Form 1099-DA is the IRS information return that US crypto brokers, such as Coinbase, Kraken, Robinhood and Crypto.com, now send to customers and to the IRS. It reports your digital asset sales and exchanges. The first forms covered 2025 transactions and arrived in early 2026, showing gross proceeds but often no cost basis. From tax year 2026, brokers must also report basis for coins bought on or after 1 January 2026 and held in the same account. It does not calculate your tax. You report each sale on Form 8949, using your own records where the form is blank.
- Custodial brokers issue Form 1099-DA. The 2024 rule that would have covered DeFi front-ends was repealed by Congress in April 2025.
- For 2025 sales, brokers had to report gross proceeds. Cost basis reporting to the IRS was not required.
- For 2026 sales, basis is reported for “covered” assets acquired from 1 January 2026 in the same custodial account. Coins bought earlier or transferred in are generally “noncovered”.
- A blank basis box does not mean zero basis. If you leave it blank, the IRS may treat the full proceeds as gain.
- Staking and rewards income is not on the 1099-DA. It usually appears on Form 1099-MISC.
What is Form 1099-DA?
The “DA” stands for digital assets. The form was created by Treasury regulations finalised in July 2024 (T.D. 10000), which implemented broker reporting rules added to the tax code by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It works like the Form 1099-B that stock brokers send. Each reportable sale, exchange or disposal is listed, and the IRS gets a copy so it can match your return.
Who must issue it: brokers that take custody of customers’ digital assets. That means centralized exchanges, custodial wallet providers and some crypto kiosk operators. It also includes payment processors that sell crypto on your behalf when you pay a merchant above a $600 annual threshold.
Who does not: decentralized exchanges and self-custody wallet software. The IRS finalised a separate rule in December 2024 that would have treated certain DeFi front-ends as brokers. Congress overturned it under the Congressional Review Act (H.J.Res.25), and President Trump signed the repeal on 10 April 2025. Your DeFi trades are still taxable. You just will not get a 1099-DA for them.
1099-DA phase-in dates for 2025 and 2026
| Tax year | What brokers report to the IRS | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (forms sent early 2026) | Gross proceeds from sales and exchanges. Cost basis not required to be reported to the IRS | Many forms showed proceeds only. Some brokers showed basis on your copy for information. You must supply basis from your own records |
| 2026 (forms due early 2027) | Gross proceeds for all sales, plus cost basis and holding period for covered assets (acquired on or after 1 Jan 2026 in the same custodial account) | New purchases kept on one exchange should have basis filled in. Older or transferred coins are generally noncovered and may still be blank |
| Optional simplified reporting | Qualifying stablecoin sales are not reportable if a customer’s total is $10,000 or less for the year. Specified NFT sales are not reportable at $600 or less | Small stablecoin or NFT activity may not appear at all. It can still be taxable |
| Backup withholding | IRS Notice 2024-56, extended by Notice 2025-33, gives brokers relief from backup withholding on sales effected in 2026 | Brokers are collecting W-9s now. Expect stricter tax ID checks as relief ends |
Brokers had to furnish 2025 forms to customers by mid-February 2026; Robinhood, for example, listed 17 February 2026 for its consolidated 1099. Some exchanges issued forms later or sent corrected versions, so check for updates before filing.
Form 1099-DA boxes explained
The IRS’s 2026 instructions list more than 20 boxes. These are the ones most individual filers need to understand:
| Box | Label | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1a / 1b | Code and name of digital asset | Which coin or token was sold |
| 1c | Number of units | How much you disposed of, up to 18 decimal places |
| 1d | Date acquired | When you bought it. Blank if acquired on various dates or not reported |
| 1e | Date sold or disposed | The sale or exchange date |
| 1f | Proceeds | Gross proceeds, less digital asset transaction costs |
| 1g | Cost or other basis | What you paid, adjusted for fees. Often blank for noncovered assets |
| 2 | Basis reported to IRS | Checked when the broker sent the IRS your basis |
| 4 | Federal income tax withheld | Backup withholding, if any. Claim it as a payment on your return |
| 6 | Gain or loss type | Short-term or long-term (or ordinary) |
| 9 | Noncovered security | Checked when the broker is not required to report basis |
| 11a–11c | Optional method details | Used for aggregated stablecoin or NFT reporting |
| 12a / 12b | Units transferred in and date | Shows assets moved into the account, which is why basis may be unknown |
Gross proceeds vs cost basis: why the numbers look wrong
Your taxable gain is proceeds minus cost basis. Form 1099-DA always aims to show proceeds. Basis is the part that is often missing, for three main reasons:
Mismatches like this can trigger IRS correspondence, so read our guide to IRS crypto audit letters and red flags if one arrives.
- The coins were bought before 2026. Assets acquired before 1 January 2026 are noncovered, so the broker does not have to report basis, even if it knows it.
- The coins were transferred in. If you bought ETH on one exchange and moved it to another before selling, the second exchange does not know what you paid. Box 12 may show the transfer-in.
- Different accounting choices. The broker applies its own lot-relief method within your account unless you give it standing instructions. Your tax software may use a different method across all wallets, so lot-level figures can differ.
Here is an illustrative example. You bought 0.1 BTC in 2023 for $3,000 on Exchange A and transferred it to Exchange B. In 2026 you sold it there for $9,000. Exchange B’s 1099-DA shows $9,000 in proceeds, a blank basis and box 9 checked. If you report only what the form shows, it looks like a $9,000 gain. With your own records, the real gain is $6,000, and it is long-term. Records from Exchange A, or a CSV export, are your proof.
For how those gains are taxed, see our explainer on capital gains tax on crypto.
How the crypto 1099 feeds into Form 8949
You do not attach a 1099-DA to your return. Instead, you list each sale on Form 8949, which totals into Schedule D. Form 8949 has digital-asset checkboxes that mirror the 1099-DA. According to the IRS instructions, you use G or J when basis was reported to the IRS (short-term or long-term), and H or K when it was not. You use Y when the holding period is unknown.
The practical workflow:
- Download every 1099-DA and your full transaction history from each exchange.
- Import everything, including self-custody wallets, into tax software so transfers between your own wallets are matched and not treated as sales. Our crypto tax software comparison covers the main options.
- Check that total proceeds in the software match the 1099-DA totals per exchange. The IRS matches proceeds first.
- Where basis is blank, enter your documented basis and the correct checkbox. Where basis was reported but is wrong, report the correct figure and use the adjustment column with the appropriate code.
- File through your preparer or software. If you use TurboTax, our walk-through on reporting crypto on TurboTax shows the import steps.
When your 1099-DA is wrong or missing basis
- Missing basis: this is normal for noncovered assets. Use your records. Do not leave basis at zero unless you truly paid nothing, as with some airdrops, where income may have been taxed when received.
- Wrong proceeds or wrong sale date: contact the broker’s support and ask for a corrected form. Keep a copy of your request.
- Internal transfers shown as sales: brokers should not report transfers between your own accounts as sales. If one appears, ask for a correction and keep proof that you own both wallets.
- No form at all: you still have to report taxable sales, including DeFi swaps and trades on exchanges that did not issue forms.
- Corrected form after you filed: compare it with what you reported. If the change affects your tax, you may need to file an amended return (Form 1040-X).
Where to download your 1099-DA
Menu names change often, so treat these as starting points and confirm in each platform’s help centre:
If your account is with Crypto.com, our guide to Crypto.com tax forms shows where to download your documents and how to fix missing cost basis.
| Platform | Where to look | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coinbase | The Taxes section of your account (Coinbase Taxes, then Documents) | Rewards and staking income of $600 or more are reported on a separate 1099-MISC |
| Crypto.com | The Tax Center in the app or exchange. Forms may also be emailed as a secure link | This is the “crypto.com tax form” most users mean. Futures and options may appear on a 1099-B |
| Kraken | Account settings, then the documents or tax area | Some users reported 2025 forms arriving later than mid-February |
| Robinhood | Account, then Tax documents. The 1099-DA is part of the consolidated 1099 | For 2025, Robinhood reported proceeds only to the IRS |
| Gemini | Account settings, then the tax documents area | 2025 activity was reported with proceeds only |
Need the bigger picture on what is taxable? Our crypto tax guide covers staking, airdrops and NFTs, and the Bitcoin guides hub collects our related explainers.
FAQ
Do I have to report crypto if I didn’t get a 1099-DA?
Yes. The tax obligation comes from the sale or exchange, not the form. If you sold, swapped or spent crypto at a gain or loss, it belongs on Form 8949 whether or not a broker reported it. Form 1040 also asks every filer a yes-or-no question about digital asset activity.
Is the crypto.com tax form a 1099-DA?
For US customers, the main crypto.com tax form for sales and trades is now the 1099-DA. Rewards may come on a 1099-MISC, and derivatives on a 1099-B. Crypto.com also offers transaction reports in its Tax Center that you can import into tax software.
Does the Coinbase 1099-DA show cost basis?
For the 2025 tax year, Coinbase’s form generally did not include basis for most assets, so users had to work out gains themselves. From 2026, basis is reported for covered assets bought on Coinbase on or after 1 January 2026 and sold from the same account.
Does digital asset broker reporting include staking rewards?
No. The IRS instructions say rewards and staking payments are not reported on Form 1099-DA. They are still taxable income when received. Brokers usually report them on Form 1099-MISC once you pass the $600 threshold. The IRS has also listed some staking, lending and wrapping transactions as exempt from 1099-DA reporting pending further guidance.
This article explains IRS rules and forms as published by the IRS as of October 2026. It is not tax or legal advice. Rules and form instructions can change, so check IRS.gov or consult a qualified tax professional about your situation.
Crypto is volatile and risky; this is education, not financial advice. Do your own research.
