All Countries

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
USA flag
France
No items found.
2023-05-19

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
May 19
,
 
2023
 - 
10
min read

Summ 2.0

Summ (formerly Crypto Tax Calculator)'s latest software update introduces a suite of improvements to help you calculate your crypto taxes. Introducing advanced support for on-chain and DeFi transacitons, 100 new exchanges and a redesigned UI.

Key takeaways
  • Advanced support for on-chain trading across hundreds of leading DeFi protocols
  • Support for derivatives trading on major exchanges
  • UI and performance enhancements to help you do your crypto taxes faster
This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update  

Summ gets a major face lift

Summ (formerly Crypto Tax Calculator) has been around for almost three years. I first started this project back in 2018 after copping a $2k quote from an accountant to sort out my degen trading activity.

At the time most of the crypto tax platforms were built to facilitate the rather simple Bitcoin protocol, which was limited to mostly buying and selling on centralized exchanges. However I was a big fan of the Ethereum protocol, and had been trading on a few DEXs as well as participating in over 20 ICOs. Needless to say, getting my taxes sorted using the existing tools was a near impossible task. Instead I built a script to read from the Ethereum blockchain and automatically categorise transactions.

Fast forward to 2020 and the app had helped thousands of crypto enthusiasts with their crypto taxes. Along the way we learned some big lessons and decided to double down on the app, rewriting the backend so that we could quickly support the thousands of new financial products emerging in the crypto space. This turns out to have been a wise decision. The crypto space has since rapidly exploded, our app has seen dramatic growth, we have greatly expanded from a one man shop to a team of ten, and it is now easier then ever to get your taxes sorted.

A non trivial list of improvements

  1. Integrated support for margin/futures/options trading on major exchanges such as Binance, BitMEX, Bitfinex, Bybit, Liquid, Kraken, FTX, and Deribit.

  2. Automated on-chain categorisation of DEX protocols such as Uniswap, OasisDEX, Kyber, Airswap, Balancer, Maker, and Sushiswap.

  3. Automated support for DeFi protocols such as Compound, AAVE, and Synthetix.

  4. Support for staking across CEX and DeFi solutions including Sushiswap, Kraken, Celsius, NEO, and Crypto.com.

  5. Support for Specific ID (Last In First Out, Highest In First Out) inventory methods.

  6. Support for Canada and UK with their unique inventory rules.

  7. Additional support for over 100 exchanges.

  8. A complete redesign of the UI/UX

  9. Performance upgrades that allow you to calculate taxes on up to 100,000 transactions in under 5 seconds.

What's next?

We have now built out the foundational pieces to become the most comprehensive tax software in the crypto space. Our next priority is significantly expanding the "long-tail" support for crypto users. This includes:

  1. Better tooling to analyze your trade history performance and the impact of future trades on your tax obligations.

  2. Deeper support for local exchanges in the Canada, UK, and non-English speaking markets.

  3. Significant expansion of our native blockchain support for up and coming protocols.

If you have anything you would like us to support we would love to hear from you! Just drop us a line on the in-app chat 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.

FAQ

No items found.
Table of contents
heading2
heading3

More resources

CryptoTax Calculator thumbnail
Blog
1
 
Jun
 
2026
Les 4 principales erreurs en matière de fiscalité crypto

Vous vous interrogez sur les erreurs les plus courantes que les gens commettent lorsqu'ils tentent de déclarer leur fiscalité crypto ? Nous avons les réponses pour vous dans notre blog, afin que vous puissiez éviter de vous retrouver dans les mêmes situations délicates.

Read More
CryptoTax Calculator thumbnail
Blog
25
 
May
 
2026
Fiscalité crypto en France : le guide complet pour déclarer en 2026
Le guide pratique pour déclarer correctement vos cryptomonnaies à l'administration fiscale française en 2026 : PFU, formulaires, comptes étrangers et erreurs à éviter.
Read More
CryptoTax Calculator thumbnail
Blog
18
 
May
 
2026
Déclarer vos cryptomonnaies en France

Procédure complète de déclaration des cryptomonnaies en France sur impots.gouv.fr : plus-values via le Cerfa 2086, mappage des revenus BNC sur les formulaires 2042-C et 2042-C-PRO, déclarations de comptes à l'étranger via le 3916-bis, mécanique des donations, et traitement des actifs perdus ou volés.

Read More

Commencez sans frais

Importez vos transactions et générez un aperçu gratuit de la déclaration fiscale.

Blog

27 January 2021

X

 Min read

Summ 2.0

Summ (formerly Crypto Tax Calculator)'s latest software update introduces a suite of improvements to help you calculate your crypto taxes. Introducing advanced support for on-chain and DeFi transacitons, 100 new exchanges and a redesigned UI.

Shane Brunette

Key takeaways

  • Advanced support for on-chain trading across hundreds of leading DeFi protocols
  • Support for derivatives trading on major exchanges
  • UI and performance enhancements to help you do your crypto taxes faster

This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update 

....

May

19

2023

Summ gets a major face lift

Summ (formerly Crypto Tax Calculator) has been around for almost three years. I first started this project back in 2018 after copping a $2k quote from an accountant to sort out my degen trading activity.

At the time most of the crypto tax platforms were built to facilitate the rather simple Bitcoin protocol, which was limited to mostly buying and selling on centralized exchanges. However I was a big fan of the Ethereum protocol, and had been trading on a few DEXs as well as participating in over 20 ICOs. Needless to say, getting my taxes sorted using the existing tools was a near impossible task. Instead I built a script to read from the Ethereum blockchain and automatically categorise transactions.

Fast forward to 2020 and the app had helped thousands of crypto enthusiasts with their crypto taxes. Along the way we learned some big lessons and decided to double down on the app, rewriting the backend so that we could quickly support the thousands of new financial products emerging in the crypto space. This turns out to have been a wise decision. The crypto space has since rapidly exploded, our app has seen dramatic growth, we have greatly expanded from a one man shop to a team of ten, and it is now easier then ever to get your taxes sorted.

A non trivial list of improvements

  1. Integrated support for margin/futures/options trading on major exchanges such as Binance, BitMEX, Bitfinex, Bybit, Liquid, Kraken, FTX, and Deribit.

  2. Automated on-chain categorisation of DEX protocols such as Uniswap, OasisDEX, Kyber, Airswap, Balancer, Maker, and Sushiswap.

  3. Automated support for DeFi protocols such as Compound, AAVE, and Synthetix.

  4. Support for staking across CEX and DeFi solutions including Sushiswap, Kraken, Celsius, NEO, and Crypto.com.

  5. Support for Specific ID (Last In First Out, Highest In First Out) inventory methods.

  6. Support for Canada and UK with their unique inventory rules.

  7. Additional support for over 100 exchanges.

  8. A complete redesign of the UI/UX

  9. Performance upgrades that allow you to calculate taxes on up to 100,000 transactions in under 5 seconds.

What's next?

We have now built out the foundational pieces to become the most comprehensive tax software in the crypto space. Our next priority is significantly expanding the "long-tail" support for crypto users. This includes:

  1. Better tooling to analyze your trade history performance and the impact of future trades on your tax obligations.

  2. Deeper support for local exchanges in the Canada, UK, and non-English speaking markets.

  3. Significant expansion of our native blockchain support for up and coming protocols.

If you have anything you would like us to support we would love to hear from you! Just drop us a line on the in-app chat support.

Discover savings opportunities and lower your tax with Summ

Get started for free

Sans carte de crédit

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

Get started for free

Sans carte de crédit

Struggling with your tax?

Let Summ do the hard work for you.

Select country

Connect accounts

Get tax report

Get started for free

Sans carte de crédit

Automate your record keeping with Summ

Get started for free

Sans carte de crédit

Get started for free

Sans carte de crédit

Foire aux questions

Les transactions "cryptos à cryptos" sont-elles imposables ?

Les transactions "crypto à crypto" ne sont pas imposables ; le fait générateur est la cession de l’actif numérique ayant pour contrepartie: 1.Une monnaie ayant un cours légal dit FIAT (Dollars, Euro, Ariary,); 2.L’achat d’un bien ou d’un service (exemple : paiement d’une consultation fiscale en actif numérique).

Quelle fiscalité pour les airdrops ?

La manière dont les cryptomonnaies sont imposées dans la plupart des pays signifie que les investisseurs peuvent toujours être tenus de payer des impôts, qu'ils aient réalisé un bénéfice ou subi une perte globale. En fonction de votre situation, les impôts sont généralement réalisés au moment de la transaction, et non sur la position globale à la fin de l'exercice financier.

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.