NFT tax in Belgium 2026: complete guide for buyers, sellers and creators

Last updated: 16 May 2026 · Reading time: 8 minutes

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have become an integral part of the digital economy. From pixel art and collectibles to domain-name NFTs and in-game items: NFTs have built a market of their own. With the new Belgian capital gains tax (approved on 3 April 2026), their tax treatment has also become clearer. In this guide we explain when and how much tax you pay on NFT transactions, with specific attention to buyers, sellers and creators.

📜 Update May 2026: NFTs under the new capital gains tax

The law on the capital gains tax on financial assets was approved on 3 April 2026 by the Chamber of Representatives and applies retroactively from 1 January 2026. The definition of crypto assets in that law is based on the European MiCA regulation and explicitly adds: "including non-fungible tokens that can be used for payment or investment purposes".

Concretely, this means that NFTs traded on a liquid marketplace (OpenSea, Blur, Magic Eden, Foundation) fall under the 10% capital gains tax under normal management, with an annual exemption of EUR 10,000. The previous situation, in which NFT gains could be fully exempt as "normal management of private wealth", has been superseded for activity from 2026 onwards.

🖼️ What are NFTs?

An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a unique digital proof of ownership stored on a blockchain. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, where every coin is identical to another, every NFT is unique and not interchangeable.

NFTs can represent anything:

• Digital artworks and illustrations
• Music and videos
• Virtual goods in games (land, weapons, avatars)
• Collectibles and trading cards
• Membership proofs and access tickets
• Domain-name NFTs such as ENS domains, treated for tax purposes as crypto assets

The tax treatment depends on the nature of the asset and on the profile in which you act. We set them out below.

⚖️ The three tax profiles for NFTs from 2026

1. Normal management of private wealth (10% capital gains tax)

If you buy and sell NFTs as a collector or long-term investor, you fall in principle under normal management. The gain falls under the new 10% capital gains tax, with an annual exemption of EUR 10,000.

Characteristics of normal management:

• You buy NFTs because you find them beautiful or want to collect them, or as a long-term investment.
• You do not trade frequently, only a few transactions per year.
• You do not use borrowed money to buy NFTs.
• NFT trading is not your main activity.
• You hold NFTs for a longer time before you sell.

Example: Sarah buys a digital artwork in 2026 for EUR 4,000. In 2028 she sells it for EUR 14,000. Her gain is EUR 10,000. If she has no other taxable crypto gains in that same year, the profit stays under the exemption and she pays EUR 0. If it does exceed the exemption: 10% on the portion that exceeds the EUR 10,000.

2. Speculative transactions (33% miscellaneous income)

When you buy NFTs with the primary goal of making a quick profit, your transactions are considered speculative. Gains are then taxed at 33% plus municipal tax. The EUR 10,000 exemption does not apply here.

Characteristics of speculation:

• You buy NFTs specifically to resell them quickly, "flipping".
• You actively follow NFT drops and try to mint early.
• You trade regularly, several times per month.
• You often sell within days or weeks of purchase.
• You use tools to spot trending collections.

Example: Tom mints 10 NFTs of a new collection for 0.1 ETH each. Three days later he sells them all for 0.5 ETH each. His profit of 4 ETH (converted to euros) is taxed at 33%.

3. Professional income (up to 50%)

If NFT trading is your profession or an important source of income, your profits are taxed as professional income. This means progressive taxation up to 50% plus social contributions.

This applies especially to:

• Professional NFT artists who regularly sell works.
• Full-time NFT traders with a structured trading activity.
• People who consider NFT trading their main income.
• Anyone who has set up a team or organization around NFT activities.

Example: Lisa is a digital artist and sells several NFT artworks every month. This is her primary source of income. All her NFT income is taxed as professional income.

🧩 Which NFTs fall under the MiCA definition?

The new law cites MiCA for the definition of crypto assets and explicitly extends it to NFTs "for payment or investment purposes". This creates a nuance.

For NFTs that fall outside the MiCA definition (pure utility, no investment function) the old logic still applies: on sale, it is assessed whether the transaction was speculative or professional, and if not, an exemption under normal management may still apply. This is a case-by-case assessment.

📸 Valuation, step-up and the airdrop problem

For NFTs you already held on 31 December 2025, the same step-up rule applies as for crypto coins. The market value on that date becomes your new tax cost basis. For NFTs this is harder to determine in practice than for a liquid token.

How do you determine the value?

• PFP collections: floor price on 31/12/2025, documented via a screenshot of OpenSea, Blur or the relevant marketplace. For 1-of-1 items without a recent sale, a rarity-adjusted price can be used.
• Domain NFTs: recent comparable sales or the price of a related domain. ENS names have a reasonably transparent market via OpenSea and SatoshiVM.
• Gaming items: the marketplace price of the in-game item on 31/12/2025, if available.

The valuation problem for airdrop NFTs. NFTs you receive via an airdrop often have no liquid market at the moment of receipt. The tax literature (including DVD Tax Law) points here to a double problem: on the one hand you have to assign a value for the tax treatment of the receipt, on the other hand that value can be artificially high (market euphoria) or low (no market) compared to the eventual realizable value.

Practical line: on receipt of an airdrop NFT without a clear market, the acquisition value is EUR 0 (to be documented). On a later sale, the entire proceeds are a capital gain. Anyone who can demonstrate a market at the moment of receipt can use that value as the cost basis. In both cases, document the reasoning and the sources.

🎨 Specific NFT situations

Buying NFTs with cryptocurrency

When you buy an NFT with ETH or other crypto, this is for tax purposes a sale of your cryptocurrency. If your ETH has risen in value since purchase, you realize a capital gain on the ETH at that moment.

Practical example:

1. You bought 1 ETH for EUR 2,500 in 2024.
2. In 2026 ETH is worth EUR 4,500.
3. You buy an NFT for 1 ETH.
4. You realize a capital gain of EUR 2,000 on your ETH (potentially taxable under the 10% capital gains tax).
5. At the same time a new position starts: NFT with an acquisition value of EUR 4,500.

This is a first potentially taxable moment. Many NFT buyers do not realize this. A second taxable moment follows on the later sale of the NFT.

Selling NFTs

When selling an NFT, whether you receive crypto or fiat, you calculate the capital gain as follows:

Sale price minus acquisition value (including gas fees) = capital gain

The acquisition value is the EUR value of the crypto you paid at the time, converted at the moment of purchase. For NFTs bought before 2026, the step-up rule on 31/12/2025 applies.

Minting NFTs (creating)

Creating an NFT is not taxable in itself. You simply create a digital token. Only when you sell the NFT does a taxable event arise.

Note: the gas fees you pay to mint are deductible as costs when you later sell the NFT.

For NFT creators: If you regularly create and sell NFTs, your income is likely to be considered professional income. You can then also deduct production costs (software, hardware, part of your internet and electricity).

Royalties from secondary sales

Many NFT platforms pay the original creator a royalty percentage (often 2.5% to 10%) on every resale. These royalties are taxable income.

• Hobby creators: possibly as miscellaneous income (33%).
• Professional artists: as professional income (progressive up to 50%).

NFT airdrops

Do you receive free NFTs via an airdrop? See the valuation issue above. Concretely:

• NFT without market value at the moment of receipt: acquisition value EUR 0, to be documented. The entire proceeds are a capital gain on sale.
• NFT with a clear market value: that value becomes your cost basis. On receipt this can also be qualified as movable income (30%), depending on the context.

💼 VAT on NFT transactions

The VAT treatment of NFTs is complex and depends on the nature of the transaction:

When does VAT apply?

• NFTs as a digital service: when an NFT is considered a digital service (for example access to content), 21% VAT applies.
• NFTs sold by businesses: professional sellers must charge VAT.
• International sales: complex rules depending on the buyer's location.

When no VAT?

• Private sales between consumers.
• Possible exemption for artworks (depending on interpretation).
• For pure exchange transactions between crypto assets, the general crypto regime is maintained (VAT exemption under the Hedqvist case law).

Advice: if in doubt about VAT obligations, consult a tax adviser with knowledge of digital assets.

📋 Documentation and record-keeping

Good documentation is crucial for your NFT transactions. Keep the following:

Per transaction

• Transaction hash: the unique identifier on the blockchain.
• Date and time: when the transaction took place.
• Amount in crypto: how much ETH/crypto you paid or received.
• Euro value: the value in euros at the moment of the transaction.
• Gas fees: transaction costs (deductible).
• NFT identification: contract address and token ID.

Supporting documentation

• Screenshots of purchases on OpenSea, Blur, Magic Eden or other platforms.
• Wallet exports and transaction history.
• Proof of royalty payments.
• Correspondence about NFT sales.

🔗 The complexity of NFT transactions

NFT transactions are often more complex than they seem. Consider this typical scenario:

1. Event 1: You buy ETH with euros (no tax).
2. Event 2: You buy an NFT with ETH (possible capital gain on the ETH).
3. Event 3: You sell the NFT for more ETH (capital gain on the NFT).
4. Event 4: You sell the ETH for euros (possible capital gain on the ETH).

Each of these steps must be documented and calculated correctly. By hand this is a nightmare, especially if you trade actively.

🛠️ Practical tips per profile

For collectors

• Keep your activity limited and document your collecting motivation.
• Prove that you buy out of interest, not primarily for profit.
• Hold NFTs longer before you sell.
• Do not forget the step-up documentation on 31/12/2025.

For active traders

• Accept that your profits are likely to be speculative (33%).
• Keep accurate records from day one.
• Use tools to track your transactions automatically.
• Reserve a portion of your profit for taxes.

For NFT creators

• Consider a business structure for your activities.
• Document your creation process and costs.
• Keep royalty income recorded separately.
• Consult a tax adviser about VAT obligations, especially for international sales.

🧮 How Cryptotax helps

NFT transactions are often complex: you pay with ETH (first taxable event), receive an NFT, later sell for more ETH (second event). Cryptotax tracks this automatically.

Our platform:

• Automatically imports all your NFT transactions from Ethereum, Base and Arbitrum.
• Calculates the euro value at every moment of a transaction.
• Takes gas fees into account as deductible costs.
• Distinguishes between NFT purchases, sales and royalties.
• Applies the step-up rule on 31/12/2025 for NFTs in your portfolio on that date.
• Generates an overview ready for your tax return.

Whether you are a casual collector or trade actively in NFTs, correct tax record-keeping is essential. Start a free scan to import your NFT activity.

🧾 Summary

📚 Read more

• The 10% capital gains tax
• Step-up rule on 31 December 2025
• The EUR 10,000 exemption
• Taxing airdrops in Belgium
• Complete 2026 overview of crypto taxes in Belgium

⚠️ Disclaimer: This article is a general guide and does not constitute individual tax advice. NFT taxation evolves quickly and contains gray areas. If in doubt, consult a recognized Belgian tax adviser with experience in digital assets.