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5 Things to know about paying taxes on Crypto

The digital currency has grown exponentially in recent years, with a total market capitalization growing from a modest over this year. Cryptocurrency has headlined numerous ways, served as the subject of social media posts, and attained considerable traction in mainstream culture. Since then, if you have held on to your crypto, you have learned to improve your net worth and have a sizable capital gain in your portfolio. If you are paying taxes on crypto, the IRS categorizes cryptocurrency as property, and this transaction will come under taxable law. But what occurs if you select to convert this erstwhile investment into an actual currency used to buy goods and services.





Short-Term Capital Gains and Losses


When you plan to buy and sell cryptocurrency within 365 days, you identify either a short-term capital gain if it traded for more than what you spent for it or a short-term capital loss if it traded for less than you paid for it. Short-term gains and losses are similar to the tax rates decided by your income, such as salaries, wages, commissions, and other earned income.


Long-Term Capital Gains and Losses


You buy and sell an asset within one year, and the calculation between your net sales proceeds and your price is based on the long-term capital gain or loss. You will pay lower tax on a long-term gain than a short-term gain because the rates are usually reduced. If somebody paying taxes on cryptocurrency in exchange for goods or services, the payment is taxable income. The rate may vary depending on your income.


Tax liability


You might think that you are not responsible for taxes if you only use but do not trade cryptocurrency. Any time you trade virtual currency for real currency, goods, or services, you may make a tax liability. You will create liability if the price you discover for your cryptocurrency. The value of the real currency you accept is greater than your cost based on the cryptocurrency. So if you earn more value than you put into the cryptocurrency, you have got yourself a tax liability. A stock that you buy and hold, if you don't change the cryptocurrency for something else, you may not include learned gain or loss.


Keep records of all transactions.


You have to track all your cryptocurrency transactions, comprising how much you paid for crypto, how long you held it for, and how much you sold it for, as well as receipts for each transaction. While your crypto exchange may provide your crypto transactions to both the IRS and you, it might not register the cost basis or actual amount you paid for your crypto if you share coins between offline cold wallets and your account.


Time Sales with Your Tax Rate


Suppose you have the extra time on your side. You are always trying to wait for a lower tax rate in such a case. Perhaps you got laid off, retired, want to go school, or moved to a lower tax state. Then you may find yourself in a lower tax rate, which will allow you to sell your crypto while owing less in taxes.


Bottom line


It is easy to use cryptocurrencies, from your cost basis, noting your good realized price, and potentially tax. IRS is stepping towards enforcement and management on tax evasion by calculating the exchanging rate of cryptocurrencies more closely.


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