- Crypto is taxed as property. You owe tax on the gain: what you sold for minus what you paid, including fees.
- Held 1 year or less: the gain is taxed like wages, at 10% to 37%.
- Held more than 1 year: the gain is taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20%, plus 3.8% NIIT for high earners.
- Your state may add 0% to 13.3%, depending on where you live.
Calculate Your Crypto Capital Gains Tax (2026)
Enter what you paid, what you sold for, how long you held it, and your income. The calculator estimates your federal capital gains tax with 2026 brackets and shows how your state adds to it.
Example
Bought crypto for $5,000 and sold it for $8,000 after holding it more than a year. Single filer, $60,000 income: $3,000 long-term gain, estimated federal tax about $0 because the whole gain falls in the 0% long-term bracket (2026 brackets).
Enter your own numbers and press "Calculate my crypto tax". Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Estimate only. Not tax advice.
How the Crypto Tax Calculator Works
The calculator follows the same steps the IRS uses for any capital asset:
- Gain or loss. Sale price (after fees) minus cost basis (purchase price plus fees).
- Holding period. More than one year is long-term. One year or less is short-term.
- Taxable income. Your income before the sale, minus the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly).
- Federal tax. A short-term gain is added on top of your income and taxed at your ordinary rates. A long-term gain stacks on top of your income and is taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on where it lands.
- Net investment income tax. If your income plus the gain goes over $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly), 3.8% is added on the part above that line.
- State tax. The calculator applies flat-rate states directly and shows the rate range for graduated-rate states such as California, New York, and New Jersey.
Because income is rarely exact, the federal result is shown as a range covering your income plus or minus 10%. The calculator assumes the standard deduction and no other capital gains or losses that year. If you itemize, have several trades, or have other investment income, treat the result as a starting point.
2026 Crypto Tax Rates (Federal)
These are the brackets the IRS published for tax year 2026, the return you file by April 15, 2027. The thresholds apply to taxable income, which is income after the standard deduction.
Short-term crypto gains: ordinary income rates
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | Up to $12,400 | Up to $24,800 |
| 12% | $12,401 – $50,400 | $24,801 – $100,800 |
| 22% | $50,401 – $105,700 | $100,801 – $211,400 |
| 24% | $105,701 – $201,775 | $211,401 – $403,550 |
| 32% | $201,776 – $256,225 | $403,551 – $512,450 |
| 35% | $256,226 – $640,600 | $512,451 – $768,700 |
| 37% | Over $640,600 | Over $768,700 |
Long-term crypto gains: capital gains rates
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | Up to $49,450 | Up to $98,900 |
| 15% | $49,451 – $545,500 | $98,901 – $613,700 |
| 20% | Over $545,500 | Over $613,700 |
Net investment income tax: an extra 3.8% applies when modified adjusted gross income is over $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). These thresholds aren't adjusted for inflation.
Crypto Tax Examples (2026)
Each example assumes the standard deduction and no other gains or losses. Enter the same numbers in the calculator above and each figure falls inside the range it shows. The range is wider because it allows for your income being up to 10% higher or lower.
| Situation | Gain | Federal tax |
|---|---|---|
| Single, $60,000 income, sold Bitcoin held 8 months | $5,000 short-term | $600 (all at 12%) |
| Same sale, but held 14 months | $5,000 long-term | $0 (fits in the 0% bracket) |
| Single, $120,000 income, held 6 months | $20,000 short-term | $4,764 (22% and 24%) |
| Same sale, but held 2 years | $20,000 long-term | $3,000 (15%) |
| Single, $40,000 income, held 3 years | $100,000 long-term | $11,167.50 ($25,550 at 0%, the rest at 15%) |
| Married, $250,000 income, held 2 years | $50,000 long-term | $9,400 ($7,500 at 15% + $1,900 NIIT) |
Two patterns stand out. First, holding for more than a year can cut the tax sharply: $4,764 versus $3,000 on the same $20,000 gain. Second, a long-term gain is stacked on top of your other income. In the $100,000 example, the first $25,550 of gain fills up the rest of the 0% bracket ($49,450 minus $23,900 of taxable income), and only the remainder is taxed at 15%.
State tax on the $20,000 long-term gain: $0 in Texas or Florida, about $614 in Pennsylvania (3.07%), $990 in Illinois (4.95%), and $1,000 in Massachusetts (5%). California taxes it as ordinary income at up to 13.3%.
How to Calculate Crypto Taxes Yourself
- List every sale, swap, and purchase paid in crypto for the year. Your Form 1099-DA from each broker is a good starting point, but it may not include DeFi swaps or transfers from other wallets.
- Find the cost basis of the coins you disposed of: what you paid, plus fees. From 2025, basis is tracked separately for each wallet or account, so you can't mix coins between them when picking a basis.
- Subtract basis from proceeds to get the gain or loss on each sale.
- Split short-term from long-term by the holding period of the coins sold.
- Net them. Losses offset gains. If you end up with a net loss, up to $3,000 ($1,500 if married filing separately) can reduce other income, and the rest carries forward.
- Apply the rates from the tables above, or enter the totals in the calculator.
With more than a handful of trades, crypto tax software that imports your exchange history is usually faster and less error-prone than a spreadsheet.
Crypto Tax by State
Federal tax applies everywhere. Your state may add nothing, a flat rate, or graduated rates. Pick your state in the calculator, or see the full guide:
| State | Tax on crypto gains |
|---|---|
| Texas, Florida | No state income tax |
| Washington | 7% on long-term gains above $278,000 (2025 deduction; 2026 not yet published), plus 2.9% over $1 million; short-term gains aren't taxed |
| Arizona | Flat 2.5%; 25% of net long-term gains can be subtracted |
| Ohio | Flat 2.75% on income over $26,050 (2026) |
| Pennsylvania | Flat 3.07% |
| North Carolina | Flat 3.99% (2026) |
| Colorado | Flat 4.4% (2026) |
| Illinois | Flat 4.95% |
| Georgia | Flat 4.99% (2026) |
| Massachusetts | 8.5% short-term, 5% long-term, plus a 4% surtax on income over $1,107,750 |
| New Jersey | 1.4% – 10.75% |
| New York | 4% – 10.9%, plus New York City tax if you live there |
| California | 1% – 13.3%, no long-term discount |
Other states: see crypto taxes by state. Alaska, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming also have no state tax on capital gains.
What Counts as a Taxable Crypto Event
- Taxable: selling crypto for dollars, swapping one coin for another (including stablecoins), and paying for goods or services with crypto. Each one is a sale for tax purposes.
- Taxable as income: staking and mining rewards, airdrops, and crypto paid as wages, at their fair market value when you receive them. See how staking rewards are taxed.
- Not taxable: buying crypto with dollars, holding it, and moving it between your own wallets or accounts.
Legal Ways to Lower Your Crypto Tax
- Hold for more than a year. Long-term rates are much lower, and many people with moderate incomes pay 0%.
- Harvest losses. Selling coins that are down locks in a loss that offsets gains. Under current IRS rules, the wash sale rule applies to stocks and securities, not crypto held as property. A bill approved by the House Ways and Means Committee in September 2026 (H.R. 10357) would change that; see the crypto wash sale rule.
- Choose which coins you sell. If your records identify specific lots, selling the coins with the highest basis first can lower the gain.
- Time sales across tax years. Splitting a large sale between December and January can keep more of the gain in lower brackets.
- Donate appreciated crypto. Giving coins held more than a year to a qualified charity generally avoids the capital gains tax, and you may be able to deduct the value if you itemize.
How to Report Crypto on Your Tax Return
Each sale goes on Form 8949, and the totals carry to Schedule D of Form 1040. You also answer "Yes" to the digital asset question on page 1 of Form 1040 if you sold, swapped, or received crypto. Brokers report sales to you and the IRS on Form 1099-DA, so your return should match it. Our Form 8949 walkthrough covers each step, and Does the IRS know about your crypto? explains what the IRS already sees.
This calculator is for education only and isn't tax advice. It doesn't cover itemized deductions, other capital gains or losses, the alternative minimum tax, or local taxes. For a large or complex sale, check your figures with a CPA or enrolled agent.
Crypto Tax Calculator FAQ
How much tax do I pay on crypto?
It depends on how long you held it and your income. For 2026, short-term gains (held a year or less) are taxed at 10% to 37%, and long-term gains at 0%, 15%, or 20%, plus 3.8% NIIT for high earners. Your state may add 0% to 13.3%.
How is crypto tax calculated?
Subtract your cost basis (what you paid plus fees) from what you sold for. The difference is your gain or loss. Then apply short-term or long-term rates based on how long you held the coins and your taxable income.
Do I pay taxes on crypto if I don't sell?
No. Buying and holding crypto isn't taxable, and neither is moving it between your own wallets. Tax is due when you sell, swap, or spend it, or when you receive crypto as income, such as staking rewards.
Is there a minimum amount of crypto gains I don't have to report?
No. There's no minimum for reporting crypto gains. Every taxable sale or swap belongs on Form 8949, even if you didn't get a Form 1099-DA. A long-term gain may still be taxed at 0% if your income is low enough.
Are crypto-to-crypto trades taxed?
Yes. Swapping one coin for another, including for a stablecoin, is treated as selling the first coin at its fair market value. You owe tax on any gain at that moment, even though you never received dollars.
Can crypto losses reduce my taxes?
Yes. Losses offset capital gains first. If losses are larger, up to $3,000 a year ($1,500 if married filing separately) can reduce other income, and the unused amount carries forward to future years.
Is this crypto tax calculator free?
Yes. It's free, needs no account, and runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter aren't sent anywhere. It gives an estimate for one sale and isn't a substitute for tax software or a tax professional.
How accurate is this crypto tax estimate?
It uses the official 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and NIIT thresholds, so it's close for a simple case. It doesn't know about your other gains, deductions, or credits, which is why the federal result is shown as a range.
Sources
Written by Asad Shaikh
Founder of StartCryptoNow. Nine years researching, trading, and teaching crypto; BSCS from Virtual University of Pakistan. Every tax figure is checked against IRS and state revenue publications. Our editorial policy.