Crypto tax in the UK (2026): pooling, the new cryptoasset box, and CARF from January
Two things changed recently and most guides predate both. The Self Assessment return gained a dedicated cryptoasset section from the 2024-25 year, and from 1 January 2026 UK providers began collecting reportable data — on UK residents as well as foreign ones.
Which exchanges report on you, and since when? — the free lookup →
| Tax rate | Capital gains tax at 18% within the basic rate band and 24% above it, for disposals from 6 April 2026.1 |
| Holding period | None. No taper and no long-term rate.1 |
| What triggers tax | Selling for money, exchanging for a different type of token, paying for goods or services, and giving tokens away other than to a spouse or civil partner. Moving coins between your own wallets is not a disposal — beneficial ownership never changes.2 |
| Annual exempt amount | £3,000 for 2026-27. Unlike Germany's Freigrenze this is a true allowance: only the excess is taxed.1 |
| The pooling rule | Section 104 pooling applies, so your cost is a running average per token rather than the lot-by-lot chain a US return needs. Allowable costs include the sterling consideration and transaction fees; mining equipment and electricity are not acquisition costs.3 |
| Declaring | The Self Assessment return (SA100) with the Capital Gains Summary pages (SA108) — HMRC says to use the cryptoasset section, available on returns for 2024-25 onwards. Or the real time Capital Gains Tax service. The tax year is 6 April to 5 April: register by 5 October 2026, paper by 31 October 2026, online and payment by 31 January 2027. Using an agent does not move these dates.2 |
| Who knows | Data collection under the Cryptoasset Reporting Framework began 1 January 2026, with the first report to HMRC due between 1 January and 31 May 2027 covering calendar year 2026. The UK goes beyond CARF: it requires domestic reporting of UK-resident users too. The obligation is on providers, not on you.4 |
Tax authority: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) — https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs
Why your records — not the rules — are the real problem
HMRC's own list, from the Cryptoassets Manual: type of cryptoasset, date, whether bought or sold, number of units, the value in pounds sterling at the date of the transaction, the cumulative total held, plus bank statements and wallet addresses. HMRC says the onus is on the individual, because exchanges keep data only briefly and may cease to exist.
Section 104 pooling is the reason UK crypto records are hard in a way American ones are not. Every acquisition of a token blends into one average cost, so a single missing purchase from 2017 silently moves the cost of every disposal you have made since.
That is the gap ClearBasis closes: we rebuild the complete acquisition history from exchange files and on-chain records, match every transfer between your own wallets so moving coins is never taxed as selling, and attach evidence to every number.
Late filing: £100 immediately, then £10 a day up to £900 after three months, then the greater of 5% of the tax or £300 at six months and again at twelve. Late payment: 5% of the unpaid tax at 30 days, six months and twelve months, plus interest.
What you can use today, in United Kingdom
The free scan shows your true gains against proceeds-only in about three minutes. The Global Basis Report (from $99) is the full evidence-linked ledger — acquisition costs, disposal gains, local-currency values with cited FX — the document you or your accountant declare from.
Run my free scanComing for United Kingdom
Declaration formatting for United Kingdom — your report's totals mapped to the local return's fields, reviewed by a local tax professional before we ship it, and this page published in en. Run and save a free scan to join the list: you will be emailed the day it opens, and demand decides how fast.
Start with the free scanQuestions people in United Kingdom actually ask
Where exactly does crypto go on the return?
In the cryptoasset section of the Capital Gains Summary pages (SA108), which HMRC added for 2024-25 onwards. If you are following a guide written before that, it will send you to the wrong place.
Is moving coins between my own wallets taxable?
No. HMRC says there is no disposal where you retain beneficial ownership throughout. Proving that both wallets were yours is the work.
Will my exchange report me to HMRC?
From 2026 data, yes — and unusually, that includes UK-resident users, not only foreign ones. The first reports are due by 31 May 2027.
The primary sources listed below are monitored for change. Confirmed factual updates publish with a new version stamp; substantive rule changes are verified by a professional before this page changes. Where a claim carries an unverified badge above, it means the authority's own site refused us access to the document that would settle it — we would rather show you the gap than paper over it.
1. gov.uk — Capital Gains Tax rates and allowances · 2. HMRC — check if you need to pay tax when you sell cryptoassets · 3. HMRC Cryptoassets Manual CRYPTO10400 — records · 4. HMRC — reporting cryptoasset user and transaction data. Retrieved 28 August 2026. This guide is information, not tax advice; rules change — the page is versioned (gb-2026.1), re-reviewed annually, and the English master is canonical. For binding answers, consult the authority named above or a licensed local tax advisor. Every country we cover → · How United Kingdom compares with thirteen others →