How Are Crypto Airdrops Taxed?
A popular marketing stunt from cryptocurrency startups, crypto investors love airdrops - but did you know that crypto airdrops are taxed? Learn about crypto airdrops tax around the world.
Crypto airdrops are distributions of a given token or coin to promote a new digital currency and build a community.
Airdrops are taxable. Most tax offices view airdrops as a kind of income, meaning they’ll be subject to Income Tax on receipt.
Some tax offices state certain kinds of airdrops are tax free - it all depends on why you received the airdrop.
If you later sell, or otherwise dispose of, your airdropped tokens you’ll pay Capital Gains Tax on any gain.
What is airdrops tax?
Are airdrops taxed? Yes. Crypto airdrops are generally subject to tax. In fact, you may even pay tax twice on airdrops in some countries.While in other countries airdrops may be tax-free depending on why they were received.
Let’s break down how airdrop taxes work in different countries, and explore the two main types of tax you might pay: Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
Airdrops taxed as income
How an airdrop is taxed depends on where you live and sometimes even the reason you received the airdrop. Some countries like Canada and Germany see receiving an airdrop as a tax free event, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
Instead, most countries including the USA, Australia, and the UK have taken a harder stance. Typically, tax authorities view airdrops to be a type of income - like a bonus - which makes them subject to Income Tax.
Learn more: What is a crypto airdrop?
Airdrops taxed as capital gains
Like any other asset, when you sell coins/tokens you got from an airdrop, this will be subject to Capital Gains Tax. So in some countries, you’ll be paying tax twice on an airdrop!
The cost basis of your airdropped coins is their FMV on the date you received your airdrop.
We’ll dive into how each country deals with airdrops. Skip ahead to find your country’s airdrop tax rules.
Airdrops tax USA
The IRS has given clear guidance on how airdrops are taxed in America.
Read next: Upcoming Crypto Airdrops
Airdrop in: Income Tax
The IRS guidance on crypto is clear that airdrops are a type of income, so you should pay Income Tax on any coin or token received from an airdrop. Use the fair market value (FMV) of the coin on the day you received it to figure out how much income you received. This should be reported as “other income” on IRS Form 1040 Schedule 1.
Airdrop out: Capital Gains Tax
If you’re selling coins received from an airdrop, this will be subject to Capital Gains Tax. You can use the same calculation above to figure out your cost basis, then subtract this from the amount you sold them for to calculate your capital gains. This is reported on IRS Form 8949.
Find out more about how America taxes cryptocurrency in our updated crypto taxes guide.
EXAMPLE
You receive 400 UNI tokens on the 1st of September. The FMV of UNI tokens that day is $2.
$2 x 400 = $800.
You report $800 of other income on Form 1040 Schedule 1.
You sold your UNI tokens 6 months later. The FMV of UNI tokens that day was $10, so you made $4,000. You already know your cost basis was $800 from your previous calculation.
$4,000 - $800 = $3,200.
You report a capital gain of $3,200 on Form 8949.
Airdrops tax UK
The HMRC has some very clear guidance on Income Tax on airdrops. Whether you pay tax depends on the reason you received the airdrop.
Airdrops in: Income Tax
In the UK, airdrops are treated as income if you’ve done something to earn them — like being rewarded for past trades or completing a task (yes, even something as simple as retweeting a post).
On the other hand, if airdrops just land in your wallet out of the blue, with no strings attached, they’re not considered income.
Of course, it wouldn’t be tax without a twist — if you’re classed as a trader (meaning crypto is your main source of income), then even unsolicited airdrops may be taxed as income. Even the free ones.
Airdrop out: Capital Gains Tax
If you sell coins or tokens you received from an airdrop and make a profit, that gain is subject to Capital Gains Tax. The taxman doesn’t forget — even if you got the tokens for free.
At tax time, you report both income and capital gains on your HMRC Self Assessment Tax Return. You can also report your capital gains in real time through the HMRC Capital Gains Tax Service.
Learn how the UK taxes cryptocurrency in our updated UK Crypto Tax Guide and find out how to pay less tax on crypto in the UK.
EXAMPLE
You receive 200 UNI tokens on the 1st of September, with a FMV of £2 at the time of receipt. You received these tokens because you had conducted trades on the Uniswap platform prior to this date. This means your UNI token may be subject to Income Tax as you did something in order to receive them.
£2 x 200 = £400. You report £400 of income on your Self Assessment Tax Return.
You sell your UNI tokens at £5 a few months later, so you made £1,000. These are subject to Capital Gains tax. You know your cost basis from the calculation above.
£1,000 - £400 = £600. You report £600 in Capital Gains in your Self Assessment Tax Return or through the Capital Gains Tax Service.
Airdrops tax Australia
The ATO has updated its guidance on how airdrops are taxed. In most cases, like receiving tokens from a marketing campaign, airdrops are treated as ordinary income and subject to Income Tax.
But it doesn’t stop there: if you later sell those tokens for a profit, any gain is also subject to Capital Gains Tax. So yes, an airdrop can come with a double tax bill — fun.
Exception to the rule
There is one key exception to the usual rules, and that’s initial allocation airdrops. In this case, the ATO does not treat the airdrop as ordinary income or as a capital gain when you receive it.
However, when you eventually dispose of those tokens, any profit will be subject to Capital Gains Tax. If you received the tokens for free, your cost basis is zero. If you paid for them, whatever you paid becomes your cost basis. Free is rarely truly free
Airdrops in: Income Tax
Most airdrops, excluding initial allocation airdrops, are considered income in Australia. Aussie taxpayers will report income and capital gains under the same Individual Tax Return Form, which you can do online with MyTax.
Airdrop out: Capital Gains Tax
In Australia, when you sell coins or tokens that you received from an airdrop, if you have a capital gain this will be subject to Capital Gains Tax.
Both income and capital gains are reported in the Individual Tax Return Form, which you can do online with MyTax.
See how Australia taxes cryptocurrency in our updated Australian Crypto Tax Guide.
EXAMPLE
You receive 300 1INCH tokens from an airdrop. On the day you receive them, the FMV per token is $3.5. Your tokens are subject to Income Tax, so you need to calculate their total worth.
$3.5 x 300 = $1,050. You report $1,050 of income on your Individual Tax Return Form.
You sell your 1INCH tokens a couple of days later. The FMV per token is $4, so you make $1,200. You can use the calculation above as your cost basis.
$1,200 - $1,050 = $150. You report a capital gain of $150 on your Individual Tax Return Form.
Airdrops tax Canada
The Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t view airdrops as a type of income, provided you’re trading on an individual level and not as a cryptocurrency business. When you sell an asset you received through an airdrop, this would be subject to Capital Gains Tax.
Adjusted cost basis method
It’s important to note that because CRA uses the adjusted cost basis method, we calculate our cost basis differently than in the other examples. As there is no cost involved in receiving an airdrop, the entire sale is subject to Capital Gains Tax.
Capital gains in Canada are reported on a Schedule 3 Form. You can do this online.
Learn how Canada taxes cryptocurrency in our updated Canadian Crypto Tax Guide.
EXAMPLE
You receive 200 1INCH tokens from an airdrop. The FMV of the token that day is $3. Your tokens are not subject to Income Tax as you’re not trading as a business.
You paid nothing for the asset, so your cost basis is $0.
You sold your 1INCH tokens two months later for $4, so you made a total of $800. To calculate your capital gains, subtract your cost basis from the sale price.
$800 - $0 = $800. You report a capital gain of $800 on your Schedule 3 Form.
Airdrops tax Germany
Unlike our last three countries, airdrops in Germany aren’t considered income by BZst. They’re seen as more akin to a lottery win and therefore they aren’t subject to Income Tax. So in Germany, airdrops are not taxed.
In even better news, because there is no purchase transaction for an airdrop, they also can’t be considered subject to Income Tax at the point of a subsequent sale. So both receiving airdrops and selling the asset later on is tax free in Germany. Win!
Find out more about how Germany taxes cryptocurrency in our updated German Crypto Tax Guide.
How are airdrops taxed in other countries?
As you can see, the tax treatment of airdrops really depends on where you live. And to make things more confusing, many countries haven’t given any clear guidance at all, which often leaves crypto investors guessing.
As a general rule, it’s a good idea to follow your country’s approach to other crypto transactions. If, for example, coins from a crypto fork are treated as income, there’s a good chance airdrops will be too. When in doubt, assume the tax office is watching.
How does Koinly calculate airdrop tax?
You can simplify airdrop taxes, and crypto taxes in general, by using Koinly's crypto tax calculator. Koinly does all tax calculations for you, based on where you live.
All you need to do is tag your airdrop transactions and Koinly will calculate your cost basis and any subsequent capital gain from a sale.
If you live in a country where airdrops are treated as income, you can head into the settings page of your Koinly account and turn "treat airdrops as income?" on. Koinly will then calculate the Income Tax for airdrops and add them to your income report.
You're also able to tell Koinly which deposits - that is, crypto coming into your account - were income from sources like airdrops, mining, staking, and so on.
To do this, select the transaction in question and simply tag any airdrops, staking rewards, mining, and forks. Koinly does this automatically in most cases but sometimes the data imported may not tell Koinly that a transaction is an airdrop deposit. So double check.
Once everything is correct, go ahead and download your crypto tax report from the Koinly Tax Reports page. Koinly offers a number of different tax reports to choose from. At tax time, you can submit your report to your accountant, invite your accountant to view your Koinly profile, or file your taxes yourself. Sign up and get started!
