Guide to Crypto Taxes in Brazil for 2026

Yes. The Federal Revenue Service (RFB) treats crypto as an asset. You owe capital‑gains tax when total monthly disposals exceed R$35,000 and income tax when you receive crypto as compensation, mining, or staking rewards.

Note: Provisional Measure (MP) 1.303/2025 will be debated and voted on later in 2025 and may overhaul crypto taxes in Brazil, so investors should pay close attention to developments and refer to the Brazilian authorities for current information.

• Capital gains over R$35,000 in a month: 15% on gains up to R$5 million, 17.5% on R$5-10 million, 20% on R$10–30 million, 22.5% above R$30 million.

• Ordinary income from crypto mining, staking, or salary: progressive rates from 0-27.5%.

• Company profits: 15% corporate income tax plus 10% surtax on profits above R$240,000 and 9% CSLL.

Different crypto transactions are naturally taxed differently by the Brazilian tax authority. Taxpayers should be aware of these differences, which types of transactions are taxed in what ways, and the implications of all this before engaging in crypto transactions.

Taxes can and do have a massive impact on your bottom line, and going in well-informed will give you an edge in the market and let you plan for an efficient tax season. Here’s a breakdown:

Buying and holding cryptocurrency

No. Simply purchasing crypto with Brazilian real and transferring it between wallets you control is not a taxable event because no gain is realized and no income is created.

You must, however, keep cost-basis records and list year-end holdings under “Bens e Direitos” on the annual return. No DARF payment or GCAP entry is required unless you later dispose of the coins.

Selling cryptocurrency

Yes. When you sell coins for BRL, swap them for goods or services, or otherwise dispose of them, the difference between sale proceeds and cost basis is a capital gain.

If your total gains for the month exceed the R$35,000 exemption, calculate the tax in GCAP and pay it with a DARF by the last business day of the following month, then include the figures in your DIRPF.

Mining and staking cryptocurrency

Yes. Newly mined coins and on-chain staking rewards are ordinary income on the day they hit your wallet. Report the BRL market value as taxable income in your DIRPF. When you later sell or swap those coins, compute a separate capital gain or loss using that original income value as cost basis.

Crypto-to-crypto trades

Yes. Exchanging one token for another (for example, BTC for ETH) counts as a disposal of the coin you give up. Receita Federal deems it sold at its BRL market value on the trade date, so any gain is taxable if your total monthly gains exceed R$35,000. Record the transaction in GCAP and, if required, pay CGT with a DARF.

Receiving cryptocurrency as payment

Yes. Crypto received as salary, freelance income, or payment for goods is ordinary income on the receipt date. Declare the BRL value in your DIRPF. When you later dispose of those coins, calculate capital gains or losses relative to that initial income value.

• Selling crypto for fiat

• Swapping one token for another

• Paying for goods or services with crypto

• Earning crypto through salary, mining, staking, or airdrops

Gains on the sale or swap of cryptocurrency follow Brazil’s progressive capital-gains scale: 15% on cumulative gains up to R$5,000,000 in a month, 17.5% on the portion from R$5,000,001 to R$10,000,000, 20% from R$10,000,001 to R$30,000,000, and 22.5% above R$30,000,000.

Calculate each gain by applying FIFO or average cost, enter the figures in GCAP, and pay any tax with a DARF by the last business day of the month after the disposal. At year-end, export the GCAP totals and import them into your DIRPF return.

Losses recorded in GCAP first offset other crypto gains in the same month. Any excess carries forward indefinitely and can be used against future months’ gains. While crypto losses cannot offset salary or other non-crypto income, keeping an accurate loss ledger preserves deductions for years when you realize taxable crypto gains.

Tokens received via airdrop are ordinary income equal to their fair-market value in Brazilian real on the receipt date. Include that amount in your DIRPF. This BRL value becomes the cost basis. Any later sale or swap results in a capital gain or loss in GCAP, subject to the usual rates, if your monthly disposals exceed the R$35,000 exemption.

Rewards from lending, staking, yield farming, or crypto mining count as ordinary income when they hit your wallet. Declare the BRL value in your annual return. When you later trade or withdraw those reward tokens, each disposal is a capital-gains event that must be entered in GCAP and taxed if monthly gains exceed R$35,000.

Brazilian companies engaged in mining, trading, or other crypto activities pay 15% corporate income tax on profit, an additional 10% surtax on annual profit above R$240,000, and 9% CSLL. Gross-revenue taxes PIS and COFINS apply at 3.65% under the cumulative regime or 9.25% under the non-cumulative regime. Hardware, software, and other business costs follow normal depreciation and deduction rules.

Under Normative Instruction 1,888/2019, Brazilian exchanges report customer trades automatically, and individuals must file an e-CAC report for any month in which their off-exchange crypto transactions exceed R$30,000.

The report is due by the last business day of the following month and must list each transaction’s date, value, and counterparties. Penalties start at R$100 and can reach 3% of the unreported transaction value (doubled for fraud), plus interest until the data is filed.

Deducting crypto losses in Brazil

Capital losses from taxable disposals can offset crypto gains in the same or future months, with any unused balance carried forward indefinitely. Be sure to add exchange fees and brokerage commissions to your cost basis, so tax is calculated only on net profit.

Crypto as payment for goods and services

When you accept crypto for a sale, record revenue at the asset’s BRL market value at the moment of receipt and issue an electronic invoice (NF‑e) reflecting that amount. If you later convert or spend the coins, any price change is a separate capital gain or loss.

1. Export all trades, swaps, earnings, and fees.

2. Group disposals by month and flag any month over R$35,000.

3. Apply FIFO or ACB to determine cost basis.

4. Compute gain or loss for each event in GCAP.

5. Import GCAP totals into the annual DIRPF return.

• Keep monthly disposals at or below R$35,000.

• Harvest losses before year‑end.

• Donate crypto to registered charities for a potential deduction.

• Consider professional advice on residency changes or business structures.

Crypto you earn, whether as salary, freelance payment, staking yield, mining rewards or airdrops, is treated as ordinary personal income. Convert each receipt to Brazilian real using the Banco Central do Brasil rate for that day and declare it under “Rendimentos Tributáveis Recebidos de Pessoa Física e do Exterior” in the DIRPF.

When the payer is not a Brazilian company, you must also calculate and pay monthly Carnê-Leão withholding. After allowable deductions such as INSS, the progressive federal rates of 0-27.5% apply. The amount recognised as income becomes your crypto cost basis for any later capital-gain calculation on disposal.

Receita Federal do Brasil (RFB) receives trade files from domestic exchanges and analyses public-blockchain data to tie wallet activity to CPF numbers. Normative Instruction 1,888/2019 additionally requires taxpayers to self-report off-exchange transactions above R$30,000 a month, giving auditors near-full visibility of crypto flows.

Under-reporting attracts a penalty of 75% of the unpaid tax, rising to 150% in cases of fraud, plus Selic interest until settlement, so consistent and accurate reporting is critical.

• Monthly disposals at or below R$35,000

• Wallet‑to‑wallet transfers you control

• Gifts below the annual exemption (currently R$69,025, state dependent)

The Tax Code and IN 1,888/2019 obligate individuals to keep supporting documents for at least five years after filing the DIRPF. Preserve exchange CSVs, wallet address histories, transaction hashes, smart-contract receipts, DARF payment proofs, and any invoices or fee statements showing acquisition cost.

Retain matching bank statements or PIX confirmations for fiat transfers to prove cash movements. Well-organised records substantiate cost basis and income values if audited and make future GCAP calculations faster and more reliable.

Brazil’s tax year runs from January 1st to December 31st. Keep these deadlines in mind:

• Annual return (DIRPF): submit by the last working day of May for income and gains from the prior calendar year.

• Monthly capital‑gains payment: when your disposals exceed the R$35,000 exemption, pay the tax on those gains by the last business day of the month following the transaction.

• IN1888/2019 report: if off‑exchange crypto activity tops R$30,000 in a month, file the e‑CAC report by the last business day of the next month.

1. Calculate each disposal in GCAP.

2. Import GCAP into DIRPF.

3. List year‑end holdings under “Bens e Direitos.”

4. Submit via the Receita Federal portal or the Meu Imposto de Renda app.

5. Pay any tax due with a DARF.