Why use this calculator
The ATO treats cryptocurrency as property, not currency. Every time you sell, trade, gift, or use crypto to buy something, it's a disposal event that may trigger CGT. This calculator applies ATO rules to estimate your tax — including the 50% discount for assets held over 12 months.
How to use it
Enter your cost basis (total amount you paid, including fees), the sale price, whether you held the asset for more than 12 months, and your marginal tax rate. The calculator shows your raw gain, the taxable amount after any CGT discount, and your estimated tax.
The formula
Capital Gain = Sale Price − Cost Basis. Taxable Gain = Capital Gain × 50% (if held >12 months). Tax = Taxable Gain × Marginal Tax Rate. Net Profit = Capital Gain − Tax.
Worked examples
$5,000 cost basis, sold for $12,000, held >12 months, 30% marginal rate
$7,000 gain, $3,500 taxable (50% discount), $1,050 tax, $5,950 net profit
$20,000 cost basis, sold for $8,000, held 3 months
$12,000 capital loss — can offset future gains, no tax this year
When people use it
- Estimating tax before selling crypto
- Planning timing of disposal (hold >12 months for discount)
- Understanding tax on crypto trading
- Working out if a crypto loss can offset other gains
Tips
- Crypto-to-crypto swaps are disposal events — you trigger CGT when you swap one crypto for another
- If you hold crypto for more than 12 months before selling, only 50% of the gain is taxable
- Capital losses can be used to offset capital gains in the same year or carried forward
- Keep detailed records of every transaction: date, AUD value at time, and purpose
- Receiving crypto as payment or mining crypto is taxed as ordinary income at the market value when received
Questions people ask
- Is crypto taxable in Australia?
- Yes. The ATO treats cryptocurrency as property. Disposing of crypto (selling, trading, gifting, using to buy goods) triggers a capital gains tax event. Crypto held as a personal use asset under $10,000 may be exempt.
- What is the 50% CGT discount?
- If you hold a crypto asset for more than 12 months before disposing of it, only 50% of the capital gain is included in your taxable income. This significantly reduces your tax bill.
- What if I swap one crypto for another?
- Swapping crypto (e.g., BTC for ETH) is a disposal of the first asset. You must calculate CGT based on the AUD value of the asset you received at the time of the swap, minus your cost basis in the first asset.