Tax & regulation

In short · 5 points

1. 01If you sell privately held bitcoin after more than one year, the gain is tax-free – however large it is.
2. 02Within that period there is an exemption limit: if your total gain for the year is below €1,000, it stays tax-free. From €1,000 upwards, the entire gain is taxable.
3. 03Every purchase has its own holding period. Which bitcoin count as sold is decided, if in doubt, by FIFO per wallet.
4. 04Swapping and paying with bitcoin are disposals too. Transfers between your own wallets are not.
5. 05General information, not tax advice. As of September 2026 – a reform is planned but has not been passed.

In short · 4 points

1. 01For every sale, the amount, acquisition costs, proceeds, purchase and sale dates, prices and holding period should be traceable. The blockchain doesn’t provide this – you document it yourself.
2. 02With platforms run by foreign operators you have an extended duty to cooperate: if data is missing after an insolvency or a hack, that counts against you. So download exports regularly.
3. 03The BMF’s grace period only covered tax years up to 2024. Since 2025 the requirements apply in full.
4. 04Tax tools take over the calculations, but they replace neither your own checks nor professional tax advice. For a handful of purchases, your own spreadsheet may be enough.

In short · 5 points

1. 01Austria: gains on bitcoin bought after 28 February 2021 are taxed at 27.5% – however long you hold them. The tax-free holding period only applies to old holdings.
2. 02Austrian providers deduct the capital gains tax (KESt) automatically. With foreign providers, you declare the gains yourself in your tax return.
3. 03Switzerland: private price gains are generally tax-free, losses are not deductible. In return, your bitcoin count towards your taxable wealth every year.
4. 04If you trade very actively or on credit in Switzerland, you may be classed as a professional trader and pay income tax on your gains.
5. 05What usually counts is your tax residence, not where the provider is based. General information, not tax advice (as of September 2026).

In short · 5 points

1. 01Giving bitcoin away is not a sale: you pay no income tax. The recipient takes over your purchase date – the holding period keeps running.
2. 02Gift or inheritance tax is only due above the allowance. It depends on how closely you are related: from €20,000 (e.g. friends, unmarried couples) to €500,000 (spouses).
3. 03What counts is the value in euros on the valuation date: for a gift, the day it is made; for an inheritance, usually the day of death.
4. 04Gifts from the same person within ten years are added together – earlier ones at their value at the time.
5. 05Gifts and inheritances must be reported to the tax office within three months, in principle even below the allowance. Not tax advice (as of September 2026).

In short · 4 points

1. 01Current law (as of 28 September 2026): in Germany, gains on privately held bitcoin are tax-free after more than one year. Nothing about that has changed.
2. 02According to analyses by law firms, a ministerial draft bill from the Federal Ministry of Finance proposes a 25% flat-rate withholding tax plus solidarity surcharge on crypto assets bought after 31 December 2026. The cabinet has not adopted it.
3. 03The Greens want to scrap the holding period for purchases from 2026 onwards. According to a Bild report, CDU/CSU finance politicians oppose abolishing it.
4. 04The cut-off date, tax rate and details may still change. You don’t need to do anything today because of the debate – documented purchase data helps under any rule.

In short · 4 points

1. 01Since 1 January 2026, crypto providers in the EU have been collecting customer and transaction data under the DAC8 directive. In Germany, this is governed by the Crypto-Asset Tax Transparency Act (KStTG).
2. 02What is reported: your identity with your tax ID and, for each crypto asset, annual totals of purchases, sales, swaps and transfers – including withdrawals to your own wallet.
3. 03The first report for 2026 is due by 31 July 2027. Germany’s Federal Central Tax Office passes the data on to your local tax office.
4. 04DAC8 is not a new tax. The report doesn’t show when you bought the bitcoin you sold – your own records remain decisive.

In short · 5 points

1. 01MiCA regulates the providers, not Bitcoin: any company that sells, holds or transfers bitcoin for customers in the EU has needed a licence since the transitional period ended on 1 July 2026.
2. 02You check the licence yourself in the ESMA register – by the company name from the legal notice, not the brand.
3. 03There is no deposit guarantee for bitcoin held with a provider. In Germany, under § 45 KMAG, crypto assets held in custody are deemed to belong to you and can be separated out in an insolvency – that can take time.
4. 04The Travel Rule explains why exchanges ask about your wallet. From 10 July 2027, the AMLR bans anonymous crypto accounts at providers – self-custody remains allowed.
5. 05We only list exchanges and buying apps with a MiCA licence, so not Binance (as of September 2026).

In short · 4 points

1. 01There are no EU-wide income tax rules. The country where you are tax-resident decides how your bitcoin gains are taxed – not where your exchange is based.
2. 02Approaches differ widely: tax-free after a holding period (e.g. Germany, Portugal, Czechia), flat rates (e.g. France, Italy, Poland), ordinary income (e.g. Denmark) or a tax on wealth instead of gains (e.g. the Netherlands, Switzerland).
3. 03Only reporting is harmonised: since 1 January 2026, crypto providers in the EU collect customer and transaction data for the tax authorities (DAC8).
4. 04For each country: the official tax authority and its approach in brief, as of September 2026. General information, not tax advice – check the official page before you act.