How to report crypto losses for 2022 on your tax return
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The recent crypto rally could be good news for digital currency investors. But if you’re still recovering from last year’s losses, it might be possible to get a tax break on your 2022 returns.
The crypto market collapsed nearly $1.4 trillion in 2022 after a series of bankruptcies, liquidity issues and the collapse of FTX, one of the largest crypto exchanges.
If you’re itching to claim a crypto loss on your taxes, there are a few things to know, experts say.
Balancing gains with crypto losses
One of the silver linings of falling assets is the opportunity for leverage tax loss collection or the use of losses to offset gains.
If you sold crypto at a loss, you can deduct that from other portfolio gains, and once losses exceed gains, you can take up to $3,000 from regular income, explained Lisa Greene-Lewis, a chartered accountant and tax expert at TurboTax .
Also, there is currently no “wash sale rule” for crypto. The rule blocks the tax break if you buy an “essentially identical” asset 30 days before or after the sale.
You calculate your loss by subtracting your selling price from the original purchase price, known as the “base”, and reporting the loss Planned And Form 8949 on your tax return.
If your crypto losses exceed other investment gains and $3,000 in regular income, you can use the rest in subsequent years, Greene-Lewis said. But it’s easy to lose sight of transmission losses and miss future tax-cut opportunities, she warned.
Wait to claim bankruptcy losses
CPA and tax attorney Andrew Gordon, president of the Gordon Law Group, said there are usually two concerns: potentially claiming a loss for missed deposits and reporting income from rewards or interest.
It may be worth applying for an extension if you have had significant holdings in any of these platforms to see if there is further clarity.
Andrew Gordon
President of the Gordon Law Group
In some cases, you may be able to claim a capital loss or bad debt and write off what you spent on the asset. But it has to be a “complete loss” to claim it, Gordon said. For example, if you end up getting 10% back after claiming a bad debt deduction, that 10% becomes regular income.
Though there are multiple options for 2022, he generally tells customers to “wait and see” what happens. “It may be worth applying for an extension if you’ve had significant holdings in any of these platforms to see if there is further clarity,” he said.
You must report crypto — even without forms
Since 2019, the IRS includes a Crypto yes-or-no question on tax return front page. The agency has also tracked customer data by sending court orders to multiple exchanges.
“The IRS has more than five years of information on taxpayers,” Losi said. So if they find out you have crypto and haven’t come forward, you could be targeted, he said.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/15/heres-how-to-report-2022-crypto-losses-on-your-tax-return.html How to report crypto losses for 2022 on your tax return
