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2026-07-21

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.

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Australia
Guides
Jul 21
,
 
2026
 - 
10
min read

AU tax season FY25-26: what you need to know

Key dates, practical tips and FAQs for the FY25-26 Australian crypto tax season, so you can lodge an ATO-ready return before the 31 October deadline.

Key takeaways
This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update  

Confused about crypto tax in Australia? This guide has you covered. The FY25-26 tax year ended on 30 June 2026. Here’s how to get it done without the stress.

Key dates for FY25-26

  • 30 June 2026: the tax year ended. Everything from 1 July 2025 to this date belongs in your FY25-26 return.
  • 31 October 2026: the deadline to lodge your own return through myTax.
  • Lodging through a registered tax agent can extend your deadline, but you generally need to be on their books before 31 October.

Tips for this tax season

  1. Start early. Reconciling a year of transactions takes longer than you think, especially across multiple wallets and exchanges.
  2. Get everything in one place. Transfers between your own wallets aren’t disposals, but if your records are incomplete they can look like one. Consolidate every exchange and wallet before you calculate.
  3. Review your categorisation. Staking rewards, airdrops and DeFi activity each have their own treatment. Make sure income is recorded as income and disposals as disposals.
  4. Check your inventory method. Different methods can produce different outcomes. Software lets you compare before you lodge.
  5. Use crypto tax software. Tools like Summ connect to your exchanges and wallets read-only, categorise every transaction, and produce an ATO-ready report you can lodge from or hand to your accountant.

FAQs

Do I owe tax if I never cashed out to AUD? Potentially, yes. Crypto-to-crypto swaps are CGT events even if you never touched fiat.

I only made losses, do I still need to report? Yes. Reporting losses lets you offset current gains and carry the rest forward to future years.

What records do I need? Dates, AUD values, transaction types and counterparties for every transaction. Software keeps these automatically.

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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