12 September 2025 · CGT
What a crypto disposal record should contain
A practical look at pools, fees, swaps, and the evidence behind a capital gains calculation.
Read analysis
UK tax desk · 2025/26 focus
UK Crypto Tax: HMRC Rules, Capital Gains, and Reporting
HMRC cryptocurrency updates can change how you record a disposal, report staking income, or prepare your self-assessment. The Duke Crypto turns the rules into clear issue-led explainers.
Capital gains, income, and deadlines explained. No guesswork.
Important: this is not tax advice
These articles explain published HMRC material and common reporting issues. They don't assess your facts, calculate a personal liability, or replace advice from a qualified accountant.
Core explainer
Crypto Capital Gains Tax UK: Computation and Allowances
A disposal can happen when you sell BTC for pounds, swap ETH for an altcoin, or spend tokens on goods. The sterling value at each event matters.
HMRC pooling rules can make a simple-looking trade harder to reconstruct. Keep transaction dates, asset quantities, fees, wallet movements, and exchange records together.
Read the HMRC cryptoassets manualIllustrative estimator
Check the shape of a gain
This example uses the £3,000 annual exempt amount shown for 2025/26. It is not a tax calculation.
Estimated gain£8,750
Gain after £3,000 allowance£5,750
Illustrative tax£1,150
Income level, residence, losses, pooling, and the nature of your activity can alter the result.
Income considerations
When Crypto Counts as Income: Staking, Mining, and Airdrops
HMRC looks at what happened and how you operate. A token receipt may be income when it rewards work or an activity; a later disposal can raise a separate capital gains issue.
Staking rewards
The facts around staking matter: how rewards arise, whether you provide a service, and the value when you receive the tokens. Keep protocol statements and wallet records.
Record example: note the token, receipt date, quantity, sterling value, and later disposal value.
Active trading may raise income tax questions where the activity has the character of a trade. DePIN and other income-generating activity need their own records. See emerging crypto markets.
Digital collectibles
NFT Tax UK: What HMRC Says About Non-Fungible Tokens
NFTs are cryptoassets for tax purposes, yet the facts behind a transaction still matter. An investor, an artist, and a business may face different reporting questions.
Buying and selling
Record marketplace fees, sterling values, wallet addresses, and the asset exchanged.
Creating and royalties
Artists should separate creation income, royalty receipts, and later disposals.
A spreadsheet is useful only when it preserves the source evidence. Keep invoices, platform statements, and transaction IDs in a consistent filing system.
An NFT transaction trail
Acquire
Cost and date recorded
Create or receive
Income facts reviewed
Dispose
Sale or swap valued in pounds
Estate planning
Crypto Inheritance Tax: Planning and Practicalities
Cryptoassets can form part of an estate. Executors need a clear legal route and enough technical information to identify and access the holdings.
Record the holdings
List assets, public addresses, exchanges, and the location of supporting records. Never place a seed phrase in an ordinary will.
Coordinate the will
Ask a solicitor how digital assets should be described and how confidential access instructions can be stored separately.
Prepare valuation evidence
Keep exchange statements and valuation dates so the estate can support its inheritance tax reporting.
Plan executor access
Explain the access process to the right people without publishing sensitive keys. Wallet security basics are covered in our crypto guides.
Business desk
Crypto Accounting for Small Businesses and Advisers
Clean records make year-end conversations shorter.
Reporting basis
Review the relevant FRS 102 or IFRS treatment with your adviser.
Transaction records
Reconcile wallets, exchanges, fees, dates, and sterling values monthly.
VAT questions
Separate the crypto transfer from the underlying goods or service.
Management view
Track cost basis, exposure, and realised movements for adviser review.
Tax news desk
Latest HMRC Cryptocurrency Updates
Follow guidance changes, consultations, and practical reporting points without losing sight of the source material.
28 August 2025 · Income
Staking and mining: separate the activity from the disposal
The records that help explain token receipts, expenses, and later sales.
Read analysis06 August 2025 · Business
A monthly crypto reconciliation routine
Why small businesses should match wallets, exchange statements, and bookkeeping entries before year-end.
Read analysisStay informed
Read the tax desk before you file.
The Duke Crypto follows HMRC cryptocurrency updates for UK taxpayers, accountants, and advisers. Choose the explainer that matches the issue in front of you.