Crypto CGT calculator (Australia, ATO discount method)
Calculate the capital gains tax owed on a crypto disposal under the ATO's discount method. Built for Australian individual taxpayers. The 50 percent CGT discount for 12-month holds is applied automatically when applicable.
Calculator
All values stay in your browser. Output recalculates instantly. URL updates so you can bookmark or share a specific scenario. AUD figures only.
- A$30,000.00 gross gain/loss
- A$15,000.00 assessable (50% discount)
- A$25,500.00 net after tax
How crypto CGT works in Australia
The ATO treats most cryptocurrency as a CGT (capital gains tax) asset, similar to shares or investment property. The legal framework is set out in ATO guidance on crypto-asset investments and TR 2014/26, which formalises the bitcoin-and-cryptocurrency tax treatment first applied in 2014.
Whenever you dispose of crypto, you trigger a CGT event under section 102-25 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. Disposal includes:
- Selling crypto for AUD (or any fiat currency)
- Swapping one crypto for another (BTC to ETH, USDC to SOL, etc.)
- Spending crypto on goods or services
- Gifting crypto to another person
- Sending crypto to another wallet that does not belong to you
The capital gain is the difference between the cost base (what you paid in AUD, including acquisition fees) and the capital proceeds (what you received in AUD value, net of disposal fees). If proceeds exceed cost, you have a capital gain. If cost exceeds proceeds, you have a capital loss.
The 50 percent CGT discount
If you held the crypto for at least 12 months before disposing of it, and you are an Australian individual taxpayer (or a trust), you qualify for the 50 percent CGT discount under section 115-25. This halves the gain that gets added to your assessable income.
Without discount: $30,000 added to income, taxed at 30% = $9,000 CGT.
With discount: $15,000 added to income, taxed at 30% = $4,500 CGT. Saving: $4,500.
The 12-month clock starts on the day after acquisition and the disposal must occur on or after the date 12 months later. A disposal at exactly 12 months minus one day misses the discount entirely. Plan accordingly if you have a significant unrealised gain approaching the 12-month mark.
The discount does not apply to:
- Capital losses (only gains can be discounted)
- Assets held under 12 months (full gain assessable)
- Companies (taxed at the corporate rate of 25 to 30 percent on the full gain)
- Crypto traders (classified as carrying on a business; gains are ordinary income, no discount, but losses are fully deductible against other income)
2025-26 marginal tax rates
Capital gains (after the discount, if applicable) are added to your other income for the financial year and taxed at your marginal rate. The 2025-26 resident individual rates, post Stage 3 tax cuts, are:
| Taxable income (AUD) | Marginal rate | Plus Medicare (~2%) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 18,200 | 0% | 0% |
| 18,201 to 45,000 | 16% | 18% |
| 45,001 to 135,000 | 30% | 32% |
| 135,001 to 190,000 | 37% | 39% |
| 190,001+ | 45% | 47% |
The calculator uses marginal rates without Medicare. Most resident taxpayers pay an additional 2 percent Medicare levy on top of these rates. The Medicare Levy Surcharge (1 to 1.5 percent extra) may apply to higher earners without private hospital cover.
Worked examples
Example 1: long-term gain (BTC, 14-month hold)
Bought 1 BTC for AUD 30,000 in February 2025. Sold for AUD 60,000 in April 2026 (14 months later). Held longer than 12 months. Marginal rate 30 percent.
- Cost base: 1 x $30,000 = $30,000
- Proceeds: 1 x $60,000 = $60,000
- Gross gain: $60,000 - $30,000 = $30,000
- 50 percent discount applied: $30,000 / 2 = $15,000 assessable
- CGT: $15,000 x 30% = $4,500
- Net after tax: $30,000 - $4,500 = $25,500
Example 2: short-term gain (ETH, 8-month hold)
Bought 5 ETH at AUD 5,000 each in September 2025. Sold all 5 at AUD 7,000 each in May 2026 (8 months later). No discount available (under 12 months). Marginal rate 37 percent.
- Cost base: 5 x $5,000 = $25,000
- Proceeds: 5 x $7,000 = $35,000
- Gross gain: $35,000 - $25,000 = $10,000
- Full gain assessable (no discount): $10,000
- CGT: $10,000 x 37% = $3,700
- Net after tax: $10,000 - $3,700 = $6,300
If the same trader had simply waited four more months before disposing, the gain would have qualified for the 50 percent discount, halving the tax to $1,850 and saving $1,850. This is why the 12-month rule matters in real money.
Example 3: capital loss (SOL, any holding period)
Bought 100 SOL at AUD 250 each in March 2025 ($25,000 total). Sold all at AUD 180 each in November 2025 ($18,000 total). Held 8 months. Loss.
- Cost base: 100 x $250 = $25,000
- Proceeds: 100 x $180 = $18,000
- Capital loss: $25,000 - $18,000 = $7,000
- CGT payable: $0 (losses are not taxed)
- Loss available to offset other capital gains in the same year, or carry forward indefinitely
The $7,000 capital loss cannot be applied against salary, business income, or interest. It only offsets capital gains. This is the asymmetry between gains (always assessable) and losses (only useful against other capital events) that often surprises new investors.
What counts as a CGT event for crypto
The ATO has a long list of CGT event types under sections 104-5 onwards of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. The ones most likely to apply to crypto holders:
- Sale to fiat (CGT event A1)
- Selling crypto for AUD, USD, or any other fiat currency. Cost base in AUD vs proceeds in AUD. Most common event.
- Crypto-to-crypto swap (CGT event A1)
- Disposing of one crypto in exchange for another (BTC to ETH on a centralised exchange, or token swaps in a DeFi pool). Both legs trigger an event: the crypto you gave up is disposed of (capital gain or loss vs its cost base), and the crypto you received has a new cost base equal to its AUD value at the time of the swap.
- Spending crypto on goods or services (CGT event A1)
- Using crypto to buy a coffee, a car, or anything else. The disposal is taxed as if you sold it for AUD at the AUD value at the moment of payment. Personal use exemption may apply if the crypto was acquired for under $10,000 specifically for that personal purchase.
- Gifting crypto (CGT event A1)
- The giver triggers a CGT event valued at AUD market value on the day of the gift, even though they did not receive payment. The recipient acquires it at that same AUD market value as their cost base.
- Receipt of staking rewards or airdrops (ordinary income at receipt)
- Staking rewards and airdropped tokens are treated as ordinary income at the AUD market value on the date of receipt. The same value becomes the cost base for any future CGT event when the tokens are later disposed of.
- Hard forks producing a new asset (no immediate event, new cost base of zero)
- If you hold a coin that hard forks and you receive new tokens (e.g., BCH from BTC in 2017, ETH/ETC split), the new asset has a cost base of zero. CGT applies on the full proceeds when you eventually dispose of it.
Capital losses
If your crypto disposal produces a loss, it is a capital loss. Capital losses can offset capital gains in the same financial year, with any unused balance carried forward indefinitely until applied. They cannot offset salary, business income, dividends, or other ordinary income (under section 102-10 of the ITAA 1997).
The CGT discount does not apply to losses. A $20,000 capital loss on a 14-month hold offsets $20,000 of future capital gains, not $10,000. This is why long-term losses are sometimes worth more in offset value than the same loss generated short-term: a long-term gain that the loss offsets would have been discounted, so the offset effectively cancels at a higher pre-discount rate.
Common loss-related questions:
- Lost private keys, lost wallet, scam loss: generally treated as a capital loss in the year the loss is recognised. Documentation is required.
- Exchange collapse (FTX, Celsius, etc.): claimable as a capital loss in the year the asset is treated as a worthless investment. Often requires declaration of administration.
- Wash sale rules: Australia does not have a strict wash sale rule for crypto, but the ATO has issued warnings about deliberately realising losses to reset cost base while reacquiring quickly. Treat repeated cycle-trades with caution.
Related
- Crypto Tax Australia: ATO Guide (2026) - full pillar guide on crypto CGT, trader vs investor classification, SMSF strategies, and reporting.
- Koinly Review - the crypto tax software most commonly used by Australian investors. Imports from major AU exchanges.
- Best Crypto Exchanges Australia 2026 - AUSTRAC-registered platforms with tax-friendly export tools.
Other calculators:
Frequently asked questions
The ATO treats crypto as a CGT asset by default. Disposing of crypto (selling for AUD, swapping to another coin, spending it on goods or services, gifting it) triggers a CGT event. The capital gain is added to your assessable income for the financial year and taxed at your marginal rate. If you held the asset for more than 12 months before disposing of it, you qualify for the 50 percent CGT discount as an individual taxpayer. Capital losses can offset capital gains but not ordinary income.
The 50 percent CGT discount under section 115-25 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 lets individuals and trusts halve a capital gain for tax purposes if the asset has been held for at least 12 months before disposal. For crypto, this means a $20,000 gain on a 14-month BTC hold is treated as a $10,000 gain when added to your assessable income. The discount does not apply to capital losses, to assets held under 12 months, or to companies (which pay 30% on the full gain).
CGT is reported on your annual tax return. Australian individual tax returns are due 31 October each year (or later if lodging through a registered tax agent). The capital gain is calculated for the financial year (1 July to 30 June) in which the CGT event occurred. The tax is then payable as part of your normal income tax assessment, usually within a few weeks of lodgement, depending on your circumstances.
No. Capital losses can only be offset against capital gains, not ordinary income (salary, business income, interest). Excess capital losses carry forward indefinitely until used. The exception is if the ATO classifies you as a crypto trader carrying on a business rather than an investor, in which case losses are ordinary deductions but you also lose access to the 50 percent CGT discount.
The ATO requires records of: the date of each transaction, the type of crypto, the AUD value at the time, the purpose of the transaction (investment, trading, personal use), receipts of purchase and sale, exchange records or wallet addresses, and any associated fees. Records must be kept for at least 5 years from the date of lodgement of the return that includes the transaction. Software like Koinly, CoinTracker, or Crypto Tax Calculator can pull this from exchange APIs automatically.
Yes. When the 'held 12+ months' option is set to Yes and the disposal produces a gain, the calculator applies the 50 percent discount before calculating the tax. The breakdown line shows the assessable amount with '(50% discount)' to make this explicit. For losses, the discount does not apply (losses cannot be discounted under ATO rules) and the calculator returns zero CGT payable; the loss is then available to offset other capital gains.
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