Crypto Tax Rates in Austria

The Austrian tax system is consistent, coherent, and welcoming for investors. It treats cryptocurrency as part of your investment portfolio, offering clarity and a straightforward approach when paying taxes on your crypto gains.

Is Crypto Taxed In Austria?

Yes. As an individual, you need to pay taxes on cryptocurrency in Austria. Crypto is classified as an investment asset, not a speculative one, following the 2022 tax reform. This means it’s now seen as part of your regular investment portfolio, much like owning stocks or bonds.

This reform provided crypto with a clear legal and financial framework, transforming it from an uncertain or hidden investment category into a formal, reportable category within Austria’s system.

Profits from selling cryptocurrencies acquired after February 28, 2021, are subject to a flat tax rate of 27.5%, regardless of how long they’re held. This places crypto under the Capital Gains Tax (Kapitalertragsteuer) system, which also applies to other investment assets.

For businesses, the same principle applies. If your company holds or trades crypto, those gains must be declared as part of your corporate income tax or any other applicable tax obligations under Austrian law.

In short, crypto is fully integrated into Austria’s mainstream financial and tax framework, reflecting its status as a legitimate investment asset.

How Is Crypto Taxed In Austria?

Crypto in Austria is taxed under the capital gains tax system, as part of your overall investment portfolio. It is treated just like other financial assets, such as stocks or bonds.

Following the 2022 tax reform, Austria introduced a flat tax rate of 27.5% on profits from cryptocurrency transactions. This reform replaced the previous system, where short-term gains were taxed under progressive income tax rates of up to 55%.

The new approach makes the system much simpler and fairer; there’s now one fixed rate that applies to all investors, regardless of income level or how long the crypto was held.

By classifying crypto under capital gains, Austria provides more flexibility in how investors report and manage their taxes. It also allows taxpayers to offset crypto losses against other investment gains, making the system more transparent and consistent with the country’s broader investment framework.

 How Can I Calculate Crypto Tax Gains In Austria?

To calculate your crypto tax gains in Austria, you first need to understand how you are taxed. As mentioned before, profits from selling cryptocurrencies fall under capital gains tax with a flat rate of 27.5%.

You are only taxed when you sell your crypto and realize a profit. The taxable gain is calculated as the difference between the sale price and the purchase cost, converted into euros at the time of the transaction. The resulting profit is then taxed at the flat rate.

If you incur any losses, you can offset them against profits from other capital assets, for example, from stocks or bonds, since crypto is treated as part of your overall investment portfolio. This makes the Austrian system more balanced and investor-friendly.

It’s also important to note that swapping one crypto for another is not considered a taxable event. However, income from mining, lending, or third-party staking is subject to taxation, as it is considered part of your investment activity.

In the case of staking, rewards earned from directly participating in a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism are generally not taxed upon receipt, but only upon sale, since they have a zero-cost basis. Similarly, airdrops and hard forks are typically tax-free upon receipt, as these too have a zero-cost basis.

Overall, this framework is designed to support active investors by offering clear rules, loss deductions, and flexibility in how gains are reported.

When Is Crypto Taxed As Income In Austria?

As mentioned before, crypto in Austria is treated as an investment asset that falls under capital gains tax, not income tax. This means that simply holding or trading crypto as part of your investment portfolio does not make it taxable as income.

However, crypto can be taxed as income in specific situations, mainly when you receive crypto as payment for work or services. For example, if you’re a freelancer or business owner and you are paid in cryptocurrency, that payment is treated as regular income, just like if you had received euros. The taxable amount is based on the fair market value in euros at the time you receive the crypto.

In this case, the fact that you are paid in crypto doesn’t change the nature of the tax; you are taxed because it’s income, not because it’s crypto.

Apart from this, mining rewards and lending interest may also be taxed as income if they are considered part of a professional or business activity. But for most investors and individuals, crypto transactions remain under the capital gains framework.

In summary, crypto is taxed as income only when it’s earned, not when it’s held or traded as an investment.

Is There Any Tax On Stolen Or Lost Crypto?

No. In Austria, there is no tax on stolen or lost cryptocurrency. The country’s tax system is based on the principle of realization, meaning that tax is only due when you actually dispose of your crypto, by selling it for fiat currency, exchanging it for another asset, or using it to pay for goods or services.

Simply holding crypto is not a taxable event, and neither is losing access to it. If your crypto is stolen, lost, or inaccessible, it is no longer part of your active investment portfolio, and therefore, it cannot generate a taxable gain.

However, it’s also important to note that such losses cannot be claimed as deductions, since the Austrian tax authority only recognizes realized financial losses from actual transactions, not from theft or technical loss.

In summary, stolen or lost crypto is not taxed, but cannot be deducted either;  it simply falls outside the scope of taxable activity.

When Is Crypto Not Taxed In Austria?

Crypto in Austria is only taxed when you dispose of it. As long as you don’t sell or otherwise use your crypto to realize a gain, you don’t pay any taxes on it.

You are not taxed for simply holding crypto in your wallet, moving it between your own wallets, or swapping one cryptocurrency for another. None of these actions creates a taxable event, because no profit has been realized yet.

Tax only applies when you sell crypto for fiat currency or use it to pay for goods and services, as that’s when you generate a measurable gain.

This approach makes the Austrian system quite straightforward and investor-friendly; you can build and manage your crypto portfolio freely, without worrying about taxes until you actually realize profits.

When Do You Report Crypto In Austria?

In Austria, you report your crypto taxes during your annual tax return, as part of your capital gains and investment income. You only need to report crypto when you’ve realized a gain or loss, for example, by selling crypto for fiat or using it to buy goods and services.

The tax year in Austria follows the calendar year, running from January 1 to December 31.

For individuals, the annual tax return is typically due by April 30 of the following year (or June 30 if filed electronically through FinanzOnline).

For businesses using a tax advisor, the deadline may be extended up to March 31 of the second following year.

Losses from crypto disposals can also be reported and offset against profits from other capital investments within the same tax year, since all are treated under the same capital gains framework.

How Do You Report Crypto Tax In Austria?

In Austria, you report your crypto taxes through the government’s official online tax portal called FinanzOnline, managed by the Bundesministerium für Finanzen (BMF), the Austrian Ministry of Finance.

Crypto gains and losses are declared as part of your annual income tax return. The specific form used to report capital gains is the Form E1 (Einkommensteuererklärung), which covers all types of income, including investment and capital income.

If your crypto activities are purely private investments, you simply include the capital gains from crypto under the investment income section (Einkünfte aus Kapitalvermögen).

For companies or professionals whose crypto activity is part of a business operation, reporting is done through the corporate tax return, known as Form K1 (Körperschaftsteuererklärung).

All filings can be done electronically through FinanzOnline, which also allows you to track submissions, calculate payments, and receive tax notices digitally.

How Much Tax Do You Pay On Crypto In Austria?

In Austria, crypto gains are taxed at a flat rate of 27.5%. This fixed rate applies to all assets in your investment portfolio, including stocks and bonds, making the system simple and consistent for all investors.

Final Thoughts

Austria’s tax framework is one of the clearest in Europe. As part of the CARF (Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework), the country ensures transparent tracking and fair taxation of crypto activity. By recognizing crypto as an investment asset, Austria provides investors with peace of mind and stability, a flat 27.5% tax rate, the ability to declare losses, and full integration into their overall investment portfolio.

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