Crypto Tax in Austria 2026: KESt, Swaps, Staking and Filing

Austria normally applies a 27.5% special rate to private crypto income and realised gains under its post-reform regime, but the result depends on the acquisition date and transaction type. Crypto-to-crypto swaps, classic staking, old assets and private loans require different treatment.

Reviewed September 1, 2026. This English guide covers individuals holding qualifying cryptocurrencies as private investments. Asset tokens, NFTs, business trading and derivatives can fall outside section 27b EStG and need a separate legal and tax analysis.

Which tokens fall within Austria's crypto regime?

Section 27b EStG defines a cryptocurrency as a transferable and storable digital representation of value, not issued or guaranteed by a central bank or public body, accepted as a means of exchange and not itself legal money. Stablecoins can qualify when they meet the definition.

The Austrian Ministry of Finance, BMF, states that NFTs and asset tokens backed by items such as securities or real estate are not automatically cryptocurrencies under section 27b. Their tax treatment follows their actual rights and general income-tax rules. The official BMF crypto tax guidance is the primary reference for the distinctions in this article.

Capital-income treatment also assumes private asset management. If the nature and scale exceed private investment, business income rules can take priority. Frequency alone is not a statutory safe harbour.

Old assets versus new assets: the correct acquisition date

The reform took effect on 1 March 2022, but its acquisition cut-off is one year earlier. That is why “coins bought after March 2022” is the wrong definition of new assets.

Old private assets remain subject to the former rules. A disposal after the old one-year speculation period was generally outside tax, while a disposal within the period could be taxable at the progressive rate. Transfers, substitutions and use of old assets for staking, lending or other income-generating arrangements can create mixed histories; rewards acquired through those activities can be new assets even when old assets were deployed. Keep acquisition dates and quantities separate rather than merging old and new units.

The 27.5% special tax rate—and its exceptions

Current income from qualifying cryptocurrencies and realised appreciation of new assets normally face the special rate of 27.5%. This rate applies whether collected as Kapitalertragsteuer (KESt) or assessed through the tax return and ordinarily does not raise the progressive rate on other income.

Important exceptions include private cryptocurrency loans whose underlying contracts are not offered publicly in legal and factual terms; the BMF says these are taxed at the progressive income-tax rate. A commercial crypto trader or miner whose activity is a business focus can also be taxed under business rules rather than the private capital-income model. The Regelbesteuerungsoption can be relevant where taxing all covered capital income at the regular tariff produces a lower total, but it is not a selective “choose the lower rate for one winning trade” switch.

Which events realise a gain?

For new qualifying cryptocurrency, realised appreciation includes:

• selling for euros;
• exchanging for a legally recognised foreign currency such as US dollars;
• using crypto to buy goods or services;
• exchanging crypto for another economic asset that is not qualifying cryptocurrency;
• events that remove Austria's taxing right, subject to the detailed exit rules.

The taxable result is generally proceeds less acquisition cost. Qualifying incidental acquisition or transaction costs can enter the computation, while general asset-management costs such as hardware and electricity are restricted under the special-rate rules unless a relevant option or business regime applies.

Crypto-to-crypto swaps are not taxed at the swap date

Austria is different from many countries: exchanging one qualifying cryptocurrency for another is not a realisation under section 27b. There is no immediate gain or loss. The acquisition costs of the transferred cryptocurrency carry over to the received cryptocurrency.

Costs linked to that non-taxable swap are, according to the BMF, tax-neutral at that point rather than immediately deductible. This rule requires both sides to qualify as cryptocurrency under the Austrian definition. Swapping into an NFT, security token, commodity-backed token or service can instead be a taxable disposal.

Example: an investor exchanges BTC with a carried cost of €8,000 for ETH worth €20,000. If both qualify, no €12,000 gain is taxed on the swap. The €8,000 cost carries into the ETH. A later sale of that ETH for euros can realise the accumulated gain.

Staking, airdrops, mining, lending and DeFi

The classic staking exception is narrow: the contribution to transaction processing must mainly consist of using existing crypto for validation. A platform can call lending “staking”, but if the economic transaction is paid transfer of crypto for use, the reward is taxed at receipt. The Austria staking, airdrop and lending guide explains the event mapping.

DeFi liquidity compensation is normally current income under the BMF's view. However, providing the liquidity itself is not automatically a taxable exchange even where an LP token evidences the repayment claim. See the Austria DeFi guide for that special administrative treatment.

Moving average cost by address or wallet

For qualifying new assets of the same type acquired successively and held on the same crypto address, realised gains arising after 31 December 2022 use a moving average acquisition price in euros under the KryptowährungsVO. The rules also allow a wallet-level approach in specified circumstances, and the method applied by the withholding provider can be binding for assessment.

Old assets and units with provider-estimated acquisition values do not simply enter the normal average. Track at least asset type, address or wallet, date, quantity, euro cost, status as old or new asset, fee allocation and movements between custody locations. A global average across all exchanges and wallets can be wrong.

The official EStR position is available through the BMF Income Tax Guidelines, including paragraph 6178.

Private crypto losses and loss offset

Private losses under the special-rate regime can be offset only against eligible private capital income in the same year, with statutory exclusions. They cannot reduce salary or other progressive-rate income, and there is no general private capital-loss carryforward.

An Austrian withholding provider automatically offsets only the covered crypto income it administers. Cross-provider, foreign-platform and certain cross-category offsets require the assessment option. Crypto losses cannot be automatically offset by the provider against securities income, although an eligible offset may be requested through assessment. BMF's official loss-offset guidance lists the restrictions.

KESt, the new tax report and filing

For capital income arising after 31 December 2023, in-scope Austrian debtors and crypto service providers generally withhold KESt. Where withholding has final effect, the investor normally does not repeat the income in the return. A foreign exchange or non-withholding arrangement can leave the individual responsible for reporting through the income-tax return and the E 1kv schedule.

For capital income arising from calendar year 2025, an Austrian KESt withholding agent must provide a tax report on request. The official BMF reporting guidance says it must be available by 31 March of the following year and can support assessment, non-automatic loss offset or the regular-tax option. It is not the same as a complete worldwide wallet calculation.

Before filing, reconcile all providers, self-custody wallets, old assets, non-taxable swaps, rewards and already-withheld KESt. The Austria year-end checklist provides the German workflow.

Austria crypto tax FAQ

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute tax advice. For individual tax advice, consult a licensed tax professional.