Calculate capital gains tax on Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrency using current ATO rules. Includes the 50% CGT discount, crypto-to-crypto swaps, and the personal use asset exemption.
| Item | Amount |
|---|
Crypto is property, not currency: The ATO does not treat cryptocurrency as money. It is a CGT asset, similar to shares or property. This applies to coins, tokens, NFTs, and stablecoins.
What counts as a disposal: Selling crypto for AUD, swapping one crypto for another (e.g. Bitcoin for Ethereum), using crypto to buy goods or services, and gifting crypto are all CGT events — not just cashing out to dollars.
The 50% CGT discount: If you held the crypto as an investment for more than 12 months before disposing of it, only 50% of the net capital gain is included in your assessable income.
Personal use asset exemption: A crypto asset may be exempt from CGT if you acquired and used it within a short period mainly to buy personal items — for example, buying crypto specifically to immediately pay for a concert ticket. Crypto held for some time, used to buy goods only occasionally, or kept with the intention of profiting from price movements is generally not a personal use asset and remains subject to CGT.
Record keeping: Keep the date, AUD value, and details of every acquisition and disposal. Australian exchanges report transaction data directly to the ATO, which actively data-matches against what individuals report.
The Federal Government's Budget 2026-27 (announced 12 May 2026) proposes replacing the 50% CGT discount for individuals, trusts and partnerships with cost base indexation (uplifting your cost base for inflation using CPI) plus a 30% minimum tax on the real capital gain. This is not yet law.
If passed, it would apply to gains accruing on assets from 1 July 2027 onward — gains made before that date would keep the existing 50% discount under transitional rules. Companies and superannuation funds (including SMSFs) are not affected, since they don't currently receive the 50% discount.
Because this measure has been announced but has not passed Parliament, treat any "2027 rules" figures you see — on this site or elsewhere — as indicative only until the legislation is finalised.