How to Cash Out Crypto Without Paying Taxes | CoinLedger (2024)

Looking to cash out your crypto without paying taxes? In this guide, we’ll walk through IRS guidelines on converting your cryptocurrency to fiat and share a few strategies that can help you save thousands on your tax bill.

How is cryptocurrency taxed in the US?

Before we take a look at our tax-saving strategies, let’s walk through the basics of how cryptocurrency is taxed in the US.

In the United States and most other countries, cryptocurrency is subject to capital gains and ordinary income tax.

How to Cash Out Crypto Without Paying Taxes | CoinLedger (1)

Cashing out cryptocurrency to fiat currency is considered a disposal subject to capital gains tax.

For more information, check out our ultimate guide to how cryptocurrency is taxed in the United States.

How much taxes do you pay when you cash out crypto?

How much tax you pay on your cryptocurrency disposals depends on multiple factors, such as your total income for the year and how long you held your cryptocurrency.

If you dispose of your cryptocurrency after longer than 12 months of holding, you’ll pay long-term capital gains tax ranging from 0-20%.

How to Cash Out Crypto Without Paying Taxes | CoinLedger (2)

If you dispose of your cryptocurrency after less than 12 months of holding, your profits will be considered ordinary income and taxed between 10-37%.

How to Cash Out Crypto Without Paying Taxes | CoinLedger (3)

For more information, check out our guide to crypto tax rates.

What happens if I don’t report my crypto to the IRS?

Not reporting your cryptocurrency transactions to the IRS is considered tax evasion — a serious crime with serious consequences. The maximum penalty for tax evasion is 5 years in prison and a fine of $100,000.

Though cryptocurrency transactions are pseudo-anonymous, it’s important to remember that the IRS has methods to identify investors. Major exchanges like Coinbase issue 1099 forms to the IRS that contain customer information and detail your taxable income for the year.

In addition, it’s important to remember that transactions on blockchains like Ethereum and Bitcoin are publicly visible and permanent. In the past, the IRS has worked with contractors to analyze blockchain transactions and identify ‘anonymous’ wallets.

How to legally cash out your cryptocurrency without paying taxes

Converting your cryptocurrency into fiat currency is subject to capital gains tax. However, there are strategies that help you legally reduce your tax bill on your cryptocurrency profits.

Harvest losses

Selling your cryptocurrency at a loss can help offset gains from cashing out crypto.

When you harvest losses, you can offset your gains from cryptocurrency, stocks, and other assets and up to $3,000 of income. Any net losses above this amount can be carried forward into future tax years.

Crypto IRAs

Crypto IRAs (individual retirement accounts) can help you grow wealth on a tax-free or tax–deferred basis. While most retirement plan providers don’t allow you to invest in cryptocurrency IRAs directly, you can use a self-directed IRA provider like iTrustCapital, Bitcoin IRA, or Coin IRA.

Take out a cryptocurrency loan

Instead of cashing out your cryptocurrency, consider taking out a cryptocurrency loan.

In general, loans are considered tax-free. That means that if you’re looking for access to fiat currency, taking out a loan may be a great alternative to selling your cryptocurrency.

Move to a low-tax state or country

While it may seem like an extreme step to take, some investors do choose to relocate to low-tax states. Currently, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have no income taxes (though New Hampshire taxes interest and dividends).

Some investors even choose to relocate to countries where cryptocurrency isn’t taxed. At this time, cryptocurrency is tax-free for individual investors in countries like the United Arab Emirates and Malta.

For more tips, check out our guide on how to legally avoid cryptocurrency taxes.

Do I have to pay taxes if I didn’t cash out my crypto?

Remember, there’s no tax for simply holding cryptocurrency. You won’t pay taxes unless you dispose of your crypto or earn interest from your existing cryptocurrency.

How CoinLedger Can Help

Looking for an easy way to save money on your cryptocurrency taxes? CoinLedger can help. The platform is built to minimize the amount of taxes you owe from crypto.


Today, more than 500,000 investors use CoinLedger to find their largest tax-saving opportunities and generate a complete tax report in minutes.

Get started with a free CoinLedger account.

How to Cash Out Crypto Without Paying Taxes | CoinLedger (2024)

FAQs

How to Cash Out Crypto Without Paying Taxes | CoinLedger? ›

There is no way to legally avoid taxes when cashing out cryptocurrency. However, strategies like tax-loss harvesting can help you reduce your tax bill legally. Do I have to pay tax for withdrawing crypto? You may or may not pay taxes depending on the nature of your 'withdrawal'.

How do you avoid tax on crypto? ›

9 Ways to Legally Avoid Paying Crypto Taxes
  1. Buy Items on BitDials.
  2. Invest Using an IRA.
  3. Have a Long-Term Investment Horizon.
  4. Gift Crypto to Family Members.
  5. Relocate to a Different Country.
  6. Donate Crypto to Charity.
  7. Offset Gains with Appropriate Losses.
  8. Sell Crypto During Low-Income Periods.
Mar 22, 2024

Can you get away with not claiming crypto taxes? ›

What happens if I don't report cryptocurrency on my taxes? The IRS is perfectly clear crypto is taxed and failure to report crypto on your taxes may result in steep penalties. The punishments the IRS can levy against crypto tax evaders are steep as both tax evasion and tax fraud are federal offenses.

How to cash out crypto anonymously? ›

How to Sell Your Bitcoin Anonymously
  1. Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) VPNs are an effective way to sell your Bitcoin without a trace. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and redirects it through a server in a different location. ...
  2. Creating and Using Anonymous Wallets.
  3. Implementing Coin Mixing Services.

Does Cash App report crypto to IRS? ›

If you sold bitcoin on Cash App, you may owe taxes relating to such sale(s). Cash App will provide you with your IRS Form 1099-B based on the IRS Form W-9 information you provided in the app. Cash App does not report a cost basis for your bitcoin sales to the IRS.

How much crypto can you sell without paying taxes? ›

Crypto tax rates for 2024
Tax RateSingleMarried Filing Jointly
0%$0 to $47,025$0 to $94,050
15%$47,026 to $518,900$94,051 to $583,750
20%>$518,900>$583,750

How to get crypto tax free? ›

Do I have to pay taxes if I didn't cash out my crypto? Remember, there's no tax for simply holding cryptocurrency. You won't pay taxes unless you dispose of your crypto or earn interest from your existing cryptocurrency.

Do I have to pay tax if I withdraw my crypto? ›

You owe taxes when you earn or dispose of cryptocurrency. Capital gains tax: When you dispose of your cryptocurrency, you'll incur a capital gain or loss depending on how the price of your crypto has changed since you originally received it.

Will the IRS know if I don't report my crypto? ›

Continued Failure to File

After an initial failure to file, the IRS will notify any taxpayer who hasn't completed their annual return or reports. If, after 90 days, you still haven't included your crypto gains on Form 8938, you could face a fine of up to $50,000.

Do I report crypto if I didn't sell? ›

Do you need to report taxes on Bitcoin you don't sell? If you buy Bitcoin, there's nothing to report until you sell. If you earned crypto through staking, a hard fork, an airdrop or via any method other than buying it, you'll likely need to report it, even if you haven't sold it.

How do I legally cash out crypto? ›

How to cash out your crypto or Bitcoin
  1. Use an exchange to sell crypto.
  2. Use your broker to sell crypto.
  3. Go with a peer-to-peer trade.
  4. Cash out at a Bitcoin ATM.
  5. Trade one crypto for another and then cash out.
Feb 9, 2024

How to cash out large amounts of crypto? ›

To convert a large sum of crypto into fiat: You can find an OTC desk to move it pretty quickly at current market rates, minus their fee. Or you can sell it more slowly on exchanges that deal in fiat currency — Binance, Coinbase, Gemini, Kraken, and a few others service the US, for example.

How do I hide crypto money? ›

  1. Exchange Hopping: Criminals also use multiple crypto exchanges to transfer funds across different platforms, making tracing the money trail difficult.
  2. Privacy-Oriented Cryptocurrencies: Some blockchains employ advanced cryptographic techniques to hide transaction amounts, addresses, and other information.

What is the $600 rule? ›

The new "$600 rule"

Under the new rules set forth by the IRS, if you got paid more than $600 for the transaction of goods and services through third-party payment platforms, you will receive a 1099-K for reporting the income.

Can the IRS see my crypto wallet? ›

Yes, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies can be traced. Transactions are recorded on a public ledger, making them accessible to anyone, including government agencies. Centralized exchanges provide customer data, such as wallet addresses and personal information, to the IRS.

How to avoid taxes on Cash App? ›

It doesn't matter how little you earn or whether the platform sends you a Form 1099-K. You're always required to report the amount on your return. Generally, the only way to avoid Cash App taxes is to lower your taxable income by claiming tax deductions.

Do I have to pay taxes on crypto if I don't cash out? ›

If you're holding crypto, there's no immediate gain or loss, so the crypto is not taxed. Tax is only incurred when you sell the asset, and you subsequently receive either cash or units of another cryptocurrency: At this point, you have “realized” the gains, and you have a taxable event.

Do you have to report crypto under $600? ›

You owe taxes on any amount of profit or income, even $1. Crypto exchanges are required to report income of more than $600, but you still are required to pay taxes on smaller amounts. Do you need to report taxes on Bitcoin you don't sell? If you buy Bitcoin, there's nothing to report until you sell.

How long do you have to hold crypto to avoid capital gains? ›

‍Short-term capital gains tax: If you've held your cryptocurrency for less than a year, your disposals will be subject to short-term capital gains tax. For tax purposes, this is treated the same as ordinary income and can range from 10% - 37% depending on your income level.

What states are tax free for crypto? ›

However, there is no tax for simply owning cryptocurrency. What states have no crypto tax? Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have no state income taxes (although New Hampshire and Tennessee tax interest and dividends while Washington taxes capital gains).

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