Dispelling The Myths Around Cryptocurrency & Tax

The popularity of the digital currency known as crypto often leads to many questions when it comes to tax time. However, it’s encouraged that you speak with your accountant about your obligations as soon as possible to be prepared for what you are expected to do.

Cryptocurrency isn’t a foreign currency, despite the name. That’s a myth that the ATO has spent considerable time dispelling, as taxpayers fail to understand the taxable consequences. The ATO classifies cryptocurrencies as property, specifically as capital gains assets.

This means that it is taxed under Capital Gains Tax provisions, where a taxpayer makes a capital gain from the disposal of cryptocurrency if the proceeds/profit exceeds what the cryptocurrency initially cost the taxpayer. It must be reported in their assessable income.

If the taxpayer does not make a profit and receives a loss for the sale, they will need to report that in their assessable income. There is a commonly held belief that the gains from cryptocurrency if the costs for acquiring the asset were less than $10,000 are tax-free. This is not the case.

In very limited circumstances, a cryptocurrency gain of less than $10,000 may be classified as a personal-use asset rather than a capital gains asset. This exemption is usually determined by the Australian Taxation Office’s private rulings according to strict criteria.

Any income derived from the sale or purchase of Bitcoin as an exchange service must be included in the assessable income reported in the tax return lodged at the end of the financial year.

Record-Keeping

The best way to ensure that all potential assessable income results from the return is to maintain immaculate records. You will need to ensure that a record is kept of:

  • The date of each transaction
  • The amount in Australian dollars at the time of the transaction (which can be taken from a reputable online exchange)
  • Details of the transaction
  • Any associated expenses, like fees and commissions, and
  • Details of the other party (the bitcoin public address is enough).

If you have been involved in the acquisition or selling of bitcoin, and want to be sure that you’re prepared for next year’s tax return, start a conversation with us about your obligations and potential tax liabilities sooner rather than later.

If the circumstances around your tax liability change, it will put us in a better position to assist you.