Crypto Tax Loss Harvesting Calculator (2026)

1. Enter up to three holdings: units, cost basis per unit, price now and how long you have held them. Only holdings below cost count as losses.
2. Enter the short-term and long-term gains you have already realized this year from any asset, such as crypto, shares or funds.
3. Set your own tax rates and filing status, then read the tax saved, the amount deducted from other income and the amount carried forward.

What each result tells you:

The tool does not tell you whether to sell. It shows the tax arithmetic only.

Crypto tax loss harvesting is selling a digital asset for less than its cost basis to realize a capital loss. The loss then offsets capital gains on the same tax return.

The IRS treats digital assets as property. Its guidance says general tax principles for property transactions apply to digital assets. A sale creates a capital gain or a capital loss when you hold the asset as a capital asset.

A loss counts only when it is realized. A price drop on an asset you still hold changes nothing on your return. The sale, exchange or other disposal is the taxable event.

Harvesting helps people who have capital gains in the same year, or other income to reduce by up to 3,000. It does not create money. You sell an asset that is worth less than you paid, and the tax saved is only part of that loss.

Our guide on tax loss harvesting covers the idea for all asset types, and crypto tax basics lists which crypto events are taxable.

The calculator nets your losses against your gains by holding period, applies the yearly loss limit, and prices the result at your rates.

1. Sort losses by holding period. The IRS says an asset held for one year or less gives a short-term result. An asset held for more than one year gives a long-term result.
2. Net each group. Net short-term = short-term gains - short-term losses. Net long-term = long-term gains - long-term losses.
3. Net the two groups. A net loss in one group reduces a net gain in the other.
4. Tax what is left. A net short-term gain uses your ordinary rate. A net long-term gain uses your long-term rate.
5. Apply the limit. A net capital loss reduces other income by up to 3,000, or 1,500 if married filing separately. The rest carries forward.

The rate fields are yours to edit. These are the 2026 federal figures the IRS published, for reference:

Above the 15 percent amount, the long-term rate is 20 percent. Both tables use taxable income for tax year 2026.

These numbers are an illustration, not typical results. An investor has already realized 8,000 of short-term gains and 5,000 of long-term gains this year. The rates are 24 percent ordinary and 15 percent long-term.

Meaning: the 23,500.00 loss wipes out all 13,000 of gains and takes 3,000 off other income. The saving this year is 3,390.00, or about 14.4 cents per dollar of loss. The other 7,500.00 waits for a later year.

The same loss saves different amounts depending on what it offsets. Each example below harvests a 12,000 loss.

The Type of Gain You Offset

A 12,000 loss against 20,000 of short-term gains at 24 percent saves 2,880.00. The same loss against 20,000 of long-term gains at 15 percent saves 1,800.00. Short-term gains are taxed at ordinary rates, so offsetting them saves more.

Whether You Have Gains at All

With no gains, only 3,000 is usable this year. At 22 percent that saves 660.00, and 9,000.00 carries forward.

Your Tax Rates

The saving scales with the rates you enter. A taxpayer in the 0 percent long-term bracket saves nothing by offsetting long-term gains.

State Income Tax

A state that taxes capital gains adds to the saving. A 12,000 short-term loss against long-term gains saves 1,800.00 federally at 15 percent, and 2,400.00 with a 5 percent state rate. State rules differ, so treat this field as a rough guide.

Holding Period

The holding period starts the day after you acquire the asset. One year or less is short-term. More than one year is long-term.

Cost Basis Method

The IRS says you may choose which units you sell when you can specifically identify them and prove their basis. Otherwise the units are treated as sold in the order you acquired them, first in, first out. The units you pick change the loss.

The Wash Sale Rule and Digital Assets

This is what the IRS and the tax code state as of 2026-10-02. We do not go beyond it.

• Section 1091 of the Internal Revenue Code disallows a loss on shares of stock or securities when you buy substantially identical stock or securities within 30 days before or after the sale.
• IRS Publication 550 describes the wash sale rule for stock or securities. It describes a digital asset as property.
• The IRS Instructions for Form 1099-DA (2026) tell brokers to report a wash sale loss disallowed for tokenized securities that are treated as stock or securities under section 1091.
• We found no IRS statement on those pages that applies the wash sale rule to other digital assets.

So a digital asset that is itself a stock or security can fall under the rule. Congress can change the law, and other tax rules can still apply to a sale and quick repurchase. Check the current IRS guidance or ask a tax professional before you rebuy. The calculator does not test for wash sales.

Before Year-End

A loss counts for the tax year in which the sale happens. Run your numbers before the year closes, while you can still see your realized gains.

After a Large Gain

Enter the gain and test how much of it a loss would cancel. Our guide to capital gains tax explains how the gain itself is taxed.

When You Rebalance

Compare the tax effect of selling different holdings. Work out each position first with the guide on crypto profit and loss.

When You Hold Losses from Earlier Years

The tool has no separate carryover field. To include a carried-over loss, enter it as an extra holding with 1 unit, a cost basis equal to the loss and a price of 0.

1. Counting the Whole Loss as Tax Saved

The saving is the loss times a tax rate, not the loss itself. In the example, a 23,500 loss saves 3,390.00 this year.

2. Applying the 3,000 Limit to Every Coin

The limit applies once, to your net capital loss for the whole return. It does not apply per coin or per sale.

3. Using One Rate for Everything

A loss that offsets long-term gains saves tax at the long-term rate. Only the part that offsets short-term gains or other income saves at the ordinary rate.

4. Assuming Digital Assets Are Exempt from Every Rule

A tokenized security can be treated as stock or securities under section 1091. Read the wash sale section above before you rebuy.

5. Skipping Small Sales on the Return

The IRS says you must report sales and other capital transactions on Form 8949 and summarize them on Schedule D.

6. Forgetting Fees and Price Moves

Trading fees and a price change between selling and rebuying can cost more than the tax saved.

7. Losing Track of Basis

Revenue Procedure 2024-28 covers how unused basis is allocated to units held in each wallet or account as of January 1, 2025. Keep records for each wallet.

The netting arithmetic follows the IRS rules exactly. The dollar result is an estimate, not tax advice, because it uses flat rates that you enter.

There is no limit on losses that offset capital gains. A net capital loss then reduces other income by up to 3,000 a year, or 1,500 if you are married filing separately. The IRS lets you carry the rest forward to later years.

The IRS pages we read on 2026-10-02 apply the wash sale rule to stock or securities, and treat digital assets as property. The Form 1099-DA instructions apply wash sale reporting to tokenized securities treated as stock or securities. We found no IRS statement extending the rule to other digital assets, but the law can change, so check before you rebuy.

Yes. Capital losses and capital gains from all capital assets are netted together on the same return. A short-term crypto loss first offsets short-term gains, and a long-term loss first offsets long-term gains.

It depends on the gain it offsets. A loss that removes short-term gains saves tax at your ordinary rate. A loss that removes long-term gains saves tax at 0, 15 or 20 percent for most people.

Unused losses carry forward to later years. In the example with a 12,000 loss and no gains, 3,000 is used this year and 9,000.00 carries forward.

Yes. The IRS says you report sales and other capital transactions on Form 8949 and summarize them on Schedule D of Form 1040. A loss is only deductible when it is reported.

You may choose the units when you can specifically identify them and substantiate their basis, according to the IRS. Without that, the units are treated as sold in the order acquired, first in, first out.

A holding becomes long-term when you have held it for more than one year. The IRS says the holding period begins on the day after you acquire the asset.

People who file outside the United States should not use it, because it applies US federal rules. It also does not fit traders who hold digital assets as business inventory instead of as capital assets.

No. It shows the tax arithmetic for the holdings you enter. Whether to sell is an investment decision that depends on more than tax.

No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing is sent to our servers. Anything you Save stays in this browser only.

• Topic no. 409, Capital gains and losses (Internal Revenue Service: holding periods, netting, the 3,000 and 1,500 limit and carryover).
• Frequently asked questions on virtual currency transactions (Internal Revenue Service: property treatment, holding period, basis identification, Form 8949).
• Publication 550, Investment Income and Expenses (Internal Revenue Service: wash sales of stock or securities, digital assets as property).
• Instructions for Form 1099-DA (2026) (Internal Revenue Service: wash sale loss reporting for tokenized securities).
• Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (Internal Revenue Service: 2026 tax rate tables and long-term capital gains rate amounts).