

How Investing vs Trading impacts tax

In most cases of buying and selling cryptocurrency as a retail investor, you are participating in investing rather than trading. The two are treated differently for tax purposes.

  • Investing is subject to capital gains tax or income tax, depending on the nature of the transaction.
  • Trading in this case refers to self-employment which is subject to income tax and National Insurance Contributions.

The key difference between investing and trading – along with the different tax treatments, is how losses generated in the crypto-activity can be used.

In their guidance, HMRC have explicitly stated that they would expect it to be exceedingly rare that any crypto-activity constituting buying & selling crypto would be classified as “trading”.

If you are uncertain, speak to a tax advisor as there are always exceptions, including but not limited to, developing tokens and large scale mining.

How is crypto tax calculated in the United States?

You can be liable for both capital gains and income tax depending on the type of cryptocurrency transaction, and your individual circumstances. For example, you might need to pay capital gains on profits from buying and selling cryptocurrency, or pay income tax on interest earned when holding crypto.

CoinLedger

CoinLedger is an accessible crypto tax platform with over 1,000 exchange and wallet integrations.

Best for: Users who want a simple, straightforward experience without complex DeFi needs.

Key differentiator: Offers an unlimited transaction plan for high-volume traders at a fixed price.

Pricing: $49 (100 transactions) to $499+ (10,000+ transactions).

Limitation: Does not generate Schedule D forms - you will need to complete this manually or with other software.

Notable: Strong NFT support with OpenSea integration.

CoinTracker

CoinTracker is a portfolio tracker and tax calculator supporting over 30,000 cryptocurrencies.

Best for: Users who prioritize portfolio tracking alongside tax reporting.

Key differentiator: Direct integrations with TurboTax and H&R Block Desktop.

Pricing: $59 (100 transactions) to $599 (10,000 transactions), with full-service options up to $3,499.

Limitation: Customer support is limited on lower-tier plans - priority support requires the $599 Ultra plan.

Notable: Good security with end-to-end encryption and SOC 2 compliance.

ZenLedger

ZenLedger offers both DIY crypto tax reports and professional full-service accounting.

Best for: Users who want tax loss harvesting included at every pricing tier.

Key differentiator: Tax loss harvesting is available on all plans, not just premium tiers.

Pricing: $49 (100 transactions) to $399 (15,000 transactions).

Limitation: Only offers 400+ exchange integrations - significantly fewer than competitors. Some users report customer support issues with long wait times.

Notable: TurboTax integration and 14-day refund policy.

blog
Jul 5
,
 
2026
 - 
10
min read

How to Do Your Crypto and Stocks Tax in Australia (In One Place)

Both are CGT assets and belong in the same return. Here's how crypto and shares are taxed side by side, and how to do both in one report.

Key takeaways
This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update  

Tax time with a share portfolio and a crypto wallet usually means running two systems: one for the exchange CSVs, another for the broker statements, and a spreadsheet in the middle trying to make them agree. This year there's a shorter route. Both are CGT assets, they belong in the same return, and you can now calculate both in one place.

The good news: the ATO treats them more alike than you'd think

Shares and crypto are both CGT assets. That means for both:

  • Disposals trigger CGT. Selling shares, selling crypto for AUD, and swapping one coin for another are all CGT events.
  • The 12-month CGT discount applies to both. Assets held for at least 12 months before disposal may qualify for the 50% discount.
  • Gains and losses land in the same calculation. Your net capital gain is worked out across all your CGT assets, shares and crypto together, which is the most practical reason to calculate them in one place rather than in separate tools.

Where they differ

  • Income streams: shares pay dividends (with franking credits attached); crypto generates income through staking, interest and airdrops, taxed at market value when received. Both are assessable, but they're reported differently.
  • Data trails: your broker gives you neat statements; your crypto lives across exchanges, wallets and chains. Different sources, same obligation: complete records of every parcel.
  • Crypto-to-crypto trades count. There's no share-market equivalent of swapping BTC for ETH being taxable, and it's the thing that catches crypto investors out most.

Why one system beats two

The practical wins:

  1. One set of parcels. Every share purchase, every DRP reinvestment, every coin buy is a parcel with its own date and cost base. One system tracking all of them means one source of truth when you dispose.
  2. One report for your accountant (or one set of figures for myTax) instead of stitching two exports together.
  3. One portfolio view all year. Your total position, gains, losses and fees across both, not two apps and a mental sum.

How to do it in Summ

  1. Connect your brokers. Import your share trading history, dividends and DRPs.
  2. Connect your exchanges and wallets. Hundreds supported, read-only.
  3. Review. Everything's categorised: trades, dividends, staking, transfers.
  4. Generate one ATO-ready report covering the lot, ready for myTax or your accountant.

The FY25-26 year ended 30 June. If you lodge yourself, the deadline is 31 October 2026; a registered tax agent can extend that, but get on their books before 31 October.

See your crypto and stocks in one place

This guide is general information, not tax or financial advice. Consider your own circumstances and consult a registered tax professional if you're unsure.

The information provided on this website is general in nature and is not tax, accounting or legal advice. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this information, you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs and seek professional advice. Summ (formerly Crypto Tax Calculator) disclaims all and any guarantees, undertakings and warranties, expressed or implied, and is not liable for any loss or damage whatsoever (including human or computer error, negligent or otherwise, or incidental or Consequential Loss or damage) arising out of, or in connection with, any use or reliance on the information or advice in this website. The user must accept sole responsibility associated with the use of the material on this site, irrespective of the purpose for which such use or results are applied. The information in this website is no substitute for specialist advice.

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Try Summ today

Import your transactions and generate a free report preview.

Blog

05 July 2026

X

 Min read

How to Do Your Crypto and Stocks Tax in Australia (In One Place)

Both are CGT assets and belong in the same return. Here's how crypto and shares are taxed side by side, and how to do both in one report.

Team Summ

This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update 

....

July

5

2026

Tax time with a share portfolio and a crypto wallet usually means running two systems: one for the exchange CSVs, another for the broker statements, and a spreadsheet in the middle trying to make them agree. This year there's a shorter route. Both are CGT assets, they belong in the same return, and you can now calculate both in one place.

The good news: the ATO treats them more alike than you'd think

Shares and crypto are both CGT assets. That means for both:

  • Disposals trigger CGT. Selling shares, selling crypto for AUD, and swapping one coin for another are all CGT events.
  • The 12-month CGT discount applies to both. Assets held for at least 12 months before disposal may qualify for the 50% discount.
  • Gains and losses land in the same calculation. Your net capital gain is worked out across all your CGT assets, shares and crypto together, which is the most practical reason to calculate them in one place rather than in separate tools.

Where they differ

  • Income streams: shares pay dividends (with franking credits attached); crypto generates income through staking, interest and airdrops, taxed at market value when received. Both are assessable, but they're reported differently.
  • Data trails: your broker gives you neat statements; your crypto lives across exchanges, wallets and chains. Different sources, same obligation: complete records of every parcel.
  • Crypto-to-crypto trades count. There's no share-market equivalent of swapping BTC for ETH being taxable, and it's the thing that catches crypto investors out most.

Why one system beats two

The practical wins:

  1. One set of parcels. Every share purchase, every DRP reinvestment, every coin buy is a parcel with its own date and cost base. One system tracking all of them means one source of truth when you dispose.
  2. One report for your accountant (or one set of figures for myTax) instead of stitching two exports together.
  3. One portfolio view all year. Your total position, gains, losses and fees across both, not two apps and a mental sum.

How to do it in Summ

  1. Connect your brokers. Import your share trading history, dividends and DRPs.
  2. Connect your exchanges and wallets. Hundreds supported, read-only.
  3. Review. Everything's categorised: trades, dividends, staking, transfers.
  4. Generate one ATO-ready report covering the lot, ready for myTax or your accountant.

The FY25-26 year ended 30 June. If you lodge yourself, the deadline is 31 October 2026; a registered tax agent can extend that, but get on their books before 31 October.

See your crypto and stocks in one place

This guide is general information, not tax or financial advice. Consider your own circumstances and consult a registered tax professional if you're unsure.

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Frequently asked questions

How is crypto tax calculated in Australia?

You can be liable for both capital gains and income tax depending on the type of cryptocurrency transaction, and your individual circumstances. For example, you might need to pay capital gains on profits from buying and selling cryptocurrency, or pay income tax on interest earned when holding crypto.

How does payment work?

We have an annual subscription which covers all previous tax years. If you need to amend your tax return for previous years you will be covered under the one payment.

Can I use my own accountant?

Yes, Summ (formerly Crypto Tax Calculator) is designed to generate accountant friendly tax reports. You simply import all your transaction history and export your report. This means you can get your books up to date yourself, allowing you to save significant time, and reduce the bill charged by your accountant. You can discuss tax scenarios with your accountant, and have them review the report.

Do you support NFT transactions?

We do! We have integrations with many NFT marketplaces, as well as categorisation options for any NFT related activity (minting, buying, selling, trading).

How does the free trial work?

The platform is free to use immediately upon signup, allowing you to import your transactions and take advantage of our smart suggestion and auto-categorisation engine, portfolio tracking, DeFi and NFT support. For access to reports, the tax loss harvest tool or chat and priority support, you will need to upgrade to the appropriate paid plan.

Automate your crypto bookkeeping

01

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As SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, we ensure robust data security, giving customers confidence in entrusting us.
02

Secure organization

We conduct regular and thorough Security & Awareness training for all employees.
03

Full data privacy

Our application only ever requires 'read-only' access to your data.