Guide to Crypto Taxes in Ireland for 2026

Yes. The Revenue Commissioners treat crypto as property. Profits on disposal are subject to capital-gains tax unless the activity amounts to a trade, in which case profits are taxed as income. Crypto received as salary or payment for services is taxed as income at its euro market value when received. Mining and staking rewards are also commonly taxed as income on receipt. Unsolicited airdrops with no service attached are less clear (see the airdrops section).

Use our free crypto tax calculator.

• Capital gains tax (CGT): 33% on net gains above the €1,270 annual exemption.

• Income tax: 20% on income within the standard band; 40% on income above that band.

• Universal Social Charge: up to 11 % (8 % main top rate, rising to 11 % on non-PAYE income > €100,000).

• PRSI: self-employed income is charged at 4.2%, rising to 4.35% from October 1, 2026. That makes the rate for 2026 self-assessed income a blended 4.2375%, with a €650 minimum. Employees with unearned income above €5,000 a year, such as crypto rewards taxed as income, also pay PRSI on it. Gains taxed under CGT are not subject to PRSI.

Buying and holding cryptocurrency

Buying with euros and holding in a personal wallet is not taxed. Keep purchase invoices for cost-basis records.

Selling cryptocurrency

Selling for euros or spending crypto on goods counts as a disposal. Calculate gain or loss in euros at the time of sale.

Mining and staking cryptocurrency

Revenue's crypto manual does not address mining or staking rewards directly, and Revenue says no special tax rules apply to crypto. Under general principles, rewards are commonly taxed as income at their euro market value when received: as miscellaneous income under Case IV, or as trading income if the activity is a trade. That value becomes your base cost when you later dispose of the tokens for CGT. For VAT, Revenue says mining income is generally outside the scope of VAT because mining is not an economic activity.

Crypto-to-crypto trades taxed

Swapping BTC for ETH is a single disposal of the BTC for CGT. The euro market value of the ETH you receive is your disposal proceeds for the BTC and your base cost for the ETH. Revenue's manual does not address cross-chain bridges.

Receiving cryptocurrency as payment

Salary, freelancing fees, or airdrop rewards received for a service are taxable income. Employers should operate PAYE on salary paid in crypto.

Learn more about crypto tax free countries.

Net your gains and losses for the year. Offset brought-forward capital losses if available. Apply the first €1,270 exemption, then pay 33% CGT on the balance. Losses that cannot be used this year carry forward indefinitely.

Capital losses offset current or future capital gains but cannot reduce income. Losses from a trading business can offset trading income subject to usual trading-loss rules.

If an airdrop is unsolicited and no service is provided, Irish Revenue has not issued specific rules; most advisers treat it like a gift and defer tax until disposal. If the airdrop is compensation for staking or promotion, treat market value on receipt as income.

Revenue's crypto manual does not address DeFi, so general CGT and income tax principles apply. Under those principles:

• Depositing tokens into a liquidity pool is normally a disposal of the original asset.

• Yield is income when credited.

• Receipt tokens are new assets with their own cost basis.

See our expert picks of the best crypto loans.

Trading income earned by a company is taxed at 12.5%. Passive income, such as interest, is taxed at 25%. When a company disposes of crypto held as a capital asset rather than as part of a trade, the gain is subject to corporation tax on chargeable gains, at an effective rate of 33%. Revenue requires that company accounts for tax purposes be prepared in euros or the company's functional currency, not in crypto. Companies file Form CT1. Large companies pay preliminary tax in two instalments (month 6 and month 11), and smaller companies can pay a single instalment in month 11.

Since December 30, 2024, crypto-asset service providers in the EU have been required to be authorized under MiCA, and the Central Bank of Ireland is the Irish authorizing body. Ireland gave firms already registered under its old anti-money-laundering regime a 12-month transitional period, which ended on December 30, 2025. Firms without a MiCA authorization by then had to wind down their services.

EU reporting rules (DAC8) also took effect on January 1, 2026. Crypto-asset service providers now report user transaction data to tax authorities, with the first cross-border exchanges in 2027.

If your crypto activity constitutes a trade (high frequency, commercial intent, organised record-keeping), profits are income, not capital gains. Deduct allowable business expenses such as exchange fees and electricity for mining.

Learn how to reduce your crypto taxes.

Paying with crypto is a disposal for CGT. Businesses that accept crypto must record euro value and charge VAT on the underlying goods or services, not on the crypto itself.

• Buying crypto with euros.

• Moving crypto between wallets you own.

• Holding crypto long term.

Keep transaction dates, euro values, wallet addresses, exchange statements, and invoices for at least six years, as required under Irish tax law.

See our expert picks of the best crypto wallets.

• December 15: pay CGT on gains realized January 1 to November 30.

• January 31: pay CGT on gains realized in December.

• October 31: file your return for the previous year, which declares that year's gains and income, and pay any balance of income tax, USC, and PRSI plus preliminary tax for the current year. For 2025 returns, taxpayers who both file and pay through ROS have until November 18, 2026. Taxpayers who do only one of the two online get no extension.

Store the transaction ID, token name, quantity, euro value at the time of each event, exchange fees, and the purpose of the transaction.

Self-employed individuals and other chargeable persons file Form 11 through the Revenue Online Service (ROS). PAYE-only employees declare gains and other income on an annual return through myAccount, and a PAYE employee with a taxable crypto gain must file a return. Enter crypto gains in the Capital Gains panel and crypto income in the self-employed or other income section. Attach detailed calculations if requested.

Convert every transaction to euros on the date of the event, classify each item as income or disposal, apply the €1,270 CGT exemption and 33% rate, then apply income tax, USC, and PRSI to trading or reward income. TokenTax can automate conversions and summaries.