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2026-07-14

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 14
,
 
2026
 - 
10
min read

Product Update: Stocks have landed in Summ. See your crypto and shares in one place

Summ now supports shares and ETFs alongside crypto for Australian investors. Track your whole portfolio in one place and file ATO-ready reports across both.

Key takeaways
This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update  

Summ now supports shares and ETFs alongside crypto, for Australian investors, across both Australian and US listed markets. It all sits in one dashboard, in AUD, and lands in your tax reports. If you hold shares or ETFs, with or without crypto, the days of stitching your portfolio together by hand are done.

One portfolio, not three tabs and a spreadsheet

Almost nobody keeps their investments in one place. Your shares sit with a broker, or two. Your crypto sits on an exchange or in a wallet. The full picture only exists in a spreadsheet you keep meaning to update. Come tax time, you piece it all together by hand and hope you didn't miss anything.

Now there's one place for it. Summ tracks your whole portfolio and gets you tax-ready across shares, crypto, or both, no spreadsheet required.

How it works

Three steps, start to finish.

  1. Add your accounts. Crypto connects directly from an exchange or wallet, or by CSV. Stocks are added by CSV: export your trading history from your broker and upload it under Accounts.
  2. Summ works out your gains. It builds a buy-and-sell history for each holding across your accounts, sorts your dividends, and applies the relevant ATO rules to your capital gains.
  3. Get your report. Your shares and crypto land together on the Capital Gains and ATO myTax reports. Lodge them yourself through myGov, or hand a clean, explainable set of records to your accountant.

Choose your view: stocks, crypto, or see it all

One dashboard shows shares, ETFs, dividends and crypto together, in AUD. View the whole portfolio at once, or filter to just stocks or just crypto, whichever you need. Because both asset classes live in one place, you can finally see your gains and losses across the two together.

ATO-ready tax reports for crypto and shares

When it's time to file, your shares and crypto land on the same Capital Gains and ATO myTax reports. Summ works out your gains across both, so you can lodge through myGov yourself or hand a clean set of records to your accountant.

Built for investors who want the full picture

The best calls come from seeing all of it, not half. With crypto and shares side by side, you can spot which holdings are pulling their weight and which are dragging, track performance over time, and watch your unrealised gains move.

Check whether your allocation is genuinely balanced or quietly riding on one bet, and even see the fees you've paid across every platform, the number brokers usually hide. The whole picture, in one place, so the decisions stay yours.

The fiddly stuff, handled

Summ catches the small changes that are easy to miss.

  • Corporate actions. Share splits, demergers, return of capital and ticker (symbol) changes are handled automatically, with your cost base (the original price you paid for an asset, used to work out your capital gain or loss when you sell) adjusted as they happen.
  • Dividends and franking credits. Dividends are generated from your holdings, and franking credits (the credit for tax a company has already paid on a dividend) are carried into your ATO report.
  • US shares. Foreign income and any foreign tax paid on your US holdings are worked out for you. Set your withholding rate to 15% or 30% in settings to match how you report.
  • Dividend reinvestment. If you take your dividends as extra shares rather than cash (a DRP or DSSP), switch it on per asset and Summ adds each reinvestment to your cost base for you.

US and AU shares and ETFs, supported today

Australian and US listed shares and ETFs, the markets where most Australian investors hold their money, tracked in AUD right alongside your crypto. Corporate actions, dividends, franking credits, US foreign income and dividend reinvestment are all handled for you.

Coming soon: support for trades in other markets, micro-investing, and more brokers.

Coming from Sharesight or Navexa? Bring your history with you

Switching trackers usually means re-keying years of trades by hand. Not here. Export your portfolio history from Sharesight or Navexa and bring it across to Summ by CSV, so your record comes with you rather than starting from a blank page.

Supported brokers

Import your trading history by CSV from 11 brokers: Bell Direct, CommSec, Interactive Brokers, NAB Trade, Pearler, SelfWealth, Stake, Superhero, Tiger Trade, Vanguard Personal Investor and Westpac Share Trading. More coming soon.

Here's the payoff: crypto and shares on the one return, with losses offset across both. Your whole portfolio, one place, one report.

Add your stocks today, or sign up for free to get started. Questions or feedback? Contact support.

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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Blog

14 July 2026

X

 Min read

Product Update: Stocks have landed in Summ. See your crypto and shares in one place

Summ now supports shares and ETFs alongside crypto for Australian investors. Track your whole portfolio in one place and file ATO-ready reports across both.

Team Summ

This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update 

....

July

14

2026

Summ now supports shares and ETFs alongside crypto, for Australian investors, across both Australian and US listed markets. It all sits in one dashboard, in AUD, and lands in your tax reports. If you hold shares or ETFs, with or without crypto, the days of stitching your portfolio together by hand are done.

One portfolio, not three tabs and a spreadsheet

Almost nobody keeps their investments in one place. Your shares sit with a broker, or two. Your crypto sits on an exchange or in a wallet. The full picture only exists in a spreadsheet you keep meaning to update. Come tax time, you piece it all together by hand and hope you didn't miss anything.

Now there's one place for it. Summ tracks your whole portfolio and gets you tax-ready across shares, crypto, or both, no spreadsheet required.

How it works

Three steps, start to finish.

  1. Add your accounts. Crypto connects directly from an exchange or wallet, or by CSV. Stocks are added by CSV: export your trading history from your broker and upload it under Accounts.
  2. Summ works out your gains. It builds a buy-and-sell history for each holding across your accounts, sorts your dividends, and applies the relevant ATO rules to your capital gains.
  3. Get your report. Your shares and crypto land together on the Capital Gains and ATO myTax reports. Lodge them yourself through myGov, or hand a clean, explainable set of records to your accountant.

Choose your view: stocks, crypto, or see it all

One dashboard shows shares, ETFs, dividends and crypto together, in AUD. View the whole portfolio at once, or filter to just stocks or just crypto, whichever you need. Because both asset classes live in one place, you can finally see your gains and losses across the two together.

ATO-ready tax reports for crypto and shares

When it's time to file, your shares and crypto land on the same Capital Gains and ATO myTax reports. Summ works out your gains across both, so you can lodge through myGov yourself or hand a clean set of records to your accountant.

Built for investors who want the full picture

The best calls come from seeing all of it, not half. With crypto and shares side by side, you can spot which holdings are pulling their weight and which are dragging, track performance over time, and watch your unrealised gains move.

Check whether your allocation is genuinely balanced or quietly riding on one bet, and even see the fees you've paid across every platform, the number brokers usually hide. The whole picture, in one place, so the decisions stay yours.

The fiddly stuff, handled

Summ catches the small changes that are easy to miss.

  • Corporate actions. Share splits, demergers, return of capital and ticker (symbol) changes are handled automatically, with your cost base (the original price you paid for an asset, used to work out your capital gain or loss when you sell) adjusted as they happen.
  • Dividends and franking credits. Dividends are generated from your holdings, and franking credits (the credit for tax a company has already paid on a dividend) are carried into your ATO report.
  • US shares. Foreign income and any foreign tax paid on your US holdings are worked out for you. Set your withholding rate to 15% or 30% in settings to match how you report.
  • Dividend reinvestment. If you take your dividends as extra shares rather than cash (a DRP or DSSP), switch it on per asset and Summ adds each reinvestment to your cost base for you.

US and AU shares and ETFs, supported today

Australian and US listed shares and ETFs, the markets where most Australian investors hold their money, tracked in AUD right alongside your crypto. Corporate actions, dividends, franking credits, US foreign income and dividend reinvestment are all handled for you.

Coming soon: support for trades in other markets, micro-investing, and more brokers.

Coming from Sharesight or Navexa? Bring your history with you

Switching trackers usually means re-keying years of trades by hand. Not here. Export your portfolio history from Sharesight or Navexa and bring it across to Summ by CSV, so your record comes with you rather than starting from a blank page.

Supported brokers

Import your trading history by CSV from 11 brokers: Bell Direct, CommSec, Interactive Brokers, NAB Trade, Pearler, SelfWealth, Stake, Superhero, Tiger Trade, Vanguard Personal Investor and Westpac Share Trading. More coming soon.

Here's the payoff: crypto and shares on the one return, with losses offset across both. Your whole portfolio, one place, one report.

Add your stocks today, or sign up for free to get started. Questions or feedback? Contact support.

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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.

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We conduct regular and thorough Security & Awareness training for all employees.
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Our application only ever requires 'read-only' access to your data.