Tax documents for crypto traders and investors
Crypto activity is reportable even when no broker sends a form, and the hard part is the cost basis. Your preparer needs complete transaction histories from every exchange and wallet you used, not just a year-end balance.
Income documents
- Form 1099-DA, 1099-B or 1099-MISC from exchanges, where issued
- Full transaction history (CSV export) from every exchange, for the entire year
- Staking, mining, airdrop and interest rewards, with the date and value received
- Payments received in crypto for goods or services
- Records of any NFTs sold
Expenses and receipts
- Trading and network (gas) fees
- Records of the cost basis for each coin you sold
- Tax software or portfolio tracker subscriptions
- Hardware wallet purchases, if used for a business or investing activity
Other records to gather
- Wallet addresses you control, so transfers between your own wallets are not treated as sales
- Exchanges you used in earlier years, even if you have closed those accounts
- Records of crypto gifts given or received
- Lost or stolen coin documentation
- Prior-year return or cost basis schedule if you carry positions forward
- DeFi and bridging transaction histories
Common mistakes to avoid
- Missing an exchange or wallet, so cost basis is blank or wrong
- Treating a transfer between your own wallets as a sale
- Forgetting that swapping one coin for another is a reportable event
- Ignoring staking and airdrop rewards as income
- Relying on a tracker without checking it against the raw exchange exports
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to report crypto if I only held it?
Holding alone is generally not a taxable event, but tax returns ask about digital asset activity, so answer that question accurately and tell your preparer about every sale, swap or payment.
What is cost basis?
Roughly what you paid for the coin, including fees. Your gain or loss on a sale is the sale proceeds minus that basis, so complete purchase records matter.
What if an exchange has shut down?
Try to recover the data from your email receipts, bank statements and wallet history, and tell your preparer what is missing so they can advise on the best way to document it.
Related checklists
This is a general checklist to help you gather paperwork, not tax or legal advice. Rules and thresholds change and depend on your situation, so confirm details with a qualified preparer or the IRS.