Did you trade on Coinbase in 2026? Then you fall under the new Belgian capital gains tax approved by the Chamber of Representatives on 3 April 2026 and published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 21 April 2026, retroactively applicable from 1 January 2026. This guide covers exactly how to report your Coinbase transactions on Tax-on-Web, how to calculate the capital gain correctly, and which sections you must not ...
Did you trade on Coinbase in 2026? If so, you fall under the new Belgian capital gains tax (meerwaarde belasting) approved by the Chamber of Representatives on 3 April 2026, published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 21 April 2026, and retroactively applicable from 1 January 2026. This guide explains exactly how to report your Coinbase transactions on Tax-on-Web, how to calculate your capital gains correctly, and which sections you must not overlook, including the mandatory Central Point of Contact (CAP) notification.
📊 What Coinbase provides (and what it does not)
On request, Coinbase provides three types of exports:
- Tax report: a PDF/CSV with aggregated capital gains per year, based on FIFO or LIFO as chosen. Useful as a starting point, but not directly usable for Belgium.
- Transaction history (CSV): all buy, sell, and swap events with timestamps and prices in EUR. This is the source data you actually need.
- Earnings report: staking rewards and interest payouts, listed separately from spot trades.
What Coinbase does not provide is a filing that complies with Belgian rules. Specifically, the following are missing:
- Step-up rule: for pre-2026 purchases, the market value on 31 December 2025 serves as the cost basis, not the original purchase price. Coinbase simply continues calculating based on your actual purchase price.
- Belgian lot rules: pre-2026 holdings use the weighted average purchase price per asset; for post-2026 purchases the law prescribes no specific order, and a chronological FIFO approach is the most defensible method. Coinbase is unaware of this distinction.
- The €10,000 exemption: Coinbase does not account for our annual exemption on capital gains from normal portfolio management.
- 30% on staking: rewards must be declared separately as movable income (roerende inkomsten), not as capital gains.
See how the Cryptotax Coinbase integration applies all of this automatically, or follow the manual steps below.
🧮 FIFO + step-up: a worked example
Suppose your situation for 2026 looks like this:
- March 2024: 0.5 BTC purchased at €40,000/BTC = €20,000 cost basis
- September 2025: 0.3 BTC purchased at €60,000/BTC = €18,000 cost basis
- Market value on 31 December 2025: €65,000/BTC
- May 2026: new purchase of 0.2 BTC at €70,000/BTC = €14,000 cost basis
- November 2026: sale of 0.4 BTC at €80,000/BTC = €32,000 proceeds
Under Belgian rules, the calculation works in three steps:
- Pre-2026 lots pooled (weighted average): 0.8 BTC × €65,000 (step-up) = €52,000 cost basis pool. This replaces the original purchase prices.
- Post-2026 lot stays separate: 0.2 BTC at €70,000 = €14,000.
- Chronological allocation on sale: 0.4 BTC sold. The pre-2026 pool goes first (the oldest units, the most defensible order) → 0.4 BTC × €65,000 = €26,000 cost basis. Capital gain = €32,000 − €26,000 = €6,000.
Below the €10,000 annual exemption: €0 tax. However, a filing obligation still applies, because every transaction must be reported, even if the capital gain falls within the exemption. Read more about the step-up rule on 31/12/2025 and how FIFO is applied in Cryptotax.
📋 Step-by-step guide for your Tax-on-Web filing for 2026
Follow this sequence when filing your 2026 income year in May 2027:
Step 1 - Export your Coinbase data
In Coinbase, navigate to Account → Statements → Generate Reports. Select "Transaction history" for all relevant years (often 2024–2026 because of the step-up calculation), export as CSV, and save locally as proof. Cryptotax handles this automatically via the API, no manual uploads required.
Step 2 - Calculate capital gains tax by category
Split your transactions as follows:
- Spot sales and crypto-to-crypto swaps: capital gain category C → 10% above the €10,000 exemption.
- Coinbase staking rewards: movable income (roerende inkomsten) → 30% on the EUR value at receipt (see staking tax Belgium).
- USDC interest or Earn rewards: movable income (roerende inkomsten) → 30%.
- NFT purchases or sales: assessed separately, often 10% capital gains, but context determines the outcome.
Step 3 - Complete Tax-on-Web
The exact sections and codes for the capital gains tax will only appear in assessment year 2027 (income year 2026). Based on current FPS Finance circulars, we expect:
- Vak VII - Inkomsten van roerende waarden en kapitalen: this is where staking rewards and Earn interest go.
- Vak XIV (new or expanded): capital gains category C with the €10,000 exemption.
- Vak XIII - Buitenlandse rekeningen: do not forget to tick your Coinbase Europe account (Coinbase Europe is based in Ireland, hence foreign).
Our guide on how to declare crypto in Belgium via Tax-on-Web will be updated once the definitive codes for income year 2026 are published.
Step 4 - CAP notification with the National Bank
Coinbase Europe is based in Ireland. This means it is a foreign account, which must be reported to the Central Point of Contact (CAP) (Centraal Aanspreekpunt) at the National Bank of Belgium, separately from the capital gains tax. A single notification suffices; after that, the account appears automatically in future years. Follow our CAP filing guide or the CAP/DAC8 checklist for foreign exchanges for the details.
🌐 DAC8: what Coinbase already reports
Since 1 January 2026, EU crypto platforms such as Coinbase are required to share your transactions automatically with FPS Finance via the DAC8 directive. The first data exchange is expected around September 2027, covering income year 2026.
In practice: the tax authority receives a shadow list of all your Coinbase trades. If your tax return deviates from that list, you will receive questions. What you report in Tax-on-Web must match what Coinbase reports. Small rounding differences are not a problem, but systematic under-reporting is.
💡 How Cryptotax handles this for you
Cryptotax imports your Coinbase data via the official API and automatically applies the Belgian rules:
- Step-up calculation on 31/12/2025 for pre-2026 holdings
- FIFO tracking for post-2026 purchases, weighted average for pre-2026 holdings
- Separation of staking rewards (30%) and spot capital gains (10%)
- Automatic €10,000 exemption with carry-forward
- An audit-ready report that you or your accountant can use directly in Tax-on-Web
Connect in a few clicks via the Coinbase integration, or visit the broader Coinbase Tax page with FAQs on Coinbase Pro, Coinbase Wallet, and Coinbase Earn.
Coinbase and the Belgian tax authority
People searching for "Coinbase tax authority" often think of the American IRS, but for Belgian users the competent authority is FPS Finance (Federale Overheidsdienst Financiën). Coinbase Europe (based in Ireland) has, since 1 January 2026, been automatically sharing your transaction data with the Irish tax authority under the DAC8 directive, which then passes it on to FPS Finance. The first data exchange is expected in September 2027 for income year 2026.
In practical terms: everything you do on Coinbase is visible to the Belgian tax authority. Spot trades, swaps, staking rewards, USDC interest, Coinbase Earn, NFT purchases. Your tax return must match the "crypto slip" (cryptofiche) that FPS Finance receives. Small rounding differences are not a problem, but large discrepancies lead to additional assessments, fines, and possible tax audits. Always keep your Coinbase history fully imported in Cryptotax as a reference.
Coinbase Belgium: tax on capital gains and staking
Coinbase users in Belgium are subject to two tax regimes simultaneously:
- Capital gains from normal management (10%): spot sales, crypto-to-crypto swaps, and NFT sales are taxed at 10% on the amount exceeding the annual €10,000 exemption. The step-up rule on 31 December 2025 determines your cost basis for pre-2026 holdings.
- Movable income (roerende inkomsten) (30%): all Coinbase staking rewards (ETH, ATOM, ADA, SOL, ...), Coinbase Earn interest, and USDC interest fall under movable income (roerende inkomsten) at 30%. No exemption, no FIFO, simply 30% on the EUR value at the time of receipt.
Anyone classified as a speculative investor (high trading frequency, leverage, short holding periods) falls under a different regime of 33% on the full capital gain, with no exemption. The tax authority assesses this based on your entire portfolio, not just Coinbase. In doubt? Read our complete guide to crypto tax in Belgium 2026 for the profile check.
Cryptotax automatically tracks the distinction: spot trades go to the capital gains pool, staking and Earn go to movable income (roerende inkomsten), so your 2027 filing is contained in a single report.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Does Coinbase Pro still apply?
Coinbase phased out Coinbase Pro in 2024 and merged it with the main app. Old Coinbase Pro trades appear in the same transaction history as regular Coinbase trades. Cryptotax detects both automatically.
What about Coinbase Wallet (self-custody)?
Coinbase Wallet is a non-custodial wallet. The rules for wallets apply, not those for exchanges. No CAP notification is required for the wallet itself, but every transaction remains taxable under the same rules (10% capital gains or 30% on rewards). Import your on-chain address separately in Cryptotax.
How do I declare Coinbase staking?
Staking rewards (ETH staking, ATOM staking, ADA staking via Coinbase) are movable income (roerende inkomsten) at 30% on the EUR value at receipt. To be declared in Vak VII. The subsequent sale of those reward tokens counts as a capital gain at 10%, with the receipt value as the cost basis.
What if I no longer use Coinbase and have closed my account?
A closed account must still be reported to the CAP for the years in which it was active, and the transactions count towards your 2026 filing if there was any activity in 2026. Request your transaction history before closing; Coinbase retains data for several years, but exports can become complex.
Does this also work for Coinbase One subscribers?
Coinbase One gives you free trades and better reporting, but does not change the tax treatment in Belgium. The subscription fee is, incidentally, not deductible in a private context.
✅ Try it today
Cryptotax imports your complete Coinbase history and immediately calculates how much you owe under the 2026 rules, including staking, USDC interest, and all swaps. Connect your Coinbase account for free and see the result within minutes.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This article is purely informational and does not constitute individual tax advice. The definitive Tax-on-Web codes for income year 2026 will be published later in 2026/2027 by FPS Finance. For your specific situation, consult a recognized Belgian tax advisor or request a ruling from the Office for Advance Tax Rulings (Dienst Voorafgaande Beslissingen).
