The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, signed into law by President Donald Trump, has major implications for cryptocurrency investors. The legislation, which went into effect on Jan.
1, 2018, essentially classifies cryptocurrency as property for tax purposes. This means that any gains or losses from buying, selling or trading cryptocurrency are subject to capital gains tax.
At the federal level, short-term capital gains are taxed at your marginal tax rate, which ranges from 10% to 37%, depending on your tax bracket. Long-term capital gains are taxed at a lower rate: 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your tax bracket.
In addition to federal taxes, you may also be subject to state and local taxes on your cryptocurrency earnings. For example, New York State imposes a 4% tax on all crypto transactions, regardless of whether they result in a gain or loss.
The good news is that there are ways to minimize your tax liability when trading cryptocurrency. One popular strategy is to use a service like Coinbase Pro that allows you to trade between different cryptocurrencies without triggering a taxable event.
Another strategy is to hold onto your cryptocurrency for more than one year so that you can take advantage of the lower long-term capital gains tax rate.
Ultimately, whether or not you pay taxes on mining bitcoin depends on a number of factors, including where you live and how you trade your cryptocurrency. However, if you do have taxable gains from buying, selling or trading bitcoin, it’s important to understand the implications so that you can properly report them on your taxes.