Crypto Tax Calculator
Estimate your capital gain and the federal tax you owe on a crypto sale. Enter your numbers below โ results update live.
Updated July 2026 ยท 2025 & 2026 IRS brackets ยท Educational only, not tax advice
Capital gain
$4,000.00
Classification
Long-term
Est. federal tax
$600.00
Effective rate
15%
Long-term gain of $4,000.00, taxed at the 0/15/20% long-term rates โ $600.00 estimated federal tax (15% effective).
This is an estimate for educational purposes only, not tax or filing advice. Consult a tax professional. Federal only โ excludes state tax and the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax.
Got your number? Here is how to report it.
Every crypto disposal goes on IRS Form 8949 and flows to Schedule D.
Read the Form 8949 guide โHow much crypto tax will you owe?
This crypto tax calculator estimates your federal capital gains tax from three inputs: what you paid (cost basis), what you sold for (proceeds), and your other taxable income. Your gain is simply proceeds minus cost basis. If you held the coin one year or less, that gain is short-term and taxed at your ordinary income rate; if you held it more than a year, it is long-term and taxed at the lower 0%, 15%, or 20% rates. The tool stacks your gain on top of your income to find the right rate โ the same method the IRS uses.
This is an estimate for educational purposes only, not tax or filing advice, and it is federal-only. It excludes state tax and the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax. Because your crypto taxes affect real money owed to the IRS, confirm the final figure with tax software or a professional before you file.
How crypto capital gains tax works
The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, not currency (Notice 2014-21). That single rule drives everything: when you sell, swap one token for another, or spend crypto, you have a taxable disposal. You compare the fair market value you received (proceeds) to what you originally paid (cost basis). A positive difference is a capital gain; a negative one is a capital loss.
The tax rate depends on your holding period. Held for one year or less, the gain is short-term and is added to your ordinary income, taxed at your marginal rate up to 37%. Held for more than a year, the gain is long-term and qualifies for the preferential rates of 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on your total taxable income. That gap is why long-term holders often owe far less on the same profit.
The bracket figures in this tool are the official IRS amounts for the 2025 tax year (Rev. Proc. 2024-40) and the 2026 tax year (Rev. Proc. 2025-32). NFTs the IRS treats as collectibles (Notice 2023-27) can be taxed at a long-term rate as high as 28%, which the calculator models when you pick the collectible asset type.
Short-term vs long-term crypto tax
The one-year line is the single biggest lever on your crypto tax bill. Here is how the two treatments compare.
| Short-term | Long-term | |
|---|---|---|
| Holding period | 1 year or less | More than 1 year |
| Tax rate | Ordinary income, 10%โ37% | 0%, 15%, or 20% |
| Depends on | Your marginal bracket | Total taxable income |
| Collectible NFT | Ordinary income | Capped at 28% |
How to use this calculator
- 1Enter your cost basis โ the total US-dollar amount you paid for the crypto, including fees.
- 2Enter your proceeds โ the US-dollar value you received when you sold, swapped, or spent it.
- 3Set the acquired and disposed dates; the tool derives short-term vs long-term (365 days or less is short-term). Use the toggle to override the classification manually.
- 4Choose your filing status, tax year (2025 or 2026), and enter your other taxable income excluding this gain.
- 5Pick the asset type โ standard crypto or a collectible NFT โ and read the live estimate: your gain, classification, federal tax, and effective rate.
What this calculator does not include
This is a single-disposal federal estimate. It does not calculate state income tax, which varies by state, or the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax that can apply to higher earners. It also assumes one lot with a known cost basis โ it does not run multi-lot accounting methods like FIFO or specific identification across many buys and sells, and it does not import exchange transactions.
For the actual reporting mechanics โ matching each disposal to its cost basis and totaling everything on the right forms โ see the crypto Form 8949 guide. To lower a future bill by realizing losses on purpose, read about crypto tax-loss harvesting, and browse the free crypto tax tools roundup or the full crypto tax hub.
Frequently asked questions
How is crypto taxed in the US?
The IRS treats crypto as property (Notice 2014-21), so selling, swapping, or spending it is a taxable disposal. You owe capital gains tax on the difference between your proceeds and your cost basis. Held one year or less, the gain is short-term and taxed at your ordinary income rate; held more than a year, it is long-term and taxed at the lower 0%, 15%, or 20% rates.
Is this crypto tax calculator accurate?
It uses the official IRS ordinary-income brackets and long-term capital-gains thresholds for the 2025 tax year (Rev. Proc. 2024-40) and 2026 tax year (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), and it stacks your gain on top of your other income the way the IRS does. It is a solid estimate, but it is federal-only and covers a single disposal โ it is not a substitute for tax software or a professional filing.
What is the difference between short-term and long-term crypto gains?
Short-term means you held the asset for one year (365 days) or less; that gain is taxed as ordinary income at rates up to 37%. Long-term means you held it more than a year; that gain gets the preferential 0/15/20% rates. Holding a little longer to cross the one-year line can meaningfully cut your tax.
What if I sold crypto at a loss?
A capital loss offsets your capital gains first. If losses exceed gains, you can deduct up to $3,000 of the net loss against ordinary income each year (IRC ยง1211) and carry any remaining loss forward to future years. The calculator shows this note whenever your proceeds are below your cost basis.
Does this include state tax or the NIIT?
No. The estimate is federal capital gains tax only. It does not include state income tax (which varies widely by state) or the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax that can apply to higher earners. Add those separately when planning.
How are NFTs taxed differently?
An NFT the IRS treats as a collectible (see Notice 2023-27) can be taxed at a long-term rate as high as 28%, instead of the usual 0/15/20% cap. Choose 'Collectible NFT' as the asset type to model that 28% ceiling. Most ordinary crypto tokens use the standard rates.
Sources
Bracket data reflects the 2025 tax year (Rev. Proc. 2024-40) and 2026 tax year (Rev. Proc. 2025-32).
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