Crypto tax in Ireland: what Revenue expects from you

Yes, crypto is taxable in Ireland. Revenue says there are no special tax rules for cryptocurrencies, so the normal rules apply: selling, transferring or spending crypto is most likely a disposal for capital gains tax, and gains above the €1,270 annual exemption are taxed at 33%. Holding crypto without disposing of it does not, on its own, create a tax bill.

That is the short version. The rest of this page explains what Revenue has actually published, which situations it covers, which it does not, and where to go for the detail. It is an explanation, not advice on your own circumstances, and every figure below should be re-checked after Budget 2027, which is scheduled for 6 October 2026.

What Revenue actually says about crypto

The document to know is Tax and Duty Manual Part 02-01-03, Taxation of Crypto-Asset Transactions. Revenue shows it as last reviewed in January 2026, with an earlier version from April 2022. You will see it described online as a "Revenue eManual" page on cryptocurrency; that label is out of date, and the page under that name no longer exists. The Revenue cryptocurrencies page sends you to the same manual and states plainly that there are no special rules for crypto.

What the manual does is apply existing law. A sale, transfer or redemption of crypto is "most likely" a disposal for CGT, unless what you are doing amounts to a trade in crypto-assets. Gains are worked out asset by asset, disposal by disposal. Spending crypto on goods or services is also a disposal; the manual uses a café purchase as its example. Crypto received as pay from an employer is valued in euro at the time it is paid, and it is taxed through payroll.

What counts as a taxable event

A disposal is the trigger, and the word is wider than "selling for euro". The cleaner way to think about it is that CGT arises when you stop owning a coin, or part of one, in exchange for something of value or for nothing.

The swap row deserves a flag. Many Irish readers assume Revenue has said swaps are taxable. It has not said so in terms: the manual does not expressly list them. The treatment as a disposal rests on general principles and on Revenue's wording elsewhere that CGT applies to the sale, gift or exchange of an asset. It is the position most advisers take, but treat it as an inference and ask an accountant if the amounts are large. The valuation question that follows is how to price the coin you received; the manual says to make a reasonable effort at an appropriate exchange rate, and it accepts that there is no single rate across exchanges.

Who pays what: CGT, income tax and CAT

Three taxes can touch crypto, and they are different animals.

Capital gains tax is the one most holders meet. It applies to the gain when you dispose of crypto you held as an investment. The rate is 33% on most gains, after your personal €1,270 exemption for the year. The mechanics, with worked euro examples, are in our guide to capital gains tax on crypto in Ireland.

Income tax applies instead if your activity amounts to a trade. The manual is careful here: the word "trade" is not enough, and the question is decided on the facts, using the established "badges of trade" case law and Revenue's trading guidance. Most people who buy and hold for the long term are not traders. Frequent, organised dealing with a profit motive is where the line gets blurry, and it is a judgement for an adviser rather than a rule of thumb. Income tax is also the starting point for crypto paid as salary.

Capital acquisitions tax (CAT) is the tax on the person who receives a gift or inheritance. Revenue's manual says crypto received this way is valued at its euro market value at the valuation date, and the CAT rate is 33%. We deliberately do not quote the group thresholds here, as we could not verify the current figures for this page; the Revenue CAT rates page is the place to check. A gift of crypto can therefore have two sides: possible CGT for the giver and possible CAT for the receiver.

The calendar

Ireland's tax year is the calendar year, and CGT has its own payment dates that are not the same as the income tax ones. Disposals between 1 January and 30 November are paid by 15 December of the same year. Disposals in December are paid by 31 January of the next year. The return itself is due by 31 October of the year after the disposal, and Revenue says it is needed "even if no tax is due" because of reliefs or losses. Late payment brings interest and a late return brings a penalty. If you file through ROS, Revenue's online service, the filing deadline can be extended; its text says to check the date each year, so we do not state one here.

The full filing walk-through, including which Revenue form applies to whom, is on our page about how to report and pay crypto tax in Ireland.

Records Revenue expects

Revenue's manual says to keep records for six years, and that records held in a wallet or on a device must be made available to Revenue if asked. In practice that means more than a screenshot of a balance. You want the date, the type of transaction, the asset, the quantity, the euro value at the time, the fees, and where it happened. Exchanges let you export a transaction history, but exports change and accounts get closed, so download your own copy each year-end rather than trusting that it will still be there. A spreadsheet layout is described on our crypto tax calculator page.

What the manual does not cover

Two areas catch people out because they assume the manual answers them. It does not address the income-tax treatment of staking, airdrops, forks or DeFi income; mining gets only a VAT comment. If you have those, read our guide to staking, airdrops and mining tax in Ireland, which explains the general principles and why you should take advice.

It also does not say how to match disposals when you have bought the same coin at several prices. Revenue states that gains are computed on a disposal-by-disposal basis for each asset. A four-week matching rule exists in Irish law for shares and securities, but Revenue's crypto guidance does not say it applies to crypto, so do not assume it does.

What changed recently

Three things are worth knowing as of 5 October 2026. First, Revenue reviewed its crypto manual in January 2026. Second, Budget 2026 left the CGT rate and the €1,270 exemption unchanged, according to Revenue's budget summary. Third, and most important for behaviour, the EU's DAC8 rules took effect on 1 January 2026. Crypto-asset service providers now have to collect your details, including your tax identification number, and report annual totals to Revenue, with the first returns due on 31 May 2027. That reports gross acquisition and disposal amounts, not your gains, so you still have to do the calculation. Our page on CARF and DAC8 reporting explains the data in detail.

Budget 2027 is scheduled for 6 October 2026, the day after we checked these figures. Press speculation about CGT changes is not a fact, so nothing here assumes a change, and you should re-check the rate, the exemption and any crypto-related measures once the Budget is out.

Where to go next

If you want to know how the sums work, start with crypto capital gains tax in Ireland, then use the crypto tax calculator for a quick estimate. If your question is how to file, go to reporting and paying crypto tax. If you want to lower the bill by legitimate means, read how to reduce crypto tax legally. Selling is covered in our guide to selling crypto in Ireland, and spending is covered under paying with crypto, where every purchase is a disposal.