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loch-6
New Member

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

 
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11 Replies

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

No.

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

The sale of an investment is reported on a tax return.  Not a purchase.
loch-6
New Member

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

ok thanks a lot

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

Given all the diverse questions you have asked this week, it sounds like a visit with an accountant could benefit you.
loch-6
New Member

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

Thank you Sweetiejean!!! a lot of the questions are just out of curiosity,

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

Some things that you buy for use in business may be deductible business expenses if you use them to earn taxable money.

Otherwise, stuff you buy (gold, cars, furniture, clothing) is never a tax deduction.  It's just stuff you buy.

If in the future, you sell something for more than you paid for it, you have a gain that is usually taxable.  And if you sell an investment for less than you paid for it, you usually have a deductible loss.

Bitcoin is treated like other investments like gold coins or stocks.  Keep track of the price you pay now; if you sell in the future, you may have a taxable profit or a deductible loss, but only if you have the proof of what you paid.

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

Hello @Opus 17 

tell me please if I buy bitcoin to sell and keep the fees as my profit. Can I write off that purchase, right? 

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?


@dkysel wrote:

Hello @Opus 17 

tell me please if I buy bitcoin to sell and keep the fees as my profit. Can I write off that purchase, right? 


I don't understand your question.  

 

If you buy bitcoin, there is nothing deductible going on.  If you sell it for more than you paid, your profit is considered a taxable capital gain, and is taxed as ordinary income (if held less than 1 year) or as a long term capital gain (if held more than 1 year).  If you pay transaction fees to buy and sell, those are not "deductible" but they are treated as adding to the purchase price or reducing the sales price and they reduce your gain.

 

If you sell the bitcoin at a loss, the loss is probably not deductible as a capital loss, because losses on personal property are never deductible.  To deduct a loss on bitcoin, you would have to be able to prove to the IRS you were acting as a professional investor. 

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

I mean if I buy btc on Localbotcoin and sell it to somebody else, I’m working like an exchange. It’s like on eBay, but instead of goods I buy btc (my business expense) and sell it with my fee (my profit). Will I be able to explain IRS that?

GiseleD
Expert Alumni

If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?

What you described is really no different than buying and selling on a traditional exchange, like Coinbase. It just sounds like you are doing it in-person versus remotely via an exchange. You are buying an asset from one individual and selling it to another individual. No different than what you'd do on an exchange. You will recognize capital gain or loss with each transaction, and this will be reported on Form 8949. 

 

If you want to form an actual cryptocurrency exchange, there are a TON of regulatory hoops you must jump through. Most of them are very expensive, and you will likely have to register with FinCEN. If you form the exchange in the US, you will be subject to a TON of oversight. 

 

Based on what you have described, you are a crypto investor.

 

@dkysel

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If i buy bitcoins can i deduct that from my taxes?


@dkysel wrote:

I mean if I buy btc on Localbotcoin and sell it to somebody else, I’m working like an exchange. It’s like on eBay, but instead of goods I buy btc (my business expense) and sell it with my fee (my profit). Will I be able to explain IRS that?


Any time you buy and sell anything, you realize your gains and losses and pay taxes on your gains.  You must keep very good records.  You mentioned eBay; suppose you go to garage and estate sales and buy items that you re-sell on eBay.  You have a capital gain if you sell the item for more than you paid for it.  You can reduce the selling price by your costs (shipping charges, listing fees, PayPal fees).  Suppose you buy a doll for $5 that you recognize as a collectible, and you sell it on eBay for $100.  You pay $3 to PayPal as a transaction fee, $3 to eBay as a listing fee, and $8 to ship the doll.  Your net gain on that transaction is $81, that is your taxable income on that transaction. You keep records of all your transactions and pay tax on your gain at the end of the year.

 

The IRS treats cryptocurrency in the same category of items, the rules are the same as if it was a physical collectible like a doll or a comic book.  The only difference is that each transaction must be recorded in the US$ value at the time.  Suppose you bought 0.1 btc last Friday at $900 and sold it today at $925.  You have a $25 profit that is taxable.  If you paid transaction costs on the exchange of $1, then your taxable profit is $24.

 

If however, you bought btc last week, and today you trade it for etherium, and next week you sell the etherium for cash, you have to report that as two separate transactions;  Btc to Eth where the profit or loss is determined by the US$ price for Btc on the day of the buy and sell; and then Eth to US$ where the profit or loss is determined using the US$ price for Eth on the day of the buy and sell.  (This requirement to record all trades in US$ makes arbitrage subject to more tax than it might otherwise.)

 

The exchange you use might send a 1099-B or make a report available with the same information, but you have an absolute requirement to keep your own records.  Because if you get audited, and the IRS sees a payment in your checking account of $925 for the sale of 0.1Btc, they will tax that as 100% taxable unless you can prove that you originally paid $900 for it.  

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