CoinTracker assigns each transaction a tax treatment based on its category, following Australian Taxation Office (ATO) rules. Most disposals of crypto — including crypto-to-crypto trades — are taxable capital gains tax (CGT) events, while buying crypto with fiat and transferring between your own wallets are not. Consult a tax professional for advice on your situation.
Which common transactions are taxable in Australia?
Australia treats a disposal of crypto as a CGT event, so selling, trading, and sending are taxable, while buying with fiat and moving crypto between your own wallets are not.
| Category | Taxable or non-taxable |
|---|---|
| Buy | Non-taxable |
| Sell | Taxable |
| Trade | Taxable |
| Send | Taxable |
| Receive | Non-taxable |
| Transfer | Non-taxable |
A crypto-to-crypto trade is a taxable CGT event in Australia, even though no fiat is involved. The capital gain or loss is calculated on the crypto you give up.
How are other transaction categories taxed in Australia?
The table below shows how CoinTracker categorizes each type.
| Category | Taxable or non-taxable | Relevant transaction types |
|---|---|---|
| Staking reward | Taxable | Receive |
| Interest | Taxable | Receive |
| Airdrop | Taxable | Receive |
| Payment | Taxable | Receive |
| Royalty | Taxable | Receive |
| Other income | Taxable | Receive |
| Mint | Taxable | Receive |
| Mining reward | Non-taxable | Receive |
| Fork | Non-taxable | Receive |
| Gift (received) | Non-taxable | Receive |
| Rebate | Non-taxable | Receive |
| Borrow | Non-taxable | Receive |
| Gift (sent) | Taxable | Send |
| Donation | Taxable | Send |
| Service | Taxable | Send |
| Loan repayment | Taxable | Send, Trade |
| Lost | Taxable | Send |
| Stolen | Taxable | Send |
| Wrap | Taxable | Trade |
| Unwrap | Taxable | Trade |
| Add liquidity | Taxable | Trade |
| Remove liquidity | Taxable | Trade |
| Stake | Liquid: Taxable, Illiquid: Non-taxable | Liquid: Trade, Illiquid: Send |
| Unstake | Liquid: Taxable, Illiquid: Non-taxable | Liquid: Trade, Illiquid: Receive |
| Lending deposit | Trade: Taxable, Send: Non-taxable | Trade, Send |
| Lending withdrawal | Trade: Taxable, Receive: Non-taxable | Trade, Receive |
| Margin | Taxable | Buy, Sell, Trade |
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Gift and Donations: Sending crypto as a gift or donation is a taxable disposal in Australia. You must calculate any capital gain or loss using the crypto’s market value at the time of transfer, even if you receive nothing in return.
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Airdrops: Airdrops are generally considered ordinary income at the time of receipt. Initial token allocation airdrops are not considered taxable upon receipt. Edit the cost basis to $0 if your airdrop qualifies as an initial token allocation airdrop.
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Mining: Hobby-mining rewards are not taxable on receipt; if you mine as a business, the rewards are trading stock and subject to business income and trading-stock rules, which our reports does not calculate.
- Lost or stolen crypto: We treat a lost or stolen crypto asset as a taxable disposition with zero proceeds. You may claim the resulting capital loss only if you can show ownership and the asset cannot be recovered or replaced.
Disclaimer: CoinTracker is provided for informational purposes and is not intended as tax, audit, accounting, investment, financial, or legal advice. For financial, tax, or legal advice, please consult your own professional. See our full disclaimer.