Free crypto tax reporting checklist (educational)

The checklist

1. List every account, exchange and wallet you used during the year Include accounts you opened and abandoned, and accounts held at platforms that have since closed.
2. Gather any Form 1099-DA and other broker statements you received Keep the original files. Note which platform each one came from.
3. Export full transaction history from each platform Do this while you still have account access. Closed platforms are the most common reason records cannot be recovered later.
4. Separate disposals from transfers between accounts you control Moving an asset between your own wallets is generally described differently from parting with it. Mark which is which.
5. Note acquisition dates and what each asset originally cost In U.S. dollars, including acquisition fees. Date and time both matter, because holding period is measured from acquisition.
6. Record fees and commissions paid on acquisitions and disposals Including network fees, where they are documented.
7. Flag income-like items at a high level Staking rewards, mining, airdrops, and assets received as payment for work. Note the date, the quantity and the dollar value at the time of receipt. These generally travel a different path on a return than disposals do.
8. Mark holdings that arrived without any cost history attached Assets transferred in from elsewhere often have no basis recorded by the receiving platform. These are the ones that cause trouble.
9. Check whether any platform you used has closed or removed exports If so, note what you still have: screenshots, emails, statements, bank records of deposits and withdrawals.
10. Reconcile the forms you received against your own export files If a form looks wrong, the usual first step is to ask the issuing platform for a correction, not to ignore it.
11. Write down the open questions you cannot answer from records A short, honest list of unknowns is the most useful thing you can hand to a professional.
12. Take the open questions to a tax professional licensed in your state Do not file anything based on this checklist. It is not a return, not a worksheet and not a substitute for professional judgement.

Forms mentioned, in one line each

Form 1040

The individual federal return. Recent editions carry a question about digital asset activity near the top.

Form 8949

Where individual dispositions of capital assets are itemised: description, dates, proceeds, cost basis, gain or loss.

Schedule D

The summary where Form 8949 totals are carried and short-term and long-term results are netted.

Form 1099-DA

The broker information return for digital asset transactions. Proceeds shown on it are not the same thing as gain — gain is proceeds minus what the asset cost you.

When to stop and hire someone

• Large, complex or high-volume activity across several platforms.
• Missing history, closed accounts, or unknown cost basis.
• Anything that looks like a trade or business rather than investing.
• Foreign platforms, foreign accounts, or unclear residency.
• Unreported prior years, or returns you now believe were wrong.
• Any letter or notice from the IRS.

Credentials can be checked: the IRS publishes a public directory of preparers with credentials, state boards of accountancy list licensed CPAs, and state bar associations list attorneys.

Publisher

Dominguez Alberto Martin
18051 Biscayne Blvd Apt 605, Aventura, FL 33160, United States
contact@albertomartin.digital — albertomartin.digital

Educational content only. Not tax, legal, or investment advice. Not a CPA.

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