topic Re: Crypto received from freinds in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Crypto received from freinds

erickapoobear — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:23:58 GMT

All my crypto transactions was from friends sending me money that way instead and I sold right after. How do I claim that if they were gifts?

Re: Crypto received from freinds

ColeenD3 — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 16:13:37 GMT

They didn't actually give you money though. Gifts of investments are different than a gift of cash since they can increase in value. The basis of a gift is the basis of the person who gave you the gift. This means that if when your friend bought the cryptocurrency, it cost $50 and when they gave it to you, it was worth $100, your basis is the $50 amount. If you sell for any amount over $50, that is a gain to you. Even if you sell it for the same amount they purchased it, you still have to report it to show it was not a gain.

In the investment section, you will be asked if you got the currency in a form other than purchase.

Please see this LINK for more information.

Re: Crypto received from freinds

S8NpTl — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 14:46:51 GMT

If I may ask a follow up question:

I received some crypto units for free when I signed up to a Crypto platform (Coinbase), as part of their sign up promotion. I had sold this amount. In the transaction csv that Coinbase provided, I see the "sell" transaction. I report the amount I received as basis, and the sold price as proceed in my 8949 and schedule D. This part is fine.

Where should I put the "free" units that I originally received from Coinbase? I see the transaction, that has amount I received as cost basis, then transaction type is "reward".

Re: Crypto received from freinds

ColeenD3 — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 14:52:04 GMT

You would enter it as a normal sale, the only difference is that the basis is zero, since it was a free gift.