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2025-10-17

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
Oct 17
,
 
2025
 - 
10
min read

Big News: Crypto Tax Calculator has rebranded to Summ

Key takeaways
This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update  

Why Summ?

Summ comes from summation, which is defined as:

  1. the act or process of forming a sum
  2. sum, total
  3. cumulative action or effect
  4. a final part of an argument reviewing points made and expressing conclusions

It speaks to where we are and where we're going. Knowing the sum of all the parts is how smart decisions are made.

Summ is about adding clarity and subtracting doubt.

What changes?

Not a whole lot. You can now find us here, at summ.com. If you like, you can update your bookmarks. But don't worry, we've handled the redirects.

Your login credentials, your data and your reports all stay the same. So does your peace of mind.

Why rebrand?

When I launched Crypto Tax Calculator in 2018, I had a single mission: making light work of crypto tax for onchain transactions.

Truthfully, I didn't know what to call the business. Solving the pain and stress I had experienced first-hand, and had seen others experience, felt much more important than a catchy brand name. At the time, nobody was using Crypto Tax Calculator, so I went with that.

Fast forward to today, and the space looks a lot different; more people are starting to understand that they need to pay tax on their crypto.

As the space has developed, people have started to struggle to differentiate us from the other options in the market. We've even had copycats appear, which is a security concern.

In short, there are now a handful of crypto tax calculators on the market, but only one was the Crypto Tax Calculator.

As crypto has matured, so have we. We now have staff across four continents and offer our solution in over 180 countries. We're backed by global giants like Coinbase and Metamask, and beloved by individual investors and their accountants. We continue to double down on onchain support and regulatory rigour. I may be biased, but our users aren't. We're the best solution out there.

So, we needed to make it easy for people to find us. We needed to shift to a more identifiable brand.

To Summ it up, crypto has changed, and so must we. That's why we've become Summ.

Thanks for being with us on this ride. From day one until now, you have helped shape what we have built, and we could not be more excited for what comes next.

Shane Brunette

Co-Founder & CEO

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

16 October 2025

X

 Min read

Big News: Crypto Tax Calculator has rebranded to Summ

Shane Brunette

This tax guide is regularly updated: Last Update 

....

October

17

2025

Why Summ?

Summ comes from summation, which is defined as:

  1. the act or process of forming a sum
  2. sum, total
  3. cumulative action or effect
  4. a final part of an argument reviewing points made and expressing conclusions

It speaks to where we are and where we're going. Knowing the sum of all the parts is how smart decisions are made.

Summ is about adding clarity and subtracting doubt.

What changes?

Not a whole lot. You can now find us here, at summ.com. If you like, you can update your bookmarks. But don't worry, we've handled the redirects.

Your login credentials, your data and your reports all stay the same. So does your peace of mind.

Why rebrand?

When I launched Crypto Tax Calculator in 2018, I had a single mission: making light work of crypto tax for onchain transactions.

Truthfully, I didn't know what to call the business. Solving the pain and stress I had experienced first-hand, and had seen others experience, felt much more important than a catchy brand name. At the time, nobody was using Crypto Tax Calculator, so I went with that.

Fast forward to today, and the space looks a lot different; more people are starting to understand that they need to pay tax on their crypto.

As the space has developed, people have started to struggle to differentiate us from the other options in the market. We've even had copycats appear, which is a security concern.

In short, there are now a handful of crypto tax calculators on the market, but only one was the Crypto Tax Calculator.

As crypto has matured, so have we. We now have staff across four continents and offer our solution in over 180 countries. We're backed by global giants like Coinbase and Metamask, and beloved by individual investors and their accountants. We continue to double down on onchain support and regulatory rigour. I may be biased, but our users aren't. We're the best solution out there.

So, we needed to make it easy for people to find us. We needed to shift to a more identifiable brand.

To Summ it up, crypto has changed, and so must we. That's why we've become Summ.

Thanks for being with us on this ride. From day one until now, you have helped shape what we have built, and we could not be more excited for what comes next.

Shane Brunette

Co-Founder & CEO

Discover savings opportunities and lower your tax with Summ

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Frequently asked questions

How is crypto tax calculated in New Zealand?
I lost money trading cryptocurrency. Do I still pay tax?

The way cryptocurrencies are taxed in most countries mean that investors might still need to pay tax, regardless of whether they made an overall profit or loss. Depending on your circumstances, taxes are usually realized at the time of the transaction, and not on the overall position at the end of the financial year.

How do I calculate tax on crypto-to-crypto transactions?

In most countries you are required to record the value of the cryptocurrency in your local currency at the time of the transaction. This can be extremely time consuming to do by hand, since most exchange records do not have a reference price point, and records between exchanges are not easily compatible.

How can Summ help with crypto taxes?

You just need to import your transaction history and Summ (formerly Crypto Tax Calculator) will help you categorize your transactions and calculate realized profit and income. You can then generate the appropriate reports to send to your accountant and keep detailed records handy for audit purposes.

Can't I just get my accountant to do this for me?

We always recommend you work with your accountant to review your records. If you would like your accountant to help reconcile transactions, you can invite them to the product and collaborate within the Summ web app. We also have a complete accountant suite aimed at accountants.

Does Summ handle non-exchange activity?

Summ (formerly Crypto Tax Calculator) handles all non-exchange activity, such as onchain transactions like Airdrops, Staking, Mining, ICOs, and other DeFi activity. No matter what activity you have done in crypto, we have you covered with our easy to use categorization feature, similar to Expensify.

Do I have to pay for historical tax reports?

Our subscription pricing is per year not tax year, so with an annual subscription you can calculate your crypto taxes as far back as 2013. The process is the same, just upload your transaction history from these years and we can handle the rest.

Can I use my own accountant?

Yes, Summ 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.

How does payment work?

Summ has 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.

What if my exchange is not on the list of supported exchanges?

Summ covers thousands of exchanges, wallets, and blockchains, and DeFi apps, but if you do not see your exchange on the supported list we are more than happy to work with you to get it supported. Just reach out to [email protected] or via the in-app chat support feature and we will get you sorted.

Does Summ support NFT transactions?

We do! Summ integrates with many NFT marketplaces and offers categorization options for any NFT-related activity (minting, buying, selling, trading).

How does the free trial work?

Summ 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.