The ATO has released updated information on claiming cryptocurrency losses and gains in your tax return.
The first point to understand is that gains and losses from crypto are only reported in your tax return
when you dispose of it - you sell it, convert it to fiat currency, exchange it for another type of asset, buy something with it, etc.
You cannot recognise market fluctuations or claim a loss because the value of your crypto assets changed until the loss is realised or
crystallised.
Gains and losses from the disposal of cryptocurrency should be reported in your tax return in the year that the disposal
occurred.
If you made a capital gain on crypto that was held as an investment and you held the crypto for more than 12 months then you may be able to
access the 50% Capital Gains Tax (CGT) discount and halve the tax you pay.
If you made a loss on the cryptocurrency (capital loss) when you disposed of it, you can generally offset the loss against capital gains you
might have (unless the crypto is a personal use asset). But, you can only offset capital losses against capital gains. You cannot offset
these losses against other forms of income like salary and wages, unfortunately. If you don’t have any capital gains to offset, you can hold
the losses and carry them forward for another future year when you can use them.
If you earned income from crypto such as airdrops or staking rewards, then these also need to be reported in your tax return.
And remember, keep records of your crypto transactions. The ATO has sophisticated data matching programs in place and cryptocurrency
reporting is a major area of focus.
After overwhelming demand and sold-out sessions in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Mornington in 2025, we’re inviting expressions of interest for 2026. If you missed out earlier or are ready to dive into hands-on automation training, we’re considering additional sessions in various locations across Australia in 2026.
LIVE 2-DAY COURSE - MELBOURNE CBD
15 & 16 December 2025
Join SkyBots’ 2-day Workshop with automation expert Daryl Aw to revolutionise your workflow using Power Automate, UiPath, VBA,
and cutting-edge AI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT. Tailored for accounting and finance
professionals, bookkeepers and small business owners, this hands-on training will teach you to automate repetitive tasks, generate and
optimise VBA scripts, and deploy robust automation solutions independently.
LIVE 2-DAY COURSE - SYDNEY
11 & 12 December 2025
Join SkyBots’ 2-day Workshop with automation expert Daryl Aw to revolutionise your workflow using Power Automate, UiPath, VBA,
and cutting-edge AI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT. Tailored for accounting and finance
professionals, bookkeepers and small business owners, this hands-on training will teach you to automate repetitive tasks, generate and
optimise VBA scripts, and deploy robust automation solutions independently.
SMART Business Solutions is proud to announce its recognition as the winner of Excellence in Local Community Connection (Medium–Large Business) and Excellence in Access and Inclusion at the 2025 Mornington Peninsula Business Excellence Awards.
It might seem like a clever strategy - moving surplus business cash into your personal mortgage offset account to save on home loan interest, then shifting it back to the company around tax time. But there’s a catch: the ATO sees this, and they’re not fans.
