Crypto Tax Calculator — Capital Gains by Country

This calculator estimates the capital gains tax (CGT) you owe after selling cryptocurrency. It supports the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, and provides a generic 20% estimate for all other jurisdictions.

1. Buy Price — your cost basis per coin. This is the price you paid when you originally acquired the cryptocurrency.
2. Sell Price — the price per coin at which you sold (or plan to sell) your cryptocurrency.
3. Quantity — the number of coins or tokens sold in this transaction.
4. Country — select your tax jurisdiction. Each country has different CGT rates, exemptions, and holding-period rules.
5. Holding Period — choose whether you held the asset for less than 1 year (short-term) or 1 year or more (long-term). This is one of the most important factors in determining your tax rate — in many countries, long-term gains are taxed at significantly lower rates.
6. Annual Income — your total taxable income for the year. This is used to determine your tax bracket (especially relevant for US and UK taxpayers, where CGT rates depend on your income level).

The results show your capital gain, the applicable tax rate, the estimated tax owed, and your net profit after tax. If you have a capital loss, the calculator shows zero tax owed — losses may be used to offset gains in many jurisdictions (consult a tax professional).

The calculator applies this logic:

• Cost Basis = Buy Price × Quantity
• Sale Proceeds = Sell Price × Quantity
• Capital Gain = Sale Proceeds − Cost Basis
• Tax Owed = max(0, Capital Gain) × Tax Rate / 100
• Net Profit = Capital Gain − Tax Owed

Tax rates applied per jurisdiction:

• US short-term: ordinary income rates (10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 35%, or 37%) based on your income bracket.
• US long-term: 0% (income ≤ $47,025), 15% (≤ $518,900), or 20% (above $518,900) — 2024 single filer brackets.
• UK: 10% for basic rate taxpayers (income ≤ £50,270), 20% for higher rate taxpayers. The £3,000 annual CGT exempt amount is not deducted here for simplicity.
• Australia: 32.5% marginal rate; long-term gains (held > 12 months) receive a 50% discount, reducing effective rate to 16.25%.
• Canada: 50% inclusion rate × 33% marginal rate = effective 16.5% rate on both short- and long-term gains.
• Germany: 0% for crypto held > 1 year (complete tax exemption); 26.375% flat rate (Abgeltungsteuer + solidarity surcharge) for short-term gains.
• Other: flat 20% estimate.

Note: This calculator uses simplified, approximate rates. It does not account for annual exemptions (e.g., UK £3,000 allowance), state taxes (e.g., US state-level CGT), deductible trading fees, or tax-loss harvesting across multiple trades.

Example 1 — US Investor, Long-Term BTC Gain

A US investor with $75,000 annual income buys 1 BTC at $20,000 and sells at $50,000 after 13 months:

• Capital Gain: $30,000
• Holding Period: Long-term (> 1 year)
• Tax Rate: 15% (income in $47,026–$518,900 range)
• Tax Owed: $4,500
• Net Profit After Tax: $25,500

Had the same investor sold after only 11 months (short-term), the tax rate would jump to 22%, costing $6,600 in tax — an extra $2,100 compared to waiting just two more months. This is why holding period planning is critical.

Example 2 — German Investor, Tax-Free Long-Term Gain

A German investor buys 2 ETH at $1,500 and sells at $3,800 after 14 months:

• Capital Gain: $4,600
• Holding Period: Long-term (> 1 year)
• Tax Rate: 0% — completely tax-free under German law
• Net Profit: $4,600

Germany has one of the most favourable crypto tax regimes for long-term holders. Private individuals pay zero tax on crypto sold after holding for more than 12 months, provided the annual gain is above the staking/lending threshold. Short-term gains are taxed at a steep 26.375% flat rate.

Example 3 — Australian Investor with CGT Discount

An Australian investor buys 3 ETH at $2,000 and sells at $3,500 after 18 months:

• Capital Gain: $4,500
• Marginal Tax Rate: 32.5%
• 50% CGT Discount Applied (held > 12 months): Effective rate 16.25%
• Tax Owed: $731.25
• Net Profit After Tax: $3,768.75

The Australian 50% CGT discount for long-term assets is a significant benefit. Without it, the tax would be $1,462.50 — exactly double. This discount applies to individuals and trusts but not companies.

Capital Loss Strategy (Tax-Loss Harvesting)

If your capital gain this year is $10,000 but you also have an unrealised loss of $4,000 on another coin, you could sell the losing position to realise the loss and offset your net gain to $6,000 — reducing your tax bill accordingly. In the US, this strategy is called tax-loss harvesting. Unlike equities (where the wash-sale rule restricts this), the IRS has not yet formally applied wash-sale rules to cryptocurrency (as of 2025), though this may change with future legislation.