Updated for 2026

Bitcoin tax in Belgium

How much tax do you pay on your BTC gains? We explain the rules: buying, selling, swapping and hodling.

Calculate your Bitcoin tax Start for free

Free scan of your transactions. Report from €49.

The capital gains tax law was approved by the Chamber of Representatives on 3 April 2026 and applies retroactively from 1 January 2026. Cryptotax is fully adapted to the new legislation - read our complete guide to crypto taxes 2026.

When do you pay tax on Bitcoin?

Not every Bitcoin action is taxable. It depends on what you do with your BTC.

💰

Buying Bitcoin

Not taxable. Buying BTC on an exchange or peer-to-peer does not create a taxable event. You only pay tax when you sell.

Not taxable
💸

Selling Bitcoin for euros

Taxable. The capital gain (sale price minus FIFO purchase price) is taxed. Under prudent management: 10% above the €10.000 exemption.

Taxable on gains
🔄

Swapping BTC to ETH or stablecoins

Taxable. A crypto-to-crypto swap (e.g. BTC → ETH) counts as a sale of BTC and a purchase of ETH. The capital gain on the BTC is taxable.

Taxable on gains
📤

Moving Bitcoin between wallets

Not taxable. Moving BTC from an exchange to a hardware wallet or between your own addresses does not change your tax position.

Not taxable
🔗

Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) in DeFi

Wrapping BTC into WBTC for use in DeFi protocols can be treated as a swap. Income from lending or yield farming is movable income (30%).

Depends on the activity
💎

Hodling without selling

Not taxable. As long as you do not sell or swap, you have no taxable event. Unrealised gains do not need to be declared.

Not taxable

Your profile determines the rate

Belgium recognises three tax profiles. The rate you pay depends on how you handle Bitcoin.

Most Bitcoin holders

Prudent management

You buy BTC as a long-term investment. You hold for months or years, rarely sell, and use no leverage.

10% capital gains tax

First €10.000 of gains per year exempt

Speculative

You day-trade BTC, use futures or leverage, or buy and sell frequently to capture short-term price movements.

33% miscellaneous income

Tax on the net capital gain

Professional

Bitcoin trading is your main activity. You run a mining operation, or most of your income comes from BTC trading.

Up to 50% + social contributions

Progressive tax brackets

Detailed guide: 10% vs 33% vs 50% - when does your classification shift? → Or read our general crypto tax guide

How does FIFO work for Bitcoin?

Belgium uses the FIFO method (First In, First Out) to calculate your gains.

Example: you sell 0.5 BTC

1

Purchase 1: January 2021

0.3 BTC bought for €9.000 (€30.000/BTC)

2

Purchase 2: March 2024

0.5 BTC bought for €30.000 (€60.000/BTC)

3

Sale: February 2026

0.5 BTC sold for €45.000 (€90.000/BTC)

FIFO calculation:

First the oldest 0.3 BTC (2021): sold for 0.3 × €90.000 = €27.000, bought for €9.000 → gain €18.000

Then 0.2 BTC from 2024: sold for 0.2 × €90.000 = €18.000, bought for 0.2 × €60.000 = €12.000 → gain €6.000

Total capital gain: €24.000 − €10.000 exemption = €14.000 taxable × 10% = €1.400 tax

Cryptotax calculates this automatically for all your transactions, using historical exchange rates in euros.

Step-up: historical gains are exempt

The value of your Bitcoin on 31 December 2025 counts as the new tax cost basis. Only the increase in value from 2026 onwards is taxable.

Example: the step-up protects your gains

You bought 1 BTC in 2021 for €30.000.

On 31 December 2025 Bitcoin was worth €93.000. This becomes your new tax cost basis (step-up).

You sell in 2026 for €105.000.

With step-up (actual)

Capital gain: €105.000 − €93.000 = €12.000

Tax: (€12.000 − €10.000) × 10% = €200

Without step-up (hypothetical)

Capital gain: €105.000 − €30.000 = €75.000

Tax: (€75.000 − €10.000) × 10% = €6.500

Cryptotax applies the step-up automatically to all your pre-2026 Bitcoin lots. Read more about the step-up rule →

How Cryptotax calculates your Bitcoin tax

From import to report, in three steps.

1

Import your BTC transactions

Connect your exchange via API (Kraken, Binance, Coinbase, Bitvavo) or add your Bitcoin wallet address. Read-only, secure, and encrypted.

2

Automatic FIFO calculation

Cryptotax applies FIFO in euros with historical exchange rates. All BTC buys, sells, swaps and transfers are matched automatically.

3

Tax report

Receive an overview of your capital gains, cost items and taxable amount. Share it directly with your accountant or use it for Tax-on-Web.

Free account
No credit card required
Read-only API
AES-256 encryption

Declaring Bitcoin to the tax authorities

Two obligations for Belgian Bitcoin holders.

CAP report (National Bank)

Do you hold BTC on a foreign platform (Kraken, Binance, Coinbase, Bitvavo)? Then you must report this account to the Central Point of Contact (CAP) of the National Bank, by 30 June at the latest.

Which exchanges must you report to the CAP? →

Filing via Tax-on-Web

You report Bitcoin gains in your annual tax return. Cryptotax generates a tax report that your accountant can take over directly, with all amounts in euros.

Try the tax calculator →

Know how much Bitcoin tax you owe

Import your transactions and receive an overview of your capital gains. Start for free, no credit card required.

Start for free Tax calculator

Frequently asked questions about Bitcoin tax

Since 2026, as a "prudent investor" you pay 10% capital gains tax on Bitcoin gains above €10.000 per year. For speculative trading you pay 33% as miscellaneous income. Professional Bitcoin trading is taxed up to 50% plus social contributions.
No, buying Bitcoin is not taxable in itself. A taxable event only arises when you sell, swap or spend BTC. At that point you calculate the capital gain: sale price minus purchase price (FIFO).
A BTC→ETH swap counts as a sale of Bitcoin and a purchase of Ethereum. You calculate the capital gain on the BTC at the time of the swap, at the market value in euros. That gain is taxable.
You do not have to declare unrealised gains. But if you hold your Bitcoin on a foreign platform (Kraken, Binance, Coinbase, Bitvavo), you must report that account to the Central Point of Contact (CAP) of the National Bank.
FIFO stands for First In, First Out. When you sell Bitcoin, the oldest purchase is sold first. Example: you bought 0.5 BTC in 2020 for €5.000 and 0.5 BTC in 2024 for €30.000. When you sell 0.5 BTC, the 2020 purchase is used as the cost basis. More about FIFO calculation →
Cryptotax automatically imports all your Bitcoin transactions from exchanges (Kraken, Binance, Coinbase, Bitvavo) and wallets. The system applies FIFO in euros with historical exchange rates and generates a tax report your accountant can use directly.

Important disclaimer

This is not tax advice. Cryptotax calculates based on general assumptions and public information. Always consult your accountant or tax adviser for a definitive interpretation of your specific situation.

Official sources: NBB Central Point of Contact • FOD Financiën