Kraken Taxes: How to File Your Crypto Tax Report
Kraken does not withhold taxes or file reports on your behalf. Every trade, staking reward and disposal is your responsibility. CoinTracking imports your full Kraken history, calculates gains and losses, and generates a tax report ready for your country.
See Exactly How To Import Your Kraken Account
Watch how to connect your Kraken account to CoinTracking via OAuth or API and get a tax report ready in minutes.
Start Your Free Kraken Import- Every crypto trade on Kraken is a taxable disposal in most EU countries. Capital gains tax applies when you sell, swap or spend crypto.
- Staking and lending rewards are taxable as income in most EU jurisdictions, at the point you receive them, not when you sell.
- Transfers between your own wallets are not taxable events. Buying crypto with fiat is not a taxable event.
- Under DAC8, EU crypto exchanges including Kraken are required to report user transaction data to national tax authorities from 2026. Your trading history is increasingly visible to tax authorities.
Kraken and Your Tax Obligations
Kraken is one of the oldest and most trusted crypto exchanges in the world, founded in 2011. It offers spot trading, margin, staking, lending and futures — creating a wide range of potentially taxable events on a single platform.
Kraken does not withhold taxes or file reports on your behalf. You are responsible for tracking every transaction, calculating gains and losses, and declaring them to your national tax authority.
CoinTracking supports the full Kraken import in three ways:
- Kraken (Spot, Margin, Staking, Earn): connect via OAuth (Connect Account), sync via API, or upload a CSV file
- Kraken Futures: separate import for Kraken futures positions via API or CSV
Crypto Tax Basics: What EU Investors Need to Know
Tax rules for crypto vary across EU member states. These three principles apply broadly, but always verify the specifics with your local tax authority or a qualified advisor.
Trading crypto is a taxable disposal
In most EU countries, every sale, swap or use of crypto is a taxable event. Capital gains tax applies to the difference between what you paid (cost basis) and what you received. Transfers between your own wallets do not trigger tax.
Staking and lending rewards are taxable income
When you receive staking or lending rewards, that income is typically taxable at the point of receipt, based on the market value at that time. The later sale of those rewards is treated as a separate capital gain.
Records are your responsibility
EU crypto exchanges are required under DAC8 to report transaction data to national tax authorities from 2026. Accurate records remain your responsibility. CoinTracking maintains a complete, dated audit trail of every Kraken transaction.
Kraken Taxes by Country
Crypto tax rules differ by market. Below are the key rates, deadlines and filing forms for the countries where CoinTracking users trade most actively on Kraken.
Germany
- Disposal tax: Personal income tax rate (up to 45%); gains are tax-free if held longer than 1 year (Haltefrist)
- Annual exemption: Gains up to €600/year are tax-free
- Staking income: Taxed as other income (Sonstige Einkünfte)
- Cost basis: FIFO
- Authority: Finanzamt
- Forms: Anlage SO, Anlage KAP
United Kingdom
- Capital Gains Tax: 18% (basic rate) or 24% (higher rate) from October 2024
- Annual exempt amount: £3,000 (2024/25 onward)
- Staking income: Income Tax at marginal rate
- Cost basis: Section 104 pool (HMRC rules)
- Authority: HMRC
- Forms: Self Assessment SA100, SA108
Spain
- Savings income (IRPF): 19% up to €6,000; 21% up to €50,000; 23% up to €200,000; 27% up to €300,000; 28% above
- Foreign crypto disclosure: Modelo 721 required if portfolio exceeds €50,000 abroad
- Staking income: Taxed as savings income (rendimientos del capital)
- Authority: Agencia Tributaria (AEAT)
- Forms: Modelo 100 (IRPF), Modelo 721
Poland
- Flat rate: 19% on all crypto gains (no holding period exemption)
- Loss carryforward: Up to 5 years
- Staking income: Taxed as capital income at 19%
- Cost basis: FIFO
- Authority: Urząd Skarbowy
- Form: PIT-38
Italy
- Flat rate: 26% on gains exceeding €2,000/year (from 2023)
- Foreign holdings disclosure: Quadro RW required if portfolio exceeds €15,000
- Staking income: Taxed as capital income at 26%
- Authority: Agenzia delle Entrate
- Forms: Quadro RT (gains), Quadro RW (foreign holdings)
Portugal
- Disposal tax: 28% on gains from crypto held less than 1 year (from 2023)
- Long-term holding: Tax-free on disposal if held 1 year or longer
- Staking income: Taxed at 35% flat rate or progressive income tax rates
- Authority: Autoridade Tributária (AT)
- Forms: Modelo 3, Anexo G or Anexo J
United States
- Short-term gains (held under 1 year): Ordinary income tax (10-37%)
- Long-term gains (held 1 year or longer): 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on income
- Staking rewards: Taxable as ordinary income when received
- Cost basis: FIFO (default); specific identification permitted
- Authority: IRS
- Forms: Form 8949, Schedule D
France
- Flat 30% tax (PFU): Gains from crypto disposals are subject to the prelevement forfaitaire unique (PFU) — 12.8% income tax + 17.2% social charges.
- No exemption for holding period: Unlike Germany, there is no tax-free threshold after 1 year.
- Staking income: Taxed as BNC (non-commercial income) if received regularly; otherwise as capital gains.
- Authority: Direction generale des Finances publiques (DGFiP). Declare via Formulaire 2086.
Austria
- 27.5% capital gains tax: Since March 2022, crypto is taxed like shares — a flat 27.5% KESt (Kapitalertragsteuer) applies to gains.
- Old coins grandfathered: Crypto acquired before 28 February 2021 is tax-free on disposal (no KESt applies).
- Staking and lending: Treated as capital income, also taxed at 27.5%.
- Authority: Finanzamt Austria. Report via Einkommensteuererklarung (E1 / E1kv).
Tax rules change frequently. This overview is for general information only and does not constitute tax advice. Consult a qualified advisor for your specific situation.
Are Kraken Transactions Taxable?
In most EU countries, crypto is treated as an asset: disposing of it can trigger capital gains tax, and earning it can count as income. Use this as a starting reference. The exact rules vary by country.
Taxable Events
- Selling crypto for fiat (EUR, GBP, etc.)
- Swapping crypto for crypto
- Staking and lending rewards received
- Airdrops received in exchange for an action
- NFT trades
- Using crypto to pay for goods or services
Not Taxable
- Buying and holding crypto
- Transferring crypto between your own wallets
- Depositing fiat to Kraken
- Receiving crypto as a personal gift
Tax treatment varies by country. CoinTracking applies the rules for your selected jurisdiction automatically.
How to Calculate Your Kraken Taxes
Calculating crypto taxes manually is error-prone, especially with a mix of spot trades, futures positions, staking rewards and margin activity across multiple years.
The core calculation is straightforward: take what you received (proceeds), subtract what you paid (cost basis, calculated with FIFO), and the result is your taxable gain or loss. For staking, the taxable income is the market value at the time of receipt.
CoinTracking automates this across your full Kraken history, including futures PnL, staking rewards and margin fees, and produces a report your accountant or local tax authority will accept.
How to Import Kraken into CoinTracking
Three steps to connect your Kraken account and sync all transactions automatically.
- 1
Log into CoinTracking and open Imports
After logging in, click the Import icon in the left navigation. This is where you connect all your exchanges, wallets and blockchains.
- 2
Search for Kraken and select your account type
Type Kraken in the search field. CoinTracking shows two options: Kraken (spot, margin, staking) and Kraken Futures. Select the one matching your account.
- 3
Connect your account and authorise access
Click Connect Account for the easiest method: hit Connect Kraken, log in to Kraken, enter your Passkey or 2FA code if prompted, and click Allow. CoinTracking imports all transactions in read-only mode. Alternatively use Sync via API or Upload file.
"If you're dealing with crypto taxes, CoinTracking is the tool you need. It handles imports from every major exchange and generates reports that are ready to submit."
How to Create Your Kraken
Tax Report with CoinTracking
Three steps from a fresh account to a tax report your accountant will accept.
Connect Kraken via OAuth or API
Log into CoinTracking, go to Imports, search for Kraken and click Connect Account for instant OAuth authorisation. Or use Sync via API with a read-only key. All trades, staking rewards, deposits and fees sync automatically.
Review your transactions
Open Reports → Validate Transactions. CoinTracking flags missing cost basis entries, duplicate imports and price gaps so your final report is accurate.
Generate and export your tax report
Select your country and tax year. CoinTracking generates a report formatted for your jurisdiction: PDF or Excel, ready to file or hand to your accountant.
In most EU countries, yes. Every crypto trade, swap or disposal on Kraken is a taxable event. Capital gains tax applies on the difference between what you paid and what you received. Tax-free thresholds and rates vary by country.
From 2026, EU crypto exchanges including Kraken are required under DAC8 to report user transaction data to national tax authorities. Outside the EU, Kraken shares data with authorities such as HMRC under international information exchange agreements. Your trading history is increasingly visible to tax authorities.
In most EU jurisdictions, staking rewards are taxable as income when you receive them, based on the market value at that point. The later sale of those rewards triggers a separate capital gain or loss. For US users, the IRS treats staking rewards as ordinary income.
Log into CoinTracking, go to Imports and search for Kraken. Select Connect Account for instant OAuth authorisation, or Sync via API using a read-only key. You can also upload a CSV export from Kraken as a fallback. All transaction types sync automatically.
Yes. Kraken Futures is available as a separate import in CoinTracking. Search for Kraken Futures in the Imports section and connect via API or upload a CSV. Futures PnL, funding fees and liquidations are all handled automatically.
Yes. In most EU countries, realised losses from crypto can be offset against gains in the same tax year. Rules on carrying losses forward vary by country. CoinTracking calculates and reports both gains and losses automatically.
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