Crypto Airdrop Tax Calculator
Calculate income tax on cryptocurrency airdrops. Estimate tax owed on free tokens received based on fair market value at the time of receipt.
Crypto Wash Sale Calculator
Calculate whether your crypto loss may be disallowed under a wash-sale-style framework. Check how repurchasing within 30 days could affect a capital-loss deduction.
Sale Details
$
$
Repurchase Details
$
Capital Loss⧉
$2,000.00
Wash Sale Triggered?⧉
Yes
Disallowed Loss⧉
$2,000.00
Allowable Loss⧉
$0.00
New Replacement Basis⧉
$10,000.00
Includes disallowed loss
Planning notes, formulas, and examples
About the Crypto Wash Sale Calculator
The wash sale rule disallows a tax loss if you repurchase a substantially identical asset within 30 days before or after the sale. Historically, that rule applied to securities such as stocks and bonds, while cryptocurrency was often discussed separately because digital assets were treated as property.
Because lawmakers and commentators have repeatedly discussed extending wash-sale-style treatment to digital assets, this page is best used as a reference worksheet for a 30-day repurchase restriction rather than a statement of the live rule for your filing year.
This calculator shows how a wash-sale-style disallowance would work. Enter your sale details and any repurchases within the 30-day window to estimate whether part or all of a loss could be deferred and added to the basis of the replacement asset.
When This Page Helps
If you are modeling a filing year or jurisdiction that applies wash-sale-style loss disallowance to digital assets, this calculator helps you check whether a planned or completed transaction falls inside the 30-day window. It is also useful as a what-if worksheet when comparing tax-loss-harvesting strategies.
How to Use the Inputs
- Enter the proceeds from your crypto sale.
- Enter the cost basis of the crypto sold.
- Enter the number of days between the sale and repurchase.
- Enter the repurchase amount (quantity x price).
- View whether the loss is allowed, disallowed, or partially disallowed under the worksheet assumptions.
- If a loss is disallowed, the worksheet adds it to the basis of the replacement asset.
Formula used
Loss = Cost Basis - Proceeds (if negative, it is a gain, not a loss)
If repurchase occurs within 30 days: Disallowed Loss = Loss x (Repurchase Qty / Sold Qty)
New Basis of Replacement = Repurchase Price + Disallowed LossExample Calculation
Result: $2,000 loss disallowed
You sold crypto for $8,000 with a $10,000 basis, creating a $2,000 loss. You repurchased within 5 days for $8,000. Under the worksheet assumptions, the full loss is disallowed and the new basis becomes $10,000.
Tips & Best Practices
- Wait at least 31 days after selling at a loss before repurchasing the same asset if your filing framework treats the transaction as a wash sale.
- The wash sale window covers 30 days before and 30 days after the sale.
- Disallowed losses are not necessarily lost forever; they are usually deferred into the replacement asset basis under a wash-sale framework.
- Buying a different cryptocurrency may or may not be considered substantially identical, so verify the rule set you are using.
- Keep detailed records of sale and repurchase dates across exchanges and wallets.
The Wash Sale Rule Explained
The wash sale rule was created to prevent taxpayers from claiming artificial losses by selling an asset and immediately rebuying it. The 30-day window is meant to prevent a deduction when the economic position has not meaningfully changed.
Impact on Tax-Loss Harvesting
If a wash-sale-style rule applies to digital assets in the filing year you are modeling, tax-loss harvesting becomes a timing exercise. You may need to wait 31 days before repurchasing the same asset, rotate into a different asset, or accept that part of the loss will be deferred.
Record-Keeping for Wash Sales
Track purchases made within 30 days of any loss sale. If your tax treatment does require wash-sale handling, keep the deferred-loss amount with the replacement asset's basis so the eventual gain or loss is reported correctly.
Sources & Methodology
Last updated:
Frequently Asked Questions
That depends on the filing year and jurisdiction you are modeling. This page uses a wash-sale-style framework as a reference worksheet. Verify the live IRS guidance and any applicable legislation before treating a crypto loss as disallowed.
Under a wash-sale framework, the disallowed loss is typically added to the basis of the replacement asset. That defers the loss rather than erasing it outright.
Possibly. The issue is whether the replacement asset is considered substantially identical under the rule set you are using. Different assets are often treated differently, but borderline cases require professional judgment.
No. Wash-sale logic is about disallowing losses, not gains.
It is the period covering 30 days before the sale through 30 days after the sale. A repurchase inside that full window can trigger wash-sale treatment if the applicable rule says crypto is covered.
If only part of the sold quantity is repurchased inside the window, only the matching portion of the loss is typically disallowed under the proportional formula used on this page.
More in this topic
Crypto Average Cost Basis Calculator
Calculate crypto average cost basis by dividing total purchase cost by total quantity. Simple method for estimating gains on cryptocurrency sales.
Crypto Capital Loss Carryforward Calculator
Calculate how crypto capital losses carry forward to future tax years. Deduct $3,000 annually against ordinary income and project multi-year loss utilization.