Crypto Capital Gains Tax Calculator
HMRC treats crypto as property for CGT — and uses three matching rules to work out your gain. Enter your buys and sells below to see your 2026/27 tax bill at the unified 18% / 24% rates.
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Most exchange tax reports show a simple FIFO calculation, but HMRC requires three matching rules applied in order: same-day, then the 30-day bed-and-breakfast rule, then the Section 104 pool (a weighted-average cost of everything else). The 30-day rule in particular catches a lot of investors who sell at a loss and rebuy quickly.
With the annual exemption now just £3,000, far more people owe crypto CGT than ever before. Add each buy and sell — including crypto-to-crypto swaps at their GBP value — and this calculator pools them per asset, applies the matching rules, and apportions tax across the 18% and 24% bands based on your other taxable income.
Your details (2026/27)
Used to decide whether the gain falls in the 18% (basic) or 24% (higher) CGT band.
Annual exemption remaining: £3,000.00
Transactions
| Date | Type | Asset | Quantity | Price (GBP) | Fees (GBP) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Your CGT bill (2026/27)
Total gain
£9,308.00
Proceeds £31,200.00 − Cost £21,852.00 − Fees £40.00
Taxable gain
£6,308.00
After £3000 allowance (£3,000.00 used)
CGT to pay
£1,135.44
Effective rate: 12.2%
Matched disposals (HMRC rules)
| Date | Asset | Qty | Proceeds | Cost | Gain | Matched against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-20 | BTC | 0.4 | £31,200.00 | £21,852.00 | £9,308.00 | 30-day 0.1 S.104 0.30000000000000004 |
What this means for your crypto tax bill
If your total gain is under £3,000 and your total proceeds (the GBP value of everything you sold) are under £50,000, you don't need to report at all. Above either threshold, you must declare via Self-Assessment by 31 January 2028 for 2026/27 disposals.
Two practical strategies to reduce the bill: (1) transfer assets to a spouse/civil partner before selling — this rolls over at original cost and lets you use both £3,000 allowances and potentially the 18% basic-rate band twice, and (2) crystallise gains across two tax years (selling in March then April) to use two annual exemptions. Use the CGT Allowance Calculator to plan multi-year disposals.
How HMRC matches your crypto disposals
HMRC's three-step matching order applies to every crypto disposal. The order matters because it usually increases your taxable gain compared to a simple FIFO calculation:
| # | Rule | What it matches | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Same-day | Acquisitions of the same token on the same day as the disposal | Stops day-traders cherry-picking lots |
| 2 | 30-day (Bed & Breakfast) | Acquisitions in the 30 days FOLLOWING the disposal | Blocks artificial loss-harvesting by repurchasing immediately |
| 3 | Section 104 pool | Average cost of all earlier holdings of that token | Default rule — treats the rest as a single weighted-average pool |
What counts as a 'disposal' of crypto?
HMRC treats any of the following as a taxable disposal of crypto:
- Selling crypto for fiat currency (GBP, USD, EUR)
- Exchanging one crypto for another (e.g. ETH → SOL)
- Using crypto to buy goods or services
- Gifting crypto to anyone other than your spouse or civil partner
- Donating to a non-charity recipient
Transferring crypto between your own wallets is not a disposal. Spousal transfers also roll over at original cost — useful for couples wanting to use both £3,000 allowances.
HMRC is increasingly matching crypto records to tax returns
Since 2024 HMRC has run targeted 'nudge letter' campaigns using data shared by UK exchanges. From 1 January 2026, the new Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) requires exchanges to automatically share user data with HMRC. Failing to declare crypto gains is no longer low-risk.
Frequently asked questions
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