Australian Crypto Tax 2025-2026: The CoinJar Crypto Exchange Overview

Crypto tax in Australia is fun isn’t it! Whether you've sold Bitcoin, explored DeFi, or earned through staking rewards, the tax man wants to have a chat. Any cryptocurrency activities you have indulged in during the 2025-2026 financial year will probably need to be reported to the Australian Tax Office (ATO).

This means you need to fess up to any digital asset transactions including sales, swaps, mining rewards, staking income, and crypto gifts.

Your tax obligations apply regardless of where these transactions occurred. This is whether it was through Australian exchanges, international platforms, or decentralised protocols. The ATO's reach extends globally for Australian tax residents.

Of course, this information is general in nature and is not financial or legal advice. For personalised guidance, consult qualified tax professionals or financial advisors.

Determining your tax classification: Investor vs Trader

Your tax treatment depends on whether the ATO classifies you as an investor or trader. This is a distinction that significantly impacts your obligations.

Cryptocurrency Investor

Most Australians fall into this category. As an investor, you're acquiring cryptocurrency primarily for:

-Long-term capital appreciation

-Passive income through staking or lending

-Portfolio diversification.

Investors are subject to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on their transactions, with potential access to the 50% CGT discount for assets held over 12 months.

Cryptocurrency Trader

Traders operate cryptocurrency activities as a business. If so you are:

-Regularly buying and selling for short-term profits

-There is substantial time commitment to trading activities

-You do business-like trading plan and record keeping and analysis

Traders report profits as ordinary business income rather than capital gains, missing out on CGT discounts but gaining access to business deductions.

Classification isn't solely based on transaction frequency. The ATO considers your intention, approach, and overall circumstances.

Capital Gains Tax fundamentals

The ATO treats cryptocurrency as property, similar to shares or real estate. This means every disposal triggers a potential CGT event, including:

Selling crypto for Australian dollars

Trading one cryptocurrency for another

Using crypto to purchase goods or services

Gifting cryptocurrency to others

Importantly, simply buying and holding cryptocurrency doesn't create tax obligations. CGT only applies when you dispose of your assets.

Calculating Capital Gains

Your capital gain equals the disposal proceeds minus your cost base (original purchase price plus associated costs like exchange fees).

Example: Purchase some Bitcoin for $8,000, sell for $12,000 = $4,000 capital gain.

Managing Capital Losses

When your cryptocurrency decreases in value between purchase and sale, you've incurred a capital loss. For instance, purchasing Bitcoin at $8,000 and selling for $5,000 creates a $3,000 capital loss.

Capital losses provide valuable tax benefits by offsetting capital gains in the current year or future years. If you generate a $6,000 capital gain alongside a $2,500 capital loss, your net taxable gain reduces to $3,500.

Capital losses can be carried forward indefinitely without expiration, but must be applied against future gains when they occur. Importantly, these losses cannot reduce your employment or business income.

Net capital gains calculation

The ATO treats all asset types equally: Cryptocurrency, shares, and property gains combine into your total capital position.

Calculation Method:

Total Capital Gains - Total Capital Losses (including previous years) × CGT Discount (if applicable) = Net Capital Gains

Resident Tax Rates

2023 - 2024

Taxable income	Tax on this income
Up to $18,200	Nil
$18,201 - $45,000	19c for each $1 over $18,200
$45,001 - $120,000	$5,092 plus 32.5c for each $1 over $45,000
$120,001 - $180,000	$29,467 plus 37c for each $1 over $120,000
$180,001 and over	$51,667 plus 45c for each $1 over $180,000

2024 - 2025

Taxable income	Tax on this income
Up to $18,200	Nil
$18,201 - $45,000	16c for each $1 over $18,200
$45,001 - $135,000	$4,288 plus 30c for each $1 over $45,000
$135,001 - $190,000	$31,288 plus 37c for each $1 over $135,000
$190,001 and over	$51,638 plus 45c for each $1 over $190,000

2025 - 2026

Taxable income	Tax on this income
Up to $18,200	Nil
$18,201 - $45,000	16c for each $1 over $18,200
$45,001 - $135,000	$4,288 plus 30c for each $1 over $45,000
$135,001 - $190,000	$31,288 plus 37c for each $1 over $135,000
$190,001 and over	$51,638 plus 45c for each $1 over $190,000

2026 - 2027

Taxable income	Tax on this income
Up to $18,200	Nil
$18,201 - $45,000	15c for each $1 over $18,200
$45,001 - $135,000	$4,020 plus 30c for each $1 over $45,000
$135,001 - $190,000	$31,020 plus 37c for each $1 over $135,000
$190,001 and over	$51,370 plus 45c for each $1 over $190,000

Cryptocurrency wallet transfers

Transferring digital assets between your own wallets, whether personal wallets or exchange accounts, doesn't trigger CGT events. However, maintaining detailed transfer records remains crucial for accurate tax software calculations.

Personal Use Asset Exemption

Small cryptocurrency purchases (under $10,000) used quickly for personal items may qualify as "personal use assets," potentially exempting gains from CGT. This complex area requires careful consideration. Consult the ATO's guidance for specific circumstances.

Tax Return Lodgment

Australia's tax year spans July 1 to June 30. Your return must include all cryptocurrency transactions within this period.

Self-lodged returns require completion by October 31. Using a registered tax agent extends your deadline to March 31 of the following year.

Although major exchanges provide downloadable transaction histories, consolidating multiple wallets and currencies into ATO-compliant reports remains complex.

Crypto Tax Software

We provide comprehensive transaction summaries for easy CGT tracking and integrate with leading crypto tax platforms including Summ, Koinly, Syla, KoinX, CoinLedger, CoinTracker, and Coinpanda.

These applications track transactions across all platforms in real-time. At financial year-end, they generate comprehensive reports showing capital gains and losses in Australian dollars, simplifying tax compliance while monitoring portfolio performance.

CoinJar maintains secure integrations with Summ, Koinly, Syla, KoinX, CoinLedger, CoinTracker and Coinpanda. Your CoinJar transactions automatically sync to your chosen platform, eliminating manual data entry.

Disclaimer: Third-party tax software operates independently from CoinJar. Usage requires acceptance of their respective terms, conditions, and privacy policies, which may differ from CoinJar's policies. Review all terms before proceeding. CoinJar disclaims responsibility for third-party website content unless specifically noted.

Current testing phase: Accointing and Crypto.com Tax remain under evaluation. CoinJar cannot verify calculation accuracy despite platform integration.

We've contacted these providers regarding identified inaccuracies and await resolution timelines.

Exclusive CoinJar customer benefits

Syla

Syla delivers Australia-specific crypto tax solutions from qualified tax professionals. Generate tax-optimised ATO reports designed for Australian investors.

CoinJar customer code: COINJARSAVE provides 30% off first-year subscriptions. No expiration, available year-round.

CoinTracker

New customers save 10% on all subscriptions. Valid until April 5, 2026. Activate offer here.

Notice: Customer feedback indicates Blockpit / Accointing and Crypto.com Tax currently generate inaccurate reports for CoinJar accounts.

Important disclaimers

External websites operate independently. CoinJar Australia Pty Ltd provides no warranty regarding tax calculation accuracy from any application. Users bear full responsibility for evaluating information usefulness and accuracy. CoinJar expressly disclaims liability for calculation errors or omissions.

Understanding FIFO vs HIFO methodology changes

Switching calculation methods between financial years may produce inaccurate results in some tax software. Changing between HIFO and FIFO mid-year for identical assets is typically prohibited. See more about this here.