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🇨🇭 Crypto tax in Switzerland
For private investors, gains on payment tokens like Bitcoin are generally tax-free and losses not deductible. Holdings are subject to cantonal wealth tax at year-end value. Professional trading, staking, airdrops and mining are taxed as income.
| Capital gains (private) | Generally tax-free capital gains; losses not deductible.Source quote"stellen bei natürlichen Personen im Privatvermögen grundsätzlich steuerfreie Kapitalgewinne oder nicht abzugsfähige Kapitalverluste dar" |
|---|---|
| Professional trading | Depending on type, volume and financing, trading can be self-employment: gains are then taxable income and booked losses deductible.Source quote"Je nach Art, Umfang und Finanzierung der Transaktionen liegt keine private Vermögensverwaltung, sondern selbständige Erwerbstätigkeit vor." |
| Wealth tax | Payment tokens are subject to cantonal wealth tax and declared at market value at the end of the tax period. ESTV publishes tax values for the most common coins in its price list (Kursliste); otherwise use a leading platform's market value. Rates and allowances are set by each canton and municipality – use the official ESTV tax calculator.Source quote"Zahlungs-Token unterliegen folglich der kantonal geregelten Vermögenssteuer und sind am Ende der Steuerperiode zum Verkehrswert zu deklarieren." |
| Staking & airdrops | Staking rewards (via pools) are generally income from movable assets; airdrops are taxable income at market value when allocated.Source quote"Diese Entschädigung qualifiziert grundsätzlich als Ertrag aus beweglichem Vermögen" / "Die Air-drops unterliegen … der Einkommenssteuer." |
| Mining | Compensation is taxable income; self-employment income if the usual criteria are met.Source quote"Bei dieser Entschädigung handelt es sich um steuerbares Einkommen" |
| Transaction costs | Not deductible when directly linked to buying, switching or selling.Source quote"Nicht abzugsfähig sind hingegen Transaktionskosten, die in direktem Zusammenhang mit dem Erwerb, der Umschichtung oder dem Verkauf … stehen." |
| Exchange reporting (CARF) | Legal framework approved, but partner states are still being decided by Parliament; the crypto AEOI cannot apply before 1 Jan 2027 at the earliest and does not apply in 2026.Source quote"the AEOI on crypto assets cannot be implemented by Switzerland until January 1, 2027, at the earliest" |
Official sources
- ESTV – Kryptowährungen Besteuerung (working paper)
- Kanton Zürich – ZStB 16.5 (Bitcoin-like coins)
- ESTV tax calculator (income & wealth tax by municipality)
- SIF – AEOI on crypto assets
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Not tax advice. General information summarised from official sources; it may be incomplete or out of date. Always check the linked official source or a qualified tax adviser.