When do you pay tax on crypto in the UK?
There are two separate "whens". Tax is triggered at the moment you dispose of crypto — selling for pounds, swapping one coin for another, spending it, or gifting it to anyone other than your spouse. Simply holding, or moving coins between your own wallets, triggers nothing. Payment is then due by the Self Assessment deadline: 31 January after the end of the tax year in which you disposed. So a coin sold in June 2026 (tax year 2026/27) is reported and paid by 31 January 2028. Income-type events like staking rewards are taxed for the year you receive them.
When tax is triggered
A Capital Gains Tax event happens the moment you:
- Sell crypto for pounds (or any fiat currency)
- Swap one cryptoasset for another — including moving into stablecoins
- Spend crypto on goods or services
- Gift crypto to anyone except your spouse or civil partner
What triggers nothing
- Buying and holding — unrealised gains are never taxed
- Transferring between your own wallets and exchange accounts
- Transfers to your spouse (no gain/no loss — they inherit your cost)
- The value of your portfolio going up on paper
When the money is actually due
Disposals are grouped into the tax year they happened (6 April to 5 April). You report them on your Self Assessment return and pay by 31 January following the end of that tax year — one combined deadline for filing and payment. Disposals made in 2025/26 (6 April 2025 – 5 April 2026) are due by 31 January 2027; disposals in 2026/27 by 31 January 2028.
If you've never filed Self Assessment, register with HMRC by 5 October after the tax year ends. For a one-off clean disposal there's also HMRC's real-time CGT reporting service, which lets you report and pay without joining Self Assessment.
Why waiting until the deadline is risky now
Under the Cryptoasset Reporting Framework, UK platforms collect user and transaction data from January 2026 and report it to HMRC — so HMRC increasingly knows about disposals before you report them. Working out your position soon after the tax year ends (or before, using estimates) beats a January scramble, and leaves time to fix record gaps while exchanges still hold your history.
Run your own numbers — free
Our calculator applies these rules to your transactions and shows the full working for every disposal — same-day, 30-day and Section 104 matching, per tax year.
Open the calculator →Frequently asked questions
I sold in May 2026 — when do I pay?
May 2026 falls in the 2026/27 tax year (ends 5 April 2027), so you report and pay by 31 January 2028. Register for Self Assessment by 5 October 2027 if you're not already in it.
Do staking rewards follow the same deadline?
They're income for the tax year you receive them, reported on the same Self Assessment return and due on the same 31 January date — plus CGT later when you dispose of the reward coins.
What if my gains are under £3,000?
Below the annual exempt amount there's usually no tax and often nothing to report — unless your total proceeds exceed £50,000 and you already file Self Assessment, or you want to register a loss for the future.
Sources & methodology
- GOV.UK: Check if you need to pay tax when you sell cryptoassets
- GOV.UK: Report and pay your Capital Gains Tax
- GOV.UK: Cryptoasset Reporting Framework (CARF)
Tool v0.2.0 · sources last checked 6 July 2026. This guide is general information, not tax or financial advice — verify your position with a qualified professional before filing.