Bitcoin & tax in Austria and Switzerland: an overview

If you live in Vienna, you still pay tax on the price gain on bitcoin bought after February 2021, even years later. If you live in Zurich, you usually pay nothing on it – but your bitcoin count towards your taxable wealth every year. Below are the key differences, compared with Germany. If you live elsewhere, your own country’s rules apply: Bitcoin tax around Europe links to the official sources. General information, not tax advice (as of September 2026).

Three countries compared

	Germany	Austria	Switzerland
Sale at a gain (private)	Not taxable after more than one year; before that, taxable if all your private disposal gains in the year total €1,000 or more[11]	27.5%, regardless of holding period (bought after 28 Feb 2021)[1]	Generally a tax-free capital gain[4]
Swap for another crypto asset	Counts as a sale; the holding period starts again[11]	Tax-neutral; the acquisition cost carries over[1]	Like a sale – generally tax-free for private investors[4]
Paying with bitcoin	Counts as a sale[11]	Taxable like a sale[1]	Like a sale – generally tax-free for private investors[4]
Losses	see Germany article	Can be offset against other investment income[1]	Not deductible[4]
Gifts & inheritance	see Gifts & inheritance	Currently no inheritance or gift tax[3]	Up to the cantons; no federal tax[6]
Provider reporting to tax authorities	DAC8: data collected since 2026, first exchange by 30 Sep 2027[12]	Same as Germany (DAC8)[12]	From 2027 at the earliest[10]
Supervision of providers	MiCA; supervisor: BaFin[13]	MiCA; supervisor: FMA[13]	Anti-Money Laundering Act, usually via a self-regulatory organisation (SRO)[7],[8]

Which column applies to you usually depends on your tax residence – not on where your exchangeGlossaryExchange (crypto exchange)A trading platform where buyers and sellers trade bitcoin with each other via an order book. The price results from supply and demand; fees usually follow the maker-taker model.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 1 – Ways to get Bitcoin →In the glossary →× is based.^[1],[2] The Germany column shows current law; whether the holding period will be abolished is tracked in our reform tracker.

Austria: 27.5% – however long you hold

Since 1 March 2022, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have counted as investment income (Einkünfte aus Kapitalvermögen) in Austria. Price gains are taxed at 27.5%, regardless of any 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 rate does not push up the tax rate on the rest of your income.^[1]

New holdings and old holdings

• New holdings (Neuvermögen) – bought after 28 February 2021: the 27.5% applies.^[1]
• Old holdings (Altvermögen) – bought up to 28 February 2021: the old rules apply. A sale after more than one year is not taxable.^[1],[2]

Dive deeperOld holdings: what to watch out for

The advantage only counts if you can prove the purchase date. Keep purchase receipts, bank statements and exports from the exchangeTermExchange (crypto exchange)A trading platform where buyers and sellers trade bitcoin with each other via an order book.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →In the glossary →AdLicensed providers with a paid linkProviders from our comparisonKrakenExchange · MiCA (Central Bank of Ireland)Visit Kraken* (paid link, opens in a new window)BitvavoExchange · MiCA (AFM, Netherlands)Visit Bitvavo* (paid link, opens in a new window)CoinbaseExchange · MiCA (CSSF, Luxembourg)Visit Coinbase* (paid link, opens in a new window)All 7 compared – including non-partners →*Paid link: if you sign up or buy through it, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. How we make money →18+ · Crypto assets are highly volatile; you could lose all your money. No deposit protection.× you used at the time; separate wallets for old and new holdings make them easier to tell apart.

If you swap old holdings for another crypto asset, tax advisers say what you receive becomes new holdings – with its value at the time of the swap as the acquisition cost. Later gains on it are then taxed at 27.5%.^[2] Have such a swap checked beforehand.

What is taxable

Transaction	In Austria
Selling bitcoin for euros or another currency such as US dollars	Realisation – 27.5% on the gain[1]
Paying for goods or services with bitcoin	Realisation[1]
Swapping bitcoin for another crypto asset	Not a realisation; the acquisition cost carries over to the new crypto asset[1]
Lending out bitcoin	Current income, usually 27.5% when received[1]
Mining	Current income; if the mining is commercial, the standard income tax rates apply[1]

Fees paid on purchase count as incidental acquisition costs and reduce your gain. Other costs such as electricity or hardware are not deductible unless you opt for standard taxation (Regelbesteuerungsoption).^[1]

The moving average price

If you buy bitcoin at different times and hold them in the same wallet, all purchases form a common average price.^[1] The example is in euros because the Austrian tax office calculates in euros; the prices are sample values and fees are left out.

	Amount	Price per BTC	Value
Purchase 1	0.1 BTC	€60,000	€6,000
Purchase 2	0.1 BTC	€80,000	€8,000
Holdings and average price	0.2 BTC	€70,000	€14,000
Sale	0.1 BTC	€74,000	€7,400 proceeds
Gain			€7,400 − €7,000 = €400
KESt 27.5%			€110

The provider deducts the KESt

Since 1 January 2024, Austrian providers have withheld the 27.5% capital gains tax (Kapitalertragsteuer, KESt) and paid it to the tax office. This settles the income tax; you no longer have to declare these gains yourself. Since 2025, the provider must also give you a tax report on request, for example for offsetting losses.^[1]

With a foreign provider, nobody deducts KESt. You then declare the gains yourself in your income tax return.^[2]

You can offset losses against other investment income such as dividends or gains on shares^[1], but not against salary or other types of income.^[2]

Gifts and supervision

• Gifts and inheritance: Austria currently levies no inheritance or gift tax. Certain gifts must, however, be notified to the tax office.^[3] Whether your gift of bitcoin is covered is best clarified with a tax adviser beforehand.
• Supervision: MiCAGlossaryMiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation)The EU regulation on markets in crypto-assets. Since 30 December 2024, exchanges, brokers and custodians in the EU have needed authorisation; the last transitional period ended on 1 July 2026. MiCA regulates providers, not Bitcoin itself.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →In the glossary →× applies; Austrian providers are licensed by the Financial Market Authority (FMA).^[13] How to check a licence is shown in MiCA & regulation.

Switzerland: tax-free price gains, but wealth tax

The Swiss Federal Tax Administration (ESTV) treats buying and selling bitcoin like transactions in foreign currencies. Gains on private assets are therefore generally tax-free capital gains, and losses are not deductible.^[4]

Wealth tax: every year

Your bitcoin are subject to cantonal wealth tax. You declare them at their market value at the end of the tax period; the ESTV publishes tax values for this in its price list (ICTax).^[4] This applies to all your bitcoin, including those in your own wallet.

Example (in francs, because the tax return is in francs): at the end of the tax period you hold 0.5 BTC, and the price list shows a sample value of CHF 70,000 per BTC. You then declare CHF 35,000 of wealth. How much tax that means depends on your canton, your municipality and the rest of your assets.

When you count as a ‘professional’ trader

Depending on the nature, scale and financing of your transactions, the tax authority may treat them as self-employment rather than private asset management. Gains are then taxable income, and booked losses are deductible. To draw the line, the ESTV applies the criteria for professional (gewerbsmässig) securities trading by analogy; by its own account, its practice is still evolving.^[4]

The tax authorities always assume private asset management if all five criteria are met:^[5]

1. You hold the assets you sell for at least six months.
2. Your transaction volume (all purchase prices plus sale proceeds) in the calendar year is no more than five times your holdings of investments and balances at the start of the tax period.
3. You don’t need the gains to live on. This is regularly assumed if they make up less than 50% of your net income.
4. The investments are not financed with borrowed money – or the taxable income from them is higher than the proportionate interest on the debt.
5. You use derivatives at most to hedge your own positions.

If one criterion is not met, that doesn’t automatically mean ‘professional’; the authority then decides based on all the circumstances of the case.^[5] If you trade frequently or buy on credit, clarify this early with a tax adviser.

Income in bitcoin

Only capital gains are tax-free. Salary paid in bitcoin is taxable earned income, valued in francs at the time you receive it. Mining income is taxable income – from self-employment if the usual criteria are met.^[4]

Gifts and supervision

The federal government levies no inheritance or gift tax; the cantons decide. Obwalden and Schwyz tax neither inheritances nor gifts; spouses and direct descendants are generally exempt or pay a modest rate.^[6]

Reporting: Switzerland can implement the automatic exchange of information on crypto assets from 1 January 2027 at the earliest. According to the State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF), parliament is deliberating which countries it will exchange with (SIF information as of 18 May 2026).^[10]

Moving country and borderline cases

• Leaving Austria: if Austria loses its right to tax your gains – for example because you move abroad – this counts as a disposal.^[1] So a move can trigger tax without you selling anything. If you move to an EU or EEA country, tax advisers say that, on a timely application, the tax is initially not assessed and only becomes due when you actually sell.^[2]
• No residence in Austria: your crypto gains are then not taxable there. If an Austrian provider knows this, it can refrain from deducting KESt; KESt withheld wrongly can be refunded.^[1] The rules of your country of residence apply.

In individual cases, the relevant double taxation agreement must also be taken into account.^[1] Before a move, it is worth consulting a tax adviser who knows both countries.

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