Australia Cryptocurrency Tax Rules: What You Need to Know

Australia treats cryptocurrencies as assets subject to income tax and capital gains tax rules. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) considers investment cryptocurrency a capital gains tax asset, but it's not a separate tax with its own rate.

CGT is tied to an individual's marginal tax rate, and the investor simply includes net capital gain in assessable income. Taxable crypto income and CGT events that occurred during the 2025-26 income year must be reported on the 2026 tax return.

A CGT event occurs when an investor disposes of cryptocurrency through a sale, swap, spending, or gift. This also includes using investment crypto to buy an NFT, which disposes of the payment tokens and may trigger a capital gain or loss.