The Definitive Guide to Cryptocurrency Taxation in the UK: All You Need to Know

Crypto Taxes in the United Kingdom

The £1,000 increase in value is considered a capital gain and could be subject to Capital Gains Tax. Trading one cryptocurrency for another, including stablecoins, is a taxable event in the UK. The ruling has been incorporated into the UK’s VAT legislation under Schedule 9 Group 5 of the VAT Act 1994. Essentially, this means that when you buy cryptocurrencies, you are not required to pay VAT on the actual coins or tokens. Calculating your gain typically involves finding the difference between what you paid for a crypto asset and what you sold it for.

[6] Press Release FCA, FCA bans the sale of crypto-derivatives to retail consumers, Financial Conduct Authority (June 10, 2020). Operations such as adding or removing liquidity, staking, and receiving substantial sums from DeFi protocols are considered disposals and are therefore subject https://www.tokenexus.com/ to Capital Gains Tax. Miners will be subject to Income Tax on the coins mined, as well as Capital Gains Tax when they subsequently dispose of these coins. Because you’re not actually disposing of the asset, they’re more akin to transferring it from one location to another.

Frequently asked questions about UK crypto taxes

This information will be crucial for accurately reporting your gains or losses. Now, let’s delve into the process of filing a tax return and how to navigate the complexities of reporting your cryptocurrency transactions in order to stay compliant. Filing a tax return for cryptocurrency activities follows the same general process as filing for traditional investments or income.

According to the Autumn Statement the threshold for the additional rate is lowered from £150,000 to £125,140 from April 2023.

Do I pay tax when transferring crypto between my own accounts?

However, there’s an important twist when it comes to gifting crypto to your spouse or civil partner. For example, if you buy a laptop using Bitcoin, you won’t pay VAT on the Bitcoin, but you will pay the standard VAT on the laptop. There’s also a potential increase in the Inheritance Tax threshold if a home is left to children or grandchildren, known as the residence nil rate band (RNRB). Finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services.

Crypto Taxes in the United Kingdom

Because the asset exists even if the private key is lost, lost crypto is not considered a disposal for Capital Gains Tax purposes. So, if you misplace your private key, you cannot claim it as a capital loss. However, if you can demonstrate that there is no possibility of recovering your private key and regaining access to your asset, you can make a negligible value claim. If your claim is successful, you will be able to claim your lost cryptocurrency as a capital loss. You can carry forward your capital losses to the next fiscal year to offset against future gains if you’ve already offset enough capital losses to bring you back into the allowance amount.

Is mining crypto taxable?

HMRC has very specific guidance on what constitutes an allowable cost in cryptocurrency. These are costs that can be added to your cost basis; transfer fees are not included. As a result, we can safely assume that transfer fees cannot be added to your cost basis and, in some cases, would be considered disposals. To calculate your capital gain, take the cost base of the cryptocurrency you sold and subtract it from the fair market value of that asset on the day you traded it for another cryptocurrency.

Crypto Taxes in the United Kingdom

When the crypto is ultimately sold by the recipient of the gift, the proceeds of disposition is the FMV on this date. You bought 10 ETH for GBP 10,000 and then paid 5 ETH for some Crypto Taxes in the United Kingdom services. [13] HM Revenue & Customs, HMRC internal manual, Cryptoassets Manual, UK.gov (March 30, 2021); Coinfirm, UK Cryptocurrency Regulations, Coinfirm (January 11, 2021).