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2026-07-15

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 15
,
 
2026
 - 
10
min read

Tax Clarity for the Way You Actually use Crypto

We're excited to announce a partnership with XPlace, Solana's first true crypto credit card.

Key takeaways
This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update  

We're excited to announce a partnership with XPlace, Solana's first true crypto credit card.

XPlace is a decentralized finance (DeFi) app and crypto-backed credit card, built around a simple idea: your crypto should work for you without forcing you to sell it.

Their crypto-backed cards let you borrow against your holdings and spend in everyday currency, so your portfolio stays intact and your long-term position stays on track. You deposit your assets, borrow against them, and spend, while your crypto stays yours and keeps earning.

What is XPlace?

XPlace is built on Solana and works in over 160 countries. Instead of selling your crypto to fund everyday spending, you deposit assets into a non-custodial savings hub, designate them as collateral, and borrow against them. The borrowed funds go on the card, your holdings stay put, and you repay on your own terms.

That flips the usual trade-off of spending your crypto. Selling means giving up your position, realising any gain, and watching the market move on without you. Borrowing keeps your position intact while still letting you use the value you've built.

Why this matters at tax time

Selling crypto is a disposal, and a disposal is usually a taxable event. In Australia, every sale, swap or spend of crypto is a capital gains tax (CGT) event, and if the asset has gone up since you bought it, you owe tax on the gain. Funding a holiday by selling Bitcoin can quietly create a tax bill months before you realise it.

Borrowing against your crypto to spend is not a sale, so it generally doesn't trigger capital gains tax. The asset never leaves your ownership, no disposal happens, and no gain is realised. It's the same logic that applies when you borrow against a house: the loan isn't income, and the asset isn't sold.

But "no disposal" doesn't mean "no record-keeping." Borrowing, collateral movements, interest, and rewards all still need to be tracked correctly, and that's where Summ comes in. 

  • Collateral movements. Moving assets into and out of a collateral position needs to be recorded, and the treatment can depend on how the platform structures the arrangement.
  • Interest and fees. Whether borrowing costs are deductible depends on what the borrowed funds were used for, so the records need to exist either way.
  • Rewards and cashback. Points, cashback and yield earned along the way may count as assessable income.
  • Liquidations. A liquidation is a disposal. Collateral sold to cover a position is a CGT event like any other sale.

Summ connects to your wallets and exchanges, untangles every transaction, and gives you a defensible tax report, so you can use tools like XPlace with confidence that your tax position is accurate.

Getting started is simple

XPlace users can now jump straight into Summ from the membership tab. From there:

  1. Open the membership tab in your XPlace account and choose Summ.
  2. Connect your wallets and exchanges.
  3. Let Summ do the heavy lifting.

Every transaction is categorised, every gain and loss is calculated, and your tax report is ready when you need it. Summ supports hundreds of wallets, exchanges and blockchains, so whether your activity sits across a few accounts or dozens, it all comes together in one place.

Connecting your accounts to Summ is read-only. We can see the transaction history needed to calculate your taxes, and nothing more. Your funds stay where they are, fully under your control.

Spend smarter, stay tax-ready

Spend smarter with XPlace, and stay on top of tax with Summ.

Xplace users get 30% off their first year* with Summ.

*New users, first year only.

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

15 July 2026

X

 Min read

Tax Clarity for the Way You Actually use Crypto

We're excited to announce a partnership with XPlace, Solana's first true crypto credit card.

Team Summ

This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update 

....

July

15

2026

We're excited to announce a partnership with XPlace, Solana's first true crypto credit card.

XPlace is a decentralized finance (DeFi) app and crypto-backed credit card, built around a simple idea: your crypto should work for you without forcing you to sell it.

Their crypto-backed cards let you borrow against your holdings and spend in everyday currency, so your portfolio stays intact and your long-term position stays on track. You deposit your assets, borrow against them, and spend, while your crypto stays yours and keeps earning.

What is XPlace?

XPlace is built on Solana and works in over 160 countries. Instead of selling your crypto to fund everyday spending, you deposit assets into a non-custodial savings hub, designate them as collateral, and borrow against them. The borrowed funds go on the card, your holdings stay put, and you repay on your own terms.

That flips the usual trade-off of spending your crypto. Selling means giving up your position, realising any gain, and watching the market move on without you. Borrowing keeps your position intact while still letting you use the value you've built.

Why this matters at tax time

Selling crypto is a disposal, and a disposal is usually a taxable event. In Australia, every sale, swap or spend of crypto is a capital gains tax (CGT) event, and if the asset has gone up since you bought it, you owe tax on the gain. Funding a holiday by selling Bitcoin can quietly create a tax bill months before you realise it.

Borrowing against your crypto to spend is not a sale, so it generally doesn't trigger capital gains tax. The asset never leaves your ownership, no disposal happens, and no gain is realised. It's the same logic that applies when you borrow against a house: the loan isn't income, and the asset isn't sold.

But "no disposal" doesn't mean "no record-keeping." Borrowing, collateral movements, interest, and rewards all still need to be tracked correctly, and that's where Summ comes in. 

  • Collateral movements. Moving assets into and out of a collateral position needs to be recorded, and the treatment can depend on how the platform structures the arrangement.
  • Interest and fees. Whether borrowing costs are deductible depends on what the borrowed funds were used for, so the records need to exist either way.
  • Rewards and cashback. Points, cashback and yield earned along the way may count as assessable income.
  • Liquidations. A liquidation is a disposal. Collateral sold to cover a position is a CGT event like any other sale.

Summ connects to your wallets and exchanges, untangles every transaction, and gives you a defensible tax report, so you can use tools like XPlace with confidence that your tax position is accurate.

Getting started is simple

XPlace users can now jump straight into Summ from the membership tab. From there:

  1. Open the membership tab in your XPlace account and choose Summ.
  2. Connect your wallets and exchanges.
  3. Let Summ do the heavy lifting.

Every transaction is categorised, every gain and loss is calculated, and your tax report is ready when you need it. Summ supports hundreds of wallets, exchanges and blockchains, so whether your activity sits across a few accounts or dozens, it all comes together in one place.

Connecting your accounts to Summ is read-only. We can see the transaction history needed to calculate your taxes, and nothing more. Your funds stay where they are, fully under your control.

Spend smarter, stay tax-ready

Spend smarter with XPlace, and stay on top of tax with Summ.

Xplace users get 30% off their first year* with Summ.

*New users, first year only.

Discover savings opportunities and lower your tax with Summ

Get started for free

No credit card required · Read-only access

Track all your swaps, trades and DeFi activity with Summ for easy tax reporting

Get started for free

No credit card required · Read-only access

Struggling with your tax?

Let Summ do the hard work for you.

Select country

Connect accounts

Get tax report

Get started for free

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Automate your record keeping with Summ

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No credit card required · Read-only access

Get started for free

No credit card required · Read-only access

Frequently asked questions

How does the CRA treat cryptocurrency for tax purposes?

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) views cryptocurrency as a commodity, similar to a precious metal like gold. This means it's not considered legal tender like the Canadian dollar. How your cryptocurrency transactions are taxed depends on why you're using it. If you occasionally buy and sell cryptocurrency for investment purposes, any profits or losses are generally considered capital gains or losses. On the other hand, if your activities are more frequent, involve mining or staking, or are done with a profit motive, your cryptocurrency transactions may be considered business income or losses. The CRA requires you to report all taxable cryptocurrency transactions. This includes selling cryptocurrency for Canadian dollars or another cryptocurrency, using cryptocurrency to buy goods or services, receiving cryptocurrency as payment, and earning cryptocurrency from mining or staking. Failing to report these transactions can result in penalties or audits.

What are the tax implications for crypto-to-crypto trades in Canada?

The CRA considers crypto-to-crypto trades as dispositions. This means each trade triggers a capital gain or loss, even though you haven't received any Canadian dollars. To calculate the gain or loss, determine the adjusted cost base of the cryptocurrency you're disposing of and calculate the proceeds of disposition using the fair market value (in Canadian dollars) of the cryptocurrency you're acquiring.

Do I need to pay GST/HST on cryptocurrency transactions?

GST/HST may apply to cryptocurrency transactions in certain situations. If your business accepts cryptocurrency as payment for goods or services, you need to charge GST/HST. The tax is calculated on the fair market value of the cryptocurrency at the time of the transaction. Since the CRA treats crypto as a commodity, accepting it as payment is considered a barter transaction. Both parties involved in the barter may need to account for GST/HST. GST/HST generally doesn't apply to personal cryptocurrency transactions unless your activities are considered a business.

What happens if I fail to report cryptocurrency on my taxes in Canada?

Failing to report your cryptocurrency transactions can have serious consequences. The CRA can impose penalties and charge daily compound interest on any unpaid taxes. You may be subject to a tax audit, and in severe cases, you could face criminal charges. If you realize you made a mistake or omission on your tax return, you can correct it through the CRA's Voluntary Disclosures Program. This allows you to come forward and disclose the information before the CRA starts an audit. It's always best to be proactive and report all your cryptocurrency activity accurately and on time.

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-categorization 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

SOC 2 type 2 certified

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.