Exemption limit (€1,000 Freigrenze)

If you sell bitcoin at a gain within the one-year holding periodGlossaryHolding period (speculation period)In Germany, the gain from selling privately held bitcoin is tax-free if more than one year passes between purchase and sale (§ 23 EStG, as of September 2026). Each purchase has its own holding period.On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 3 – Bitcoin & tax →In the glossary →×, the gain stays tax-free as long as your total gain from all private disposal transactionsGlossaryPrivate disposal transaction (privates Veräußerungsgeschäft)A German tax term from § 23 EStG: if you sell or swap privately held bitcoin within one year of buying them, the gain is taxable – unless all such gains in that year together stay below the €1,000 exemption limit.On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 3 – Bitcoin & tax →In the glossary →× in the calendar year is below €1,000.^[1] Up to and including 2023, the limit was €600.^[2],[3]

All or nothing

An exemption limit is not an allowance: once you reach €1,000, the entire gain is taxable, at your personal income tax rate.^[1]

Total gain in the year	Taxable amount
€999.99	€0
€1,000	€1,000
€1,450	€1,450

What counts

• Gains and losses from all private disposal transactions in the year are netted – including, say, gold.^[1]
• Bitcoin you have held for more than a year don’t count.^[1]
• The calculation is in euros, even though this site shows prices in US dollars.^[2]
• Married couples assessed jointly each have their own exemption limit.^[3]
• Income from, for example, lending bitcoin has its own limit: less than €256 a year.^[4],[2]

A draft bill (Referentenentwurf) from the Federal Ministry of Finance would tax crypto-assets acquired after 31 December 2026 at a 25% flat-rate withholding tax; for those, the saver’s lump-sum allowance (Sparer-Pauschbetrag) would replace the exemption limit.^[5] This has not been adopted (as of September 2026); the reform tracker follows its progress. This entry is not tax advice.