Crypto Tax Austria 2026: Everything You Need to Know

With the Ökosoziale Steuerreform (in force since 1 March 2022), cryptocurrencies were integrated into the Capital Gains Tax (Kapitalertragsteuer, KESt) regime. The new system replaces the old « Spekulationsfrist » of one year — which no longer exists.

All crypto income falls under a flat Sondersteuersatz of 27.5% — the same rate applied to shares, bonds and dividends. This replaces the progressive income-tax tariff (up to 55%) and is often much more favourable.

Two categories of crypto income under § 27b EStG: (1) « Current income » — staking rewards, lending interest, airdrops, mining at receipt; (2) « Realised gains » — sale for fiat, sale for stablecoins, or use as means of payment.

Example: you sell €10,000 of BTC with moving-average acquisition costs of €4,000. Gain = €6,000. KESt = €6,000 × 27.5% = €1,650. Significantly more favourable than progressive income tax, which at this income level could be 30-40%.

Austria uses the moving-average cost basis method (« gleitender Durchschnittskostenpreis ») to calculate acquisition costs — not FIFO like Germany.

With each new purchase, the acquisition cost is recalculated as an average. Example: you buy 1 BTC at €20,000 in January, then 1 BTC at €30,000 in May. Your moving average becomes (20,000 + 30,000) / 2 = €25,000 per BTC. If you buy another 1 BTC at €35,000 in September, the new average becomes: (25,000 + 25,000 + 35,000) / 3 = €28,333.

The moving average is applied PER WALLET (not consolidated across all wallets). Transfers between your own wallets are not taxable.

The 27.5% Sondersteuersatz replaces the progressive income tax rate. Optionally, the taxpayer may request in the tax return that the progressive tariff be applied (« Tarifoption ») — useful if total income is low enough that the progressive rate would be below 27.5%.

IMPORTANT — Crypto-to-crypto swaps are TAX-FREE since 2022 (§ 27b para. 4 EStG). Swapping BTC for ETH does not trigger KESt. The acquisition cost of the original BTC is carried over to the received ETH. This is a major difference from Germany.

Exception: a swap for a stablecoin (USDT, USDC, EUROC, etc.) is treated as a taxable disposal. If you swap BTC for USDT, that is a realisation with KESt consequence.

Mining and staking — current income taxable at 27.5% on the date of receipt, valued at the euro market price. At hobby level: § 27b EStG. For organised, regular activity: potential reclassification as commercial income with progressive tariff and social-security obligation.

Airdrops and hard forks — current income (27.5%) on receipt, valued at the euro market price.

DeFi lending and yield farming — current income (27.5%) on receipt of interest or rewards. Exact treatment may vary by protocol structure.

The 1 March 2022 reform draws a fundamental distinction between « Altbestand » (legacy holdings) and « Neuvermögen » (new wealth), based on the acquisition date of the cryptocurrency.

Altbestand — Cryptocurrencies acquired BEFORE 1 March 2021 are considered « legacy assets ». The old one-year Spekulationsfrist still applies — when sold after more than one year of holding, gains are TAX-FREE.

Neuvermögen — Cryptocurrencies acquired FROM 1 March 2021 onwards fall under the new regime (27.5% KESt, no more Spekulationsfrist).

Important: when swapping Altbestand for Neuvermögen or vice versa, you must carefully track the classification. Without verifiable documentation (acquisition date and cost), the tax authority may treat the entire holding as Neuvermögen.

SafeTax automatically tracks the Altbestand/Neuvermögen classification for each coin in your portfolio based on acquisition dates.

Since 2024, Austrian crypto platforms (Bitpanda and similar) are required to automatically withhold KESt from sale proceeds and remit it to the tax authority — similar to the withholding on classic securities. This is known as « Plattform-Abzug » or « KESt-Abzug ».

If all your crypto activity takes place on an Austrian platform with KESt withholding, your tax obligations are settled — no additional return required.

If you use foreign platforms (Binance, Kraken, Coinbase, etc.), NO automatic withholding occurs — you must declare and pay the KESt yourself in your tax return.

The return is filed via FinanzOnline with form E1kv (Annex for capital income). Deadline: 30 April (paper) or 30 June (online) of the following year. With extension, later filing is possible.

SafeTax calculates all KESt-relevant values (current income and realised gains) and presents them ready to enter on form E1kv.

Mistake 1: declaring crypto-to-crypto swaps as taxable. Since 2022 these swaps are TAX-FREE in Austria (§ 27b para. 4 EStG). This is a major difference from Germany.

Mistake 2: overlooking the difference between stablecoin swaps and crypto-crypto swaps. BTC → USDT is taxable (stablecoin = disposal), while BTC → ETH is tax-free.

Mistake 3: not documenting the Altbestand classification. Cryptos acquired before 1 March 2021 still benefit from the one-year Spekulationsfrist. Without proof, the tax authority may treat them as Neuvermögen.

Mistake 4: using FIFO instead of moving average. Austria uses moving-average cost basis per wallet — a different method from German FIFO.

Mistake 5: expecting platform withholding from foreign exchanges. Only Austrian platforms automatically withhold KESt. With Binance, Kraken or Coinbase, you must declare and pay KESt yourself.

Mistake 6: missing the Tarifoption. If your total income is low, applying the progressive tariff (instead of the 27.5% Sondersteuersatz) may be more favourable — request it on your tax return.