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A library of plain-English crypto-tax guides: IRS letters, forks and airdrops, mining, FBAR, wash sales, cost basis, and getting caught up. Written to inform, not to sell.

Featured guide · IRS letters

IRS letters 6173, 6174 & CP2000: what they mean and what to do next

The IRS already has your exchange data. Here's how these three letters differ, what each one is really asking, and the moves that matter in the first few weeks.

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At a glance
6173Needs a response. A statement or amended return is expected.
6174Educational. No reply required, but worth a review.
CP2000A proposed change to your tax. Respond by the date on the notice.
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The guides.

IRS letters Catching up DeFi & NFTs Cost basis
Reporting & forms
Form 1099-DA: what crypto investors need to know

A new IRS form, 1099-DA, starts arriving in early 2026. Here's who sends it, what it reports,…

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Working with a pro
When to hire a crypto tax accountant, and what it costs

Signs your crypto taxes need a pro, what a crypto accountant actually does, rough price ranges,…

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Losses & planning
Crypto tax-loss harvesting, explained

How selling crypto at a loss cuts your tax bill: offsetting gains, the $3,000 rule,…

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Exchanges & the IRS
Does Coinbase report to the IRS?

Yes, Coinbase reports to the IRS. Here's what it sends, how Form 1099-DA changes things for…

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Exchanges & the IRS
How to find and read your Coinbase tax documents

Where Coinbase keeps your tax forms, how the gain/loss report differs from a 1099, why…

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Losses & planning
How to legally lower your crypto tax bill

Legal ways to cut what you owe on crypto: holding past a year, harvesting losses, picking lots,…

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Losses & planning
Can you write off crypto losses on your taxes?

Yes, some crypto losses cut your tax bill. Here's how capital losses, the $3,000 rule, dead…

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Crypto tax basics
Crypto tax rates for 2026: what you'll actually pay

How crypto is taxed in 2026: short-term vs long-term rates, the 2026 income thresholds, the…

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NFTs & DeFi
How are NFTs taxed?

How NFTs are taxed in the US: buying with crypto is a disposal, selling is a capital gain,…

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NFTs & DeFi
How DeFi is taxed

How DeFi gets taxed in the US: DEX swaps count as sales, rewards are ordinary income, pool…

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Basics
Cryptocurrency Taxes 101: What to Know Come Tax Season

Crypto is property to the IRS, so most trades, sales, and purchases are taxable. Learn cost b…

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Basics
How Cryptocurrency Sales and Exchanges Affect Your Taxes

How crypto is taxed in the US: every sale, trade, or purchase can be a capital gain. Cost bas…

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Forks & airdrops
The IRS Has (Finally) Provided New Crypto Tax Guidance on Hard Forks and Airdrops

Revenue Ruling 2019-24 explains how hard forks and airdrops are taxed: no income if you recei…

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Wash sales
Wash Sales: What Every Bitcoin Investor Should Know

The wash sale rule blocks a loss deduction when you rebuy within 30 days. Here is why it stil…

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Basics
When are cryptocurrencies taxed?

Buying crypto isn't taxed; using it is. A plain guide to what triggers US tax, what stays tax…

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Basics
A quick guide to crypto taxes for people in a rush

Own crypto and filing in a hurry? The core US tax rules, what Form 1099-DA changes for 2025 a…

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Basics
How the IRS taxes cryptocurrency: an accounting guide

How the US taxes crypto: why it counts as property, which trades are taxable, how to figure g…

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Basics
Crypto capital gains: how they're taxed and what to track

How crypto capital gains are taxed in the US: which moves trigger a gain, short-term versus l…

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Offshore
FBAR and FinCEN Form 114 for Crypto: What to Report

FBAR and FinCEN Form 114 for crypto: when a foreign exchange account crosses the $10,000 mark…

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Mining
Crypto miners need to get ready for tax season

How the IRS taxes crypto mining in the US: income at the coin's value when you receive it, bu…

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Basics
Accounting for Cryptocurrency: A Bookkeeper's Guide

Bookkeeping for crypto clients in 2026: property treatment, taxable events, per-wallet cost b…

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Catching up
What to do if you forgot to report your taxable crypto trades on last year's return

Left crypto trades off an old tax return? How the IRS spots unreported trades, how far back i…

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IRS
Did you get a CP2000 notice from the IRS?

A CP2000 means the IRS matched crypto exchange data to your return and found a gap. What it i…

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IRS
IRS reminds crypto investors to report virtual currency income

The IRS has said it for years: crypto you sell, trade, or spend is taxable. What goes on your…

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1099s
What to do with your 1099-K from Coinbase

A 1099-K from Coinbase shows gross payment volume, not profit. Here is what the form reports,…

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Forks & airdrops
Properly Reporting Your Bitcoin Cash to the IRS

Received Bitcoin Cash from the 2017 fork? When those airdropped coins count as ordinary incom…

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Forks & airdrops
New Litecoin fork raises tax questions

A hard fork can drop new coins into your wallet without a purchase. Here's when the IRS treat…

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Forks & airdrops
Uncertainty Regarding Tax Treatment of Bitcoin Forks Raises Concerns Among Cryptocurrency Investors

Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Gold raised a tax question in 2018. Revenue Ruling 2019-24 answered…

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Guide
Cryptocurrency Loans: An Uncomfortable Gray Area of Tax Law

Borrowing cash against your crypto is usually tax-free, but lending it out or moving it into…

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Planning
Paying capital gains on a cup of coffee: how crypto taxes reach everyday purchases

Spend bitcoin on coffee and the IRS counts it as selling property. How crypto capital gains w…

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Planning
Paying taxes on Bitcoin gambling winnings

Crypto gambling winnings are taxable in the US, and betting with crypto can trigger a second…

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Planning
Can you save money on cryptocurrency taxes by incorporating?

The flat 21% corporate rate makes incorporating your crypto sound like a tax cut. Here is whe…

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Planning
Good Tax Planning Can Save Crypto Investors Big

Crypto is taxed as property, and most of the bill is set before you file. How basis, holding…

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Planning
3 Crypto Tax Loopholes and Why They Don't Work

Retirement accounts, life insurance, and 1031 like-kind swaps get pitched as ways to skip cry…

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Offshore
Moving your cryptocurrency overseas to avoid tax liability could cost you big

Moving crypto to a foreign exchange or offshore account won't erase your US tax. What worldwi…

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Planning
What's a Money Transmitter? Why Every Cryptocurrency User Should Know

Sending your own crypto isn't money transmission. What a transmitter license covers, who FinC…

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Catching up
What Happens If You Can't (or Don't) Pay Your Cryptocurrency Taxes

Owe crypto tax you can't pay, or thinking of not reporting it? What the IRS actually does, th…

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Planning
3 easy tax-planning tools for cryptocurrency investors

Three tools that keep crypto tax records straight in 2026: software that imports your trades,…

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Basics
Helpful online tools for cryptocurrency investors this tax season

Crypto tax software can turn a year of exchange and wallet activity into a filable Form 8949.…

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Basics
Frequently asked questions about cryptocurrency taxes

Plain answers on how US crypto taxes work in 2026: what the IRS taxes, getting paid in crypto…

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Basics
Top Ten Questions to Ask a Tax Expert About Your Cryptocurrency Investments

Ten questions that reveal whether a crypto-tax preparer has really done this before, from cos…

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Basics
What Every Informed Cryptocurrency Investor Needs to Know

How the IRS taxes cryptocurrency in the US: which moves are taxable, the records to keep, two…

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Basics
Crypto tax tips for US investors

Crypto tax tips for US investors: keep clean records, watch the one-year holding line, donate…

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Basics
Tips for Cryptocurrency Investors in a Tough Tax Year

How crypto is taxed in the US as of 2026: which transactions trigger tax, how capital gains a…

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Basics
Three common crypto tax mistakes to avoid

Three crypto tax mistakes that lead to IRS notices: not reporting purchases made with crypto,…

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Planning
Cryptocurrency is legal in the United States. But how?

Crypto is legal to own, sell, and spend in the US even though only Congress can coin money. H…

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IRS
Why is the IRS so interested in cryptocurrency anyway?

Crypto is property to the IRS, and exchanges now report your sales on Form 1099-DA. Why the a…

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IRS
Crypto has gone mainstream, and the IRS is taking notice

Crypto is mainstream now, and the IRS has the data to match. What changed since the 2019 lett…

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IRS
Watch Out Crypto Traders, the IRS Is Coming for You

The IRS mailed thousands of crypto letters and the proposed tax is often too high. Here is ho…

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IRS
IRS Forms New Crypto Tax Enforcement Division

The IRS built a dedicated crypto enforcement group in 2019 and now has broker 1099-DA data on…

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Guide
IRS gets data on 14,000 Coinbase accounts: how are your crypto investments affected?

A 2017 court order made Coinbase hand the IRS records on about 14,000 accounts. Here is what…

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Guide
The Coinbase IRS summons: what it disclosed

In 2018 an IRS summons forced Coinbase to disclose about 13,000 account records. Here's what…

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Guide
Investors beware: a LocalBitcoins trader ends up in federal court

A LocalBitcoins seller who ran cash-for-bitcoin trades pleaded guilty to unlicensed money tra…

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Guide
Facing a hard truth: crypto investors owed taxes for 2017

In 2017 the IRS made clear it wanted tax on crypto gains. Why every trade is a taxable event,…

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Guide
Should You Self-Prepare Your Own Crypto Tax Return?

A DIY tax app handles a W-2 fine. Crypto is where it misses cost basis, transfers, and income…

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Guide
Every Cryptocurrency Investor Needs a Tax Professional: Here's Why

Crypto is taxed as property, so trades and purchases can trigger a gain the software misses.…

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Guide
Smart Investors Leave Their Crypto Tax Prep Up to the Pros

The IRS treats nearly every crypto trade as a taxable event, and tax tools only estimate. Whe…

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Guide
Lots of Crypto Trades to Report? Popular Tax Preparation Software Isn't Up for the Task

A busy year of crypto trading can mean thousands of taxable events. Why consumer tax software…

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Guide
Tax software's bait and switch, and what it means for crypto filers

Consumer tax software has a long record of upsells and quiet downgrades. Here is that history…

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Guide
Tax Code Brings Silver Lining to Being Hacked

Had crypto stolen in a hack or scam? If you held it as an investment, a theft-loss deduction…

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