Austria taxes crypto gains like income from capital: a flat 27.5% special rate, in force since 1 March 2022 under §27b of the Income Tax Act (EStG). The rate applies to coins acquired after 28 February 2021, the so-called new holdings. Coins bought earlier, the old holdings, follow the previous rules: tax-free when sold after one year. Exchanging one crypto for another is tax-neutral for both. Those three facts decide almost every Austrian case.
The cut-off date: old versus new holdings
The reform drew a line through your wallet on a single date. Coins acquired up to and including 28 February 2021 are Altvermögen. They were subject to the old speculation rule, where a sale within one year was taxed at your income tax rate and a sale after one year was tax-free. Because every such coin had passed its one-year mark by 1 March 2022, sales of old holdings are now tax-free in practice.
Coins acquired from 1 March 2021 are Neuvermögen. Gains on them are income from capital, taxed at 27.5% whenever you realise them, with no holding period exemption. Holding for ten years does not change that. The holding period calculator marks which of your lots fall on which side of the line.
What realises a gain and what does not
| Transaction | Taxable? | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Sell for euros or other fiat | yes, 27.5% | gain = proceeds − cost |
| Swap crypto for another crypto | no | cost carries over to the new coin |
| Pay for goods or services | yes | treated as a sale |
| Swap into a stablecoin | no | stablecoins are crypto for this rule |
| Transfer between own wallets | no | keep proof it is your wallet |
The swap rule is generous: you can rotate from BTC into ETH or USDT without tax, and the acquisition cost of the original coin moves with you. Tax is due only when you leave crypto for fiat, goods or services. The guide is a crypto-to-crypto swap taxable shows how unusual this is compared with Germany, the UK or the US.
Calculating the gain
Gain equals the sale proceeds minus acquisition cost. Unlike with income at progressive rates, costs of earning the income such as subscription fees or hardware cannot be deducted against the 27.5% special rate, apart from transaction costs directly tied to the purchase in the ways the regulation allows. For coins bought in several lots after 2022 at the same provider, the Crypto Assets Regulation (Kryptowährungsverordnung) lets the provider use a moving average cost. The Austria crypto tax calculator applies 27.5% to the gain of each sale.
Example
You bought 0.5 BTC in January 2023 for €8,000, swapped half of it into ETH in 2024 (no tax, the ETH takes over €4,000 of cost) and in October 2025 sold the remaining 0.25 BTC for €10,000 and the ETH for €7,000. Gains: €10,000 − €4,000 = €6,000 and €7,000 − €4,000 = €3,000. Tax at 27.5% on €9,000 is €2,475. Had the coins been bought in January 2021, both sales would have been tax-free.
KESt withholding
Since 1 January 2024, Austrian crypto service providers, such as domestic exchanges, must withhold capital gains tax (KESt) on realised gains and pay it to the tax office, in the same way banks do for shares. If all your sales went through such a provider and the withheld KESt is final, you may have nothing more to declare. Sales through foreign platforms or non-custodial services, including swaps on KOT.CASH that end in fiat elsewhere, are not withheld, so you declare them in the annual return (E1kv supplement).
Keep the acquisition records of old holdings carefully. The tax-free treatment depends entirely on proving that a coin was bought before 1 March 2021, and wallets that mixed old and new coins need a clear allocation.
Losses
Losses on new holdings can be offset against other income from capital taxed at 27.5% in the same year, for example gains on shares. They cannot be offset against savings account interest and cannot be carried forward to later years. If you have a large unrealised loss and gains elsewhere in the same year, timing matters.
Staking, lending and airdrops
§27b distinguishes current income from crypto. Interest-like payments for lending coins are current income, taxed at 27.5% when received. For rewards from staking and similar transaction processing, and for airdrops and hard forks, the law allows the coins to be recorded with an acquisition cost of zero: there is no tax at receipt, and the full value is taxed when you later sell them for fiat. Mining on a business scale is commercial income at progressive rates.
FAQ
What is the crypto tax rate in Austria?
27.5% on realised gains from coins acquired after 28 February 2021, under §27b EStG.
Is crypto bought before March 2021 taxable in Austria?
Coins acquired up to 28 February 2021 are old holdings. Sold after one year, which is now always the case, they are tax-free.
Is swapping BTC to ETH taxable in Austria?
No. Crypto-to-crypto exchanges are tax-neutral; the original cost carries over to the new coins.
Do I have to declare crypto if my exchange withholds KESt?
If an Austrian provider withheld KESt with final effect, usually not. Gains via foreign or non-custodial services must be declared.
Can crypto losses be carried forward in Austria?
No. They can only offset other 27.5% capital income in the same year.