What is Capital gains tax (CGT)?
The tax you pay on profit when disposing of crypto. Held over 12 months, individuals may get a 50% discount.
Capital gains tax is how Australia taxes crypto profits: crypto is a CGT asset (not foreign currency), and every disposal — selling for dollars, swapping coin for coin, spending, gifting — realises a gain or loss measured in AUD at that moment. The "I never cashed out" defence does not exist; a swap from ETH to SOL is a taxable event even though no dollars moved.
The headline features: hold an asset over 12 months as an individual and 50% of the gain is tax-free (the CGT discount); losses offset gains and carry forward indefinitely, but never reduce salary tax; and staking or earn rewards are ordinary income at receipt before CGT applies on later disposal. The calculator turns all of this into numbers, and the myths article corrects the folklore.
The ATO sees exchange data through its data-matching program, so the record-keeping obligation is worth taking literally: dates, AUD values, and what was exchanged for what — for every transaction.
See it in practice
Related terms: KYC · Staking · Dollar-cost averaging · full glossary
FAQ
When exactly do I pay CGT on crypto?
CGT events are triggered at disposal — sell, swap, spend or gift. The resulting net capital gain lands in the tax return for that financial year; there's no separate payment at transaction time.
Does moving crypto between my own wallets trigger CGT?
No — transferring assets you own between your own wallets or accounts is not a disposal. Keep records of the transfers anyway, so the acquisition history of each parcel stays traceable.
General information only, not financial advice. Definitions are maintained in our fact database and reviewed with the daily rebuild.