Before you import a single transaction, sometimes you just want a quick answer: "roughly how much tax would I owe if I sold now?" The SafeTax simulator gives you that answer in seconds — no account, no upload, no data leaving your device. Enter a gain and a few parameters, and it estimates your liability using the same country engines that power the full SafeTax reports. This guide explains what the simulator covers, how it works, and the difference between the free Quick estimate and the Advanced optimizer.
What the simulator does
The simulator is a client-side calculator: everything runs in your browser, so the numbers you type never leave your device and nothing is stored. It's built for fast "what-if" estimates — comparing scenarios, checking the impact of a sale, or seeing how your location changes the result — not for filing.
It uses the same fiscal engines as the full SafeTax report, so a Quick estimate is consistent with what a complete analysis would produce for the same inputs. For an official, transaction-by-transaction report you still import your history into SafeTax — the simulator is the fast first look.
United States: federal + all 51 jurisdictions
For the US, the simulator estimates your federal capital-gains tax and lets you compare across all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. — 51 jurisdictions in total. You choose your filing status (single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, or head of household), enter your gain and other taxable income, and it splits short-term versus long-term treatment for you.
The state comparator is the standout: the same gain can cost very different amounts depending on where you live, and the simulator lays those differences out side by side. It reflects the structural US rules — short-term gains taxed at ordinary rates, long-term at the preferential brackets, plus the Net Investment Income Tax where relevant.
Europe and New Zealand: free per-country estimates
Switch to the Europe region and the simulator estimates your tax country by country, in the local currency, across 16 European countries — from France, Germany and Spain to Switzerland, Ireland and the Nordics — and ranks them side by side in a free comparator. New Zealand is covered too. All of this is free and needs no account.
For countries with a holding-period rule — Germany, Portugal and Luxembourg — the Advanced tab adds a lot-level timing optimizer. For a holding-period country, selling a few days too early can mean paying tax on a gain that would have been exempt a little later; the optimizer looks at your lots and tells you, concretely, "wait until this date and this portion becomes tax-free." The German, Portuguese and Luxembourg logic behind it uses the same counter-signed helpers as the SafeTax engine. (Advanced is the subscription part — the per-country estimates and comparator stay free.)
How it works — three steps
1. Pick your region and jurisdiction. Choose the US (and a filing status) or a European country. The simulator adapts the inputs to that jurisdiction automatically.
2. Enter your numbers. A realized gain, your other taxable income, and — for the timing optimizer — the acquisition dates of your lots. Everything stays in the browser.
3. Read your estimate. See the estimated tax immediately, compare across US states, or get a concrete timing recommendation in Europe. No sign-up needed for the Quick estimate.
Privacy: nothing leaves your browser
The simulator is built around zero retention. The calculation is performed locally in JavaScript in your browser; the values you enter are not sent to any server, not logged, and not stored anywhere. Close the tab and there is nothing left behind.
That's the same privacy-first principle behind SafeTax as a whole: your financial data is yours. The simulator is the purest expression of it — there is literally no server round-trip for the estimate.
Quick estimate (free) vs Advanced (subscription)
Quick estimate is free and needs no account: enter a gain, get a number, compare across jurisdictions. It's ideal for a fast sanity check before you decide anything.
Advanced unlocks the lot-level optimizer — the US lot optimizer and the European timing optimizer (Germany, Portugal, Luxembourg) — for users who want actionable, per-lot recommendations rather than a single headline figure. Advanced is a subscription; the Quick estimate and the state comparators stay free.
Whichever you use, the simulator estimates — it does not file. When you're ready to produce an official report, you import your transactions into SafeTax.
Try the crypto tax simulator now
Estimate your US or European crypto tax in seconds — free, instant, and entirely in your browser. Nothing to install, nothing stored.
Open the simulatorFrequently asked questions about the crypto tax simulator
Is the crypto tax simulator free?
Yes. The Quick estimate — including the US federal estimate, the comparison across all 51 US jurisdictions, per-country estimates for 16 European countries, and New Zealand — is free and needs no account. The Advanced lot-level optimizer (US and the European timing optimizer for Germany, Portugal and Luxembourg) is a subscription.
Does the simulator store my data?
No. The simulator runs entirely in your browser. The numbers you enter are never sent to a server, never logged and never stored. Closing the tab leaves nothing behind — it is zero-retention by design.
Which countries does the simulator cover?
For free: the United States at federal level and across all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. (51 jurisdictions), 16 European countries with per-country estimates and a side-by-side comparator, and New Zealand. For Germany, Portugal and Luxembourg — countries with a holding-period rule — an Advanced timing optimizer is available on subscription.
Is the simulator's estimate accurate?
The simulator uses the same fiscal engines as the full SafeTax report, so for the same inputs a Quick estimate is consistent with a complete analysis. It is an estimate for planning, not a filing: for an official, transaction-by-transaction report you import your history into SafeTax.
What is the timing optimizer?
For holding-period countries (Germany, Portugal, Luxembourg), selling a little too early can mean paying tax on a gain that would soon be exempt. The Advanced optimizer analyses your lots and tells you the date on which a portion becomes tax-free — a concrete, legal way to reduce what you owe.
Do I need to create an account to use it?
No account is required for the free Quick estimate and the US state comparator. You only sign in for the Advanced optimizer, which is a subscription feature.
SafeTax provides tax declaration assistance tools but does not constitute personalized tax advice. Always consult a qualified professional for your specific situation. Tax information may evolve and varies by jurisdiction.