Why 2025 Crypto Taxes Will Be Trickier Than Normal: What You Need to Know - Unchained Recap

Podcast: Unchained

Published: 2026-01-29

Duration: 1 hr 23 min

Guests: Laura Walter

Summary

Crypto taxes in 2025 will present new complexities due to changes like the introduction of the 1099 DA form, which requires crypto holders to independently calculate their cost basis. This episode dives into strategies to navigate the evolving tax landscape.

What Happened

Laura Walter, the founder of Crypto Tax Girl, joins the podcast to discuss the upcoming challenges in crypto taxation for 2025, primarily focusing on the new 1099 DA form. This form, issued by US-based crypto exchanges, will detail sales proceeds but not the cost basis, leaving taxpayers to supplement this information on their own. Walter emphasizes the importance of precise record-keeping for privacy coins like Monero, as the IRS will default to a $0 basis without proof, leading to potential overpayment of taxes.

The episode also highlights the IRS's new wallet-by-wallet accounting method, which requires determining the cost basis for each specific wallet rather than a universal calculation. This change necessitates a 'safe harbor' allocation starting January 1, 2025, to appropriately distribute cost basis across wallets. Various accounting methods such as FIFO, LIFO, and HIFO remain applicable but must now be chosen per exchange.

Walter advises waiting until February 17th to file taxes, as that's when the 1099 DA forms are expected to be available. She also suggests using crypto tax software to manage complex transaction histories and recommends APIs to automatically pull transaction data from exchanges.

The podcast briefly explores proposed legislative changes like the Digital Asset Parity Act and the Loomis bill, which suggest taxing mining and staking rewards only upon sale, rather than upon receipt. Additionally, a $200 de minimis exception for small transactions is proposed, potentially simplifying tax reporting for minor crypto transactions.

Certain crypto activities, such as trading stablecoins, are currently treated as property for tax purposes, complicating matters as the IRS increases compliance efforts. The episode recommends setting aside cash for tax payments throughout the year if significant gains are realized, to avoid financial strain.

Finally, Walter discusses the nature of tax relief available for victims of crypto scams or hacks, provided the asset was held with the intent to make a profit. This aligns with the IRS's growing focus on crypto compliance, urging taxpayers to get ahead of potential audits and investigations.

Key Insights