How to upload a digital asset CSV into TurboTax for 2025 - a guide

[v8899]

It is possible with a few extra steps - you don't need to spend extra on crypto tax software. Of course, you may still want to use the software for calculations, unless you have only a small amount of transactions.

Step 1 - create crypto CSV

Create a CSV or spreadsheet with the following column headers. The exact column names and order are important:

• Name of digital asset - this will be the symbol, e.g. BTC, ETH

• Received date - date you purchased the asset

• Cost or other basis - how much you originally paid for it in USD

• Date sold - the date you sold the asset
• Proceeds - how much you received after selling in USD
• Number of units - how many units of that asset you sold

• Applicable checkbox on Form 8949 - look on your 1099-DA for this one-letter code. For 2025, it will either be short-term (H) or long-term (K). If these transactions are not reported on a 1099-DA, use I for short-term and L for long term. 

In the end, it should look something like this (e.g. sold 0.00055 BTC for $50.11 that was purchased in 2021 for $23.34):

Step 2 - convert to PDF

I was testing this on a Mac using Numbers, but the process should be similar in Excel or other spreadsheet software. Go to Print and make sure the option "Repeat table headers" (or similar) is checked. This will ensure it prints the column headers on every page of the PDF. If you don't do this and have more than one page, some of the import may get screwed up. Use the Print to PDF option in your software. 

Step 3 - upload into TurboTax online

1. Go to Income > Investments and Savings
2. Click on "Add investments"
3. Click on "Enter a different way"
4. Click on "Upload files from this device"
5. Find and upload the PDF you created in the prior step
6. Click "Continue"
7. You should now see it show up, it will likely say "NEEDS REVIEW"
8. Review any items marked needing review. Typically it does this if the cost basis is $0 or you used VARIOUS instead of the date on your CSV. You may need to fix these manually by selecting "Something other than a date" and then selecting "Various".

NOTE: you do not need to pay for TurboTax online at this point if you already purchased TurboTax desktop. See below. If you do wish to use TurboTax online, you can stop here and finish filing taxes. 

Step 4 - import into TurboTax desktop (optional)

If you wish to use TurboTax desktop instead, you can select "Continue From TurboTax Online" on the main screen. You can then import the data from TurboTax Online into the Desktop version. You can delete the data from the online version once you're done. 

[maiden1134]

Thanks for the workaround. This works however I have 100s of entries and all of the entries are marked as needs review simply because the 'How did you receive this investment' field is not filled in by default. Is there any way to specify this field in the pdf itself so I don't have to edit every single entry one by one to set this field? I would have figured this would be set automatically for each entry but it is not. The options for this field are: I purchased it, I earned it or I received it as a gift. BTW I tried bulk edit and TT does not let you edit that field - boy they are making everything so hard to use. 

PS: did you not have this issue when you imported your data?

[v8899]

Yes, I did have this issue and I think this is the cause: you need to make TurboTax think you’re uploading a real 1099-DA vs crypto transactions not on 1099-DA.

I have no idea how it determines this, but one thing that helped for me was adding “1099-DA” on the top of the first page in a large font. It sounds bizarre, but it solved the problem. 

[maiden1134]

Okay that works however that is only for true 1099-da forms. My data is from other exchanges where I did not receive a 1099-da. In this case I am specifying I or L for short/long term and in this case when you use the 1099-da title workaround TT does not recognize these letters and again flags every entry for needing review - where it asks me to specify an appropriate letter. Well at least I can now import all my transactions however I will still need to modify all of them to tell TT that I purchased them.

Thanks for the help - I will do some research to see if I can somehow specify that I purchased the crypto via the pdf. Not sure if this is possible.

[v8899]

Yeah not sure there is a workaround in that case. At least it’s easier to just update that one dropdown as opposed to entering all the data. 

Also be sure to double check the totals add up to what you have on the spreadsheet. I had some weird issues where it flipped proceeds and cost basis, resulting in gains where there were losses. I fixed it by making those columns wider. 

[maiden1134]

Yeah I saw that issue so I just made all the columns wider. Thanks for your help! 

[maiden1134]

Okay after playing around with the online TT pdf import for a few hours I found the issue. For some reason it does not recognize the I letter for short term holding not reported on a 1099-da. All other letters work, including L for long term holding not reported on a 1099-da.

When you try to use the letter I it does show it in your transaction summary, however it flags it as needs review. When you edit the transaction, the box for short/long term holding is empty instead of showing the correct option for letter I. I tested all other letters and they all work except for I. I am guessing this is a bug. Most of my transactions are short term not reported on any form so I am left with editing them one at a time. I tried many different ways to try and get TT to fill that field in correctly and I just can't get it to work. I will try and contact TT to see if there is a magic way around this issue.

You can't even use bulk edit for this field which is really stupid.

[v8899]

Interesting. Maybe try using a different font in that column, e.g. Times New Roman so that the I looks less like a line? Or try a lowercase i?

It’s really crazy we have to try these workarounds instead of them just adding CSV support. 

[maiden1134]

Tried that today and still doesn't work. it does not accept lower case letters, only uppercase. Even when I change the font or make it bigger it does not work. I will try a few other things but so far I just can't get it to accept the letter i. Looks like more of a bug in TT.

[DianeW777]

Solutions are not the same for everyone for various reasons. A solution can be to enter summary transactions if you have many transactions. If necessary this option should be simple once you have your transactions totaled by holding period.

Your brokerage statements should include a summary of your transactions, grouped by sales category, for example, Box A short-term covered or Box D long-term covered. 

Holding Periods:

• Long term is a holding period of more than one year (one year plus one day) and receives capital gain tax treatment (0%, 10%, 15%, 20% depending on your regular rate of tax)
• Short term is a holding period of one year or less and receives ordinary gain tax treatment (your regular rate) 

You can always use direct entry if you choose, with summary totals.  The only exception is wash sales, which must be entered separately, if you have any.

• Where do I enter Form 1099-B? (Ignore import)
• How do I mail Form 8453? (review if alerted)

@maiden1134 

[maiden1134]

Okay I got it working. Had to use the times new roman font everywhere for all fields and I increased the size to 12. All of the letters must be uppercase.  Once I did this TT reads in everything correctly and recognizes all the letters. Don't have to edit any transactions afterwards. Thanks for your help and I hope others find this useful. 

[maiden1134]

The issue is for people like me who have a lot of crypto transactions where I did not receive any forms whatsoever. I used a lot of decentralized exchanges and they don't issue any forms or summary statements. When TT allowed csv imports I could handle this easily - but now that they disabled them in the TT desktop version and made it harder to use with the online version, it makes it difficult to handle. Luckily with the help of others I found this worksround. 

[ryanwilliamson]

This method seems to open a new Turbotax return on the Desktop version. Is there a way to "Continue from TurboTax online" to get the crypto 8959 form into an existing Turbotax return? For context, I have already spent weeks entering all of my information (and carrying over from previous years) and am simply looking to add the crypto gains/losses as the final step to an existing return.

[MarilynG1]

You can enter your Gain/Loss info in summary form in your current TurboTax Desktop return.  Here's more recent info on How to Report Crypto Transactions in TurboTax.

@ryanwilliamson 

[maiden1134]

To clarify, did you start from desktop or TT online? I started from the desktop and that screwed me since you can't import anything there. The crypto importing only works with the online version. I had to start all over from the online version and do everything there. Others have reported that the desktop version eventually might be discontinued but not sure if that is true or not. TT really screwed this whole thing up and hopefully will get it fixed; should have been fixed months earlier.