EOFY 2026 crypto tax checklist for Australians
The end of the 2025-2026 Australian financial year is 30 June 2026. This is the comprehensive ATO-aligned checklist for Australian crypto holders, traders, and SMSF trustees: what to do before EOFY, how to compile records, which tax software handles which scenarios, and the exact CGT calculations the ATO expects. Built by a former institutional trader, not a tax marketing site.
Direct answer
Key dates: The 2025-2026 Australian financial year ends 30 June 2026. Self-lodged returns are due 31 October 2026. Returns lodged through a registered tax agent typically extend to mid-May 2027. Records must be kept for five years after lodgement.
Action items before 30 June: realise losses to offset gains in the same year (tax-loss harvesting), check 12-month holding periods to qualify for the 50% CGT discount, verify staking and DeFi income is logged at AUD value on receipt, reconcile every exchange and wallet, and pick the right cost basis method (FIFO is the ATO default). Most Australian crypto holders save more than the cost of tax software in the first year by realising one well-timed loss or one 12-month-discount-eligible disposal.
Key ATO dates and deadlines for EOFY 2026
The 2025-2026 Australian financial year runs from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. Every taxable crypto event with a date on or before 30 June 2026 belongs to this tax year.
| Date | Deadline | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| 30 June 2026 | End of 2025-2026 financial year | All Australian taxpayers |
| 31 October 2026 | Self-lodged tax return due | Individuals lodging without a tax agent |
| 28 February 2027 | Tax agent lodgement (most clients) | Individuals using a registered tax agent in good standing |
| 15 May 2027 | Extended tax agent deadline | Some tax agent clients depending on prior-year history |
| 28 February 2027 | SMSF annual return | Self-managed super funds with a tax agent |
| 5 years after lodgement | Record retention requirement | All taxpayers with crypto activity |
The single most important practical date is 30 June 2026 because every action that affects your 2025-2026 tax outcome (selling at a loss, qualifying for the 50% CGT discount, realising gains in a low-income year) has to happen on or before that date. Lodgement deadlines control timing of payment but not the underlying tax position.
The 12-step EOFY crypto tax checklist
This is the action plan to work through between now and 30 June 2026. Steps 1 through 7 are pre-EOFY actions that affect your tax bill. Steps 8 through 12 are post-EOFY compilation and lodgement. Every step is mapped to the relevant ATO guidance.
Pre-EOFY action items (1 through 7)
These all need to happen by 30 June 2026 to affect your 2025-2026 tax position.
1. List every exchange, wallet, and protocol you used in 2025-2026. This is the foundation. If you forget a venue, the report is incomplete. Common omissions: a wallet from a project you forgot about, an L2 chain you bridged to once, a small DEX trade, an NFT marketplace from late 2025. Build the master list now while you can still remember.
2. Export full transaction history from every venue. Most AUSTRAC-registered Australian exchanges (CoinSpot, Binance, Independent Reserve, Digital Surge, Cointree, Swyftx) provide complete CSV exports for the financial year via their settings or API. For self-custody wallets, use the wallet app's export or a block explorer. For DeFi, this is where tax software earns its fee: parsing thousands of contract interactions into ATO-readable categories.
3. Identify every CGT event. Most Australian crypto holders under-count CGT events because they think only AUD sales matter. They do not. Every crypto-to-crypto swap, spend, gift, LP entry, token wrap, and (in many cases) DeFi protocol interaction is a CGT event. The ATO has issued specific guidance on each.
4. Calculate paper gains and losses on open positions. Look at every position you currently hold: what would the gain or loss be if you sold today? Mark which positions are sitting on losses, which are sitting on gains within 12 months of acquisition, and which are sitting on gains past the 12-month mark.
5. Realise tax losses where it makes economic sense. This is tax-loss harvesting. Selling a losing position before 30 June 2026 crystallises the loss for use against gains in the same year, with the unused balance carried forward indefinitely. The genuine version is straightforward: positions you no longer want to hold, sold at a loss, the loss offsets gains. The ATO has flagged scheme-like behaviour (sell and immediately rebuy solely to harvest) under Part IVA. If you sell and rebuy a different but correlated asset, or sell with no intention of returning to the same position, you are within ATO comfort zone. Use the Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator to estimate the tax saved before deciding which positions to harvest.
6. Check 12-month holdings for the 50 percent CGT discount. For individuals and trusts, holding more than 12 months from the day after acquisition halves the taxable gain. If you are within a few weeks of qualifying, waiting can be enormously valuable. For a $50,000 gain on a 45 percent marginal-rate taxpayer, the difference between holding 11 months vs 12 months and a day is approximately $11,250 of tax. Software like Summ and Koinly flag positions approaching the 12-month threshold automatically.
7. Log staking, yield, and airdrop income. Staking rewards and lending yield are ordinary income at the AUD value on the date you receive them, not when you withdraw or sell. Build the income log now so the reconciliation in step 9 is straightforward.
Steps 1-7 are easier with software that auto-imports from every Australian exchange and DeFi protocol. Summ covers 3,500+ integrations and is the strongest pick for Australian portfolios with DeFi exposure.
Try Summ free for EOFY 202620% discount applied automatically via SatoshiMacro referral.
Post-EOFY compilation and lodgement (8 through 12)
These run from 1 July 2026 onward.
8. Reconcile every account after 30 June 2026. Once the financial year closes, do a final reconciliation. Pull the closing balance per coin per venue at 30 June 2026 close. Match against the running balance from your transaction history. Any mismatch is a missing transaction (most often: a small fee, a forgotten airdrop, or a bridge event). Resolve every mismatch before importing to tax software, otherwise the software will flag them anyway and you will resolve them later under more time pressure.
9. Run a full tax report through crypto tax software. Import every CSV and wallet history into your chosen tool. Review every categorisation the software applied. The default categorisations are usually correct on simple spot trading; DeFi, NFTs, and bridge transactions need manual review.
10. Apply the 50 percent CGT discount and net losses. The software handles this automatically: net capital gains and losses for the year, apply the discount to long-held positions, carry forward unused losses. Verify the result reflects your actual classification (investor vs trader).
11. Lodge the tax return. Self-lodgers complete the CGT supplementary section and other-income sections. Tax-agent clients send the software-exported report. Software like Summ exports an ATO Schedule of Capital Gains; Koinly exports an ATO myTax-compatible CSV.
12. Archive all records for five years. ATO record-keeping is five years from lodgement. Store the original CSV exports, the wallet histories, the final tax software report PDF, and the lodgement confirmation. Cloud storage with offline backup is fine; a physical printout is overkill but harmless.
Worked CGT examples: spot, DeFi, SMSF
Three scenarios covering the typical EOFY situations Australian crypto holders face.
Example 1: Simple spot trading on CoinSpot
Sarah is a software engineer in Sydney earning $130,000 (37% marginal rate including Medicare levy). Her crypto activity for 2025-2026:
- Bought 0.5 BTC at AUD 95,000 each in August 2024 (15-month holding period at 30 June 2026)
- Sold 0.5 BTC at AUD 145,000 each in May 2026
Capital gain = (AUD 145,000 - 95,000) x 0.5 = AUD 25,000
Holding period > 12 months, so the 50% CGT discount applies. Taxable gain = AUD 12,500.
At a 37% marginal rate, tax owed on the crypto = AUD 4,625. Note: this is added to her assessable income, not paid separately. The actual tax bill calculation runs through her full income tax computation including PAYG withholding already deducted.
If Sarah had sold in July 2025 (before the 12-month mark), the full AUD 25,000 gain would have been assessable, costing AUD 9,250 instead of AUD 4,625. The discount saved her AUD 4,625 just by waiting.
Example 2: DeFi LP and yield farming
Mike is a part-time crypto trader in Melbourne earning $90,000 from his day job (32.5% marginal rate). His DeFi activity for 2025-2026:
- Provided AUD 20,000 of ETH and USDC to a Uniswap LP in October 2025 - this is a CGT disposal of the deposited assets
- Earned AUD 1,200 in trading fees over 9 months - ordinary income at AUD value on receipt
- Withdrew the LP position in May 2026 - this is a CGT disposal of the LP token, with the underlying ETH and USDC re-acquired at the new AUD value
- Net change in token balance after impermanent loss: down 5 percent
The DeFi LP triggers four-plus separate tax events: disposal of ETH on entry, disposal of USDC on entry, ordinary income on each fee accrual, and disposal of the LP token on exit. The ATO has confirmed this treatment in Taxation Determination TD 2024/D3 and prior rulings on liquidity provision.
This example is the strongest argument for crypto tax software. Calculating it manually requires tracking the AUD value of each component on entry, every fee receipt, the LP token's cost base, and the disposal proceeds. Summ, Syla, and Koinly all handle Uniswap-V2 and -V3 LPs natively.
Example 3: SMSF crypto holding
The Davidson SMSF (one of two members in accumulation phase) holds:
- 1 BTC purchased October 2024 at AUD 110,000
- Sold January 2026 at AUD 165,000 (15-month hold)
Capital gain = AUD 55,000. SMSFs are eligible for a one-third (33.33%) CGT discount on assets held > 12 months. Discounted gain = AUD 36,667.
SMSF tax rate on capital gains in accumulation phase = 15% on undiscounted gains (or effectively 10% on long-term gains via the discount).
Tax owed = AUD 36,667 x 15% = AUD 5,500.
Compare to the same gain held by an individual SMSF member in personal capacity at the 37% marginal rate: AUD 27,500 x 37% = AUD 10,175. The SMSF saves AUD 4,675 on this single disposal.
Independent Reserve is the main Australian exchange offering institutional-grade SMSF onboarding (corporate trustee accounts, segregated client funds, OTC desk for large fills). For most retail investors, the SMSF set-up cost is only worth it once liquid wealth crosses approximately AUD 200,000.
Crypto tax software for EOFY 2026: Summ, Syla, Koinly
Three Australian-relevant tools dominate. Each has a free tier or trial, so for marginal cases you can run the same data through all three and pick the best result.
Summ (formerly CryptoTaxCalculator) - best overall for AU portfolios with DeFi exposure
3,500+ integrations including the deepest DeFi coverage in the Australian market. ATO-aligned report defaults. Australian-built (Sydney) so the support team understands AU-specific features (PayID flows, AUSTRAC reporting expectations, ATO myTax compatibility). 20% discount applied automatically via the SatoshiMacro referral link.
Summ: the strongest tool for any Australian portfolio with DeFi, multi-chain, or NFT activity. Built in Sydney.
Try Summ Free20% discount on plans applied automatically via referral.
Syla - lowest entry pricing and most ATO-specific defaults
Built by Australian tax accountants for Australian crypto holders. Plans start at the lowest entry tier in the AU market. Particularly strong on the personal-use exemption logic and ATO-aligned investor vs trader classification. Less DeFi depth than Summ but covers all major centralised AU exchanges and the common L1 chains. Best fit for portfolios concentrated on AUSTRAC-registered exchanges with limited DeFi.
Syla: the cheapest entry-tier AU tax software, built by Australian tax accountants.
Try Syla Free10% discount applied automatically via referral.
Koinly - cheapest free tier and broadest accountant familiarity
Global incumbent with the broadest brand recognition among Australian tax accountants, which matters if your accountant prefers a tool they already know. Free tier handles up to 10,000 transactions for view and report-preview (paid only at export). Less Australian-specific than Summ or Syla but still ATO-compliant. Strong choice if you want to test full year reconciliation before paying.
Koinly: the most accountant-familiar option, with a free tier deep enough to test before paying.
Try Koinly Free| Criterion | Summ | Syla | Koinly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built in | Sydney, AU | Brisbane, AU | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Cheapest paid plan (AUD) | ~AUD 65/yr | ~AUD 49/yr | ~AUD 75/yr |
| Free tier | Trial only | Trial only | Up to 10,000 tx (preview only) |
| Integrations | 3,500+ | ~1,000 | 800+ |
| DeFi depth (AU) | Deepest in market | Major L1s only | Broad but shallower than Summ |
| SMSF support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ATO myTax export | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accountant familiarity | Growing (post-rebrand) | Limited | Highest |
| Promo discount | 20% via SatoshiMacro | 10% via SatoshiMacro | None |
Full reviews: Summ review, Syla review, Koinly review. Side-by-side: Koinly vs Summ, Koinly vs Syla, Summ vs Syla.
Common EOFY mistakes that trigger ATO audits
The ATO data-matches every AUSTRAC-registered Australian exchange. Discrepancies between exchange-reported data and lodged returns are flagged automatically. The five most common reasons Australian crypto holders end up on ATO review lists:
1. Not declaring crypto-to-crypto swaps. This is the single most common mistake. Swapping ETH for SOL on CoinSpot is a CGT event even though no AUD changed hands. The ATO sees the swap in the exchange data feed; if it does not appear in your return, the discrepancy triggers review.
2. Missing staking and yield income. Staking rewards are ordinary income at the AUD value on receipt, not when you withdraw or sell. The ATO sees rewards distributions on AU exchanges and from major DeFi protocols indirectly through wallet-level data matching. Under-reporting recurring small rewards across the year accumulates into a material discrepancy by EOFY.
3. Treating personal-use exemption as a blanket exception. The personal use exemption only applies to crypto used to buy a personal good or service within a short timeframe of acquisition, where the cost was under AUD 10,000. Holding crypto for years and then using a small portion for a coffee does not qualify. The exemption is narrower than most retail commentary suggests.
4. Mis-classifying as a trader to claim full deductions. The investor vs trader distinction is determined by the ATO based on activity volume, intent, business-like behaviour, and several other tests. Self-classifying as a trader to deduct losses against ordinary income (when the activity is actually investment) is a common audit trigger.
5. Forgetting offshore exchange or self-custody activity. The ATO's data-matching is most aggressive on AUSTRAC-registered exchanges, but it has confirmed access to international exchange data via cooperation with FATF members and information-sharing agreements with major foreign tax authorities. Activity on Binance Global, Bybit, or self-custody wallets that bridges back to AU exchanges is visible.
What changed for the 2025-2026 tax year
The substantive ATO position on crypto for the 2025-2026 financial year is largely consistent with prior years. Several incremental clarifications:
DeFi guidance refinement. The ATO has continued issuing guidance on liquidity provision, wrapped tokens, and bridge transactions. The May 2024 final guidance on DeFi (TR 2024/2 series) remains the operative reference, with TD 2024/D3 covering specific LP scenarios. Treatment is broadly consistent with the position the ATO has held since 2022, but the formality of the guidance has increased.
Data-matching scope expansion. The 2024-2025 ATO data-matching program included approximately 1.2 million Australian crypto users. The 2025-2026 program is expected to be at least as broad, with the ATO publicly signalling continued focus on under-reported staking income and DeFi transactions.
No new explicit crypto tax legislation. The federal government has not introduced explicit crypto tax legislation in the 2025-2026 financial year. The treatment continues to flow from existing CGT provisions and ATO interpretations.
SMSF crypto rules unchanged. The 2024 changes to clarify that crypto held in SMSFs must be in the fund's name (not the trustee personally) remain in force. SMSF auditors are increasingly experienced with crypto holdings.
Personal use exemption threshold unchanged. The $10,000 personal-use threshold remains, with the ATO continuing to take a narrow view of what qualifies. Most crypto held with the intent of value appreciation does not qualify regardless of the eventual use.
Where to go from here
The complete ATO crypto tax framework lives on the Crypto Tax Australia 2026 pillar. For specific calculations, the Crypto CGT Calculator and SMSF Crypto CGT Calculator apply the ATO discount method automatically without signup.
For tooling, start with the tax software comparisons: Summ for DeFi-heavy AU portfolios, Syla for cost-sensitive AU-exchange-only portfolios, and Koinly for accountant-familiar lodgement. All three offer free trials so you can test against your actual transaction history before paying.
The most expensive EOFY mistake is silence. The ATO knows about the activity. Lodging accurately, even if late, is always cheaper than discovery via audit.
Frequently asked questions
When is EOFY 2026 in Australia?
The Australian financial year ends 30 June 2026. Any disposals, swaps, staking rewards, DeFi income, or other taxable crypto events with a date on or before 30 June 2026 fall in the 2025-2026 tax year. Self-lodged tax returns for the 2025-2026 year are due by 31 October 2026. Lodgement through a registered tax agent typically extends the deadline to mid-May 2027 (specific date depends on prior-year compliance).
What crypto records do I need for EOFY 2026?
The ATO requires records for five years after lodgement covering: date and time of every transaction; AUD value at the time of each transaction; counterparty (an exchange name or wallet address is sufficient); purpose of the transaction (buy, sell, swap, staking, gift, etc); and any associated fees. Most Australian exchanges (CoinSpot, Binance, Independent Reserve, Digital Surge, Cointree) export complete CSV histories. For DeFi, multi-wallet, or cross-chain activity, third-party tax software like Summ, Syla, or Koinly aggregates the data automatically.
Can I still tax-loss harvest crypto before 30 June 2026?
Yes. Selling crypto at a loss before 30 June 2026 generates a capital loss in the 2025-2026 financial year that can be used to offset capital gains in the same year. If your losses exceed gains, the unused balance carries forward indefinitely to offset future capital gains. The ATO does not recognise a US-style wash-sale rule for retail investors, but it has flagged scheme-like loss schemes (selling and immediately repurchasing solely to crystallise a loss) under Part IVA general anti-avoidance provisions. Keep harvesting genuine - sell positions you no longer want to hold.
How do I qualify for the 50 percent CGT discount on crypto in 2026?
Hold the asset for more than 12 months (measured from the day after acquisition to the day of disposal). The discount is automatic for individuals and trusts, applies only after losses are netted against gains, and reduces the taxable gain by 50 percent. Companies do not qualify. SMSFs receive a one-third (33.33%) discount instead. Crypto-to-crypto swaps reset the holding period for the asset received. Hard forks, airdrops, and staking rewards each have their own holding-period start date based on when the asset was received.
Do I need crypto tax software for EOFY 2026 or can I use a spreadsheet?
If you have fewer than ~30 disposals in the year, are on a single AUSTRAC-registered exchange, and have no DeFi or staking activity, a spreadsheet works. The free Crypto CGT calculator on this site applies the ATO discount method correctly. Beyond that, software pays for itself in time saved alone. Multi-exchange portfolios, DeFi, NFTs, staking across chains, and SMSF holdings effectively require software to produce a defensible ATO-compliant report. Summ, Syla, and Koinly all run free trials so you can test before paying.
What is the EOFY deadline for SMSF crypto?
SMSFs are subject to the same 30 June 2026 EOFY but lodge separately via a registered SMSF auditor and the SMSF annual return. The SMSF annual return is due 28 February 2027 for funds with a registered tax agent (later for some), or 31 October 2026 for the small subset that self-lodge. SMSFs pay 15 percent on income and 15 percent on capital gains for assets held under 12 months, dropping to an effective 10 percent on long-term gains via the one-third CGT discount. Pension-phase assets (retirees) may be 0 percent. Independent Reserve is the main AU exchange offering institutional-grade SMSF onboarding.
Are airdrops, staking rewards, and yield farming taxable for EOFY 2026?
Yes. Staking rewards and yield are ordinary income at the AUD market value on the date of receipt. They are added to your assessable income for the financial year regardless of whether you sold them. When you subsequently dispose of the staked or yield-earned asset, a separate CGT event occurs based on the difference between the receipt-date AUD value (your cost base) and the disposal AUD value. Genuine airdrops without action are usually not income on receipt but become CGT assets with a zero cost base, taxed in full when sold. Initial-coin-style airdrops earned by performing tasks are usually treated as ordinary income.
What happens if I miss EOFY or under-report crypto?
The ATO operates a long-running data-matching program with every AUSTRAC-registered Australian exchange. As of 2024 confirmation it had data on approximately 1.2 million Australian crypto users. Late lodgement attracts a Failure to Lodge penalty (multiple of penalty units, currently around AUD 330 per 28-day block), shortfall interest on tax owed, and potential administrative penalties of 25 to 75 percent of the tax shortfall depending on the ATO's view of intent. Voluntary disclosure before audit reduces penalties significantly. If you have under-reported in prior years, the right move is voluntary amendment via your tax agent, not silence.
