Crypto Tax Guide Poland — How to Report Cryptocurrency Gains in 2026

Crypto Tax Guide for Poland — Everything You Need to Know

If you invest in cryptocurrency in Poland, you must report your gains to the tax office. The rules are not overly complex, but they require discipline — especially when it comes to record-keeping.

This guide covers everything: tax rates, what counts as a taxable event, how to calculate your obligation, and how to file PIT-38.

Tax Framework Overview

In Poland, cryptocurrency gains fall under capital income (przychody z kapitalow pienieznych) and are taxed at a flat 19% rate. This is sometimes informally called the Belka tax, after former Finance Minister Marek Belka who introduced the capital gains tax.

Key facts:

• Tax rate: 19% flat on net gains
• Tax form: PIT-38
• Filing deadline: April 30 of the year following the tax year
• Who must file: Polish tax residents (anyone living in Poland or having their center of vital interests here)

What Counts as a Taxable Event

Taxable

1. Selling crypto for fiat currency (PLN, EUR, USD) — the most common scenario
2. Paying for goods or services with crypto — treated as a sale at market value
3. Exchanging one crypto for another — since recent regulatory updates, crypto-to-crypto swaps are taxable events in Poland

Not taxable

• Buying cryptocurrency — the purchase itself does not trigger any tax
• Holding cryptocurrency — no tax until you sell or exchange
• Transferring between your own wallets — moving BTC from Binance to your Ledger is not a sale

How to Calculate Your Tax

The formula is straightforward:

Tax = (Revenue - Deductible Costs) x 19%

Example

In 2025, you:

1. Bought 0.5 BTC for 75,000 PLN
2. Sold 0.5 BTC for 100,000 PLN

Calculation:

• Revenue: 100,000 PLN
• Cost basis: 75,000 PLN
• Taxable income: 25,000 PLN
• Tax owed: 4,750 PLN

What qualifies as deductible costs

• Purchase price of the cryptocurrency
• Exchange trading fees (both buy and sell side)
• Withdrawal fees from exchanges
• Network transaction fees (gas fees) when they are part of acquiring or disposing of crypto

Record-Keeping Requirements

Polish law requires you to maintain a transaction register (ewidencja transakcji). This should include:

• Date and time of each transaction
• Type of transaction (buy, sell, exchange)
• Amount and type of cryptocurrency
• Value in PLN (at exchange rate on the day of transaction)
• Exchange or counterparty details

Practical approach

If you trade on a single exchange, download your transaction history — most platforms offer CSV exports. The challenge arises when you use multiple exchanges and wallets simultaneously.

Freenance integrates with Binance and Bybit, automatically importing your crypto transactions and positions. Having all your holdings in one place — crypto alongside stocks, bonds, and savings — makes it significantly easier to prepare records for PIT-38 filing.

Handling Losses

Good news: you can offset losses against gains. Bad news: there are limitations.

• Crypto losses can offset crypto gains within the same tax year
• Crypto losses cannot be carried forward to future years (unlike some other capital income sources)
• Crypto losses cannot offset gains from stocks, bonds, or other financial instruments

Example

In 2025:

• Profit from selling Bitcoin: 10,000 PLN
• Loss from selling Ethereum: 4,000 PLN
• Net taxable income: 6,000 PLN
• Tax owed: 1,140 PLN

Special Cases

Airdrops

Receiving free tokens via an airdrop does not immediately trigger a tax obligation. Tax arises when you sell the airdropped tokens. Your cost basis is 0 PLN (since you paid nothing for them), meaning the entire sale amount is taxable income.

Staking rewards

Staking rewards are treated as income at the moment you receive them. The PLN value on the day of receipt is your revenue, and your cost basis is 0 PLN. When you later sell the staked tokens, you use their value at receipt as your new cost basis.

Mining

Mined cryptocurrency can be treated as business income (if mining is your regular activity) or capital income. The distinction matters because business income may be taxed at different rates. Consult a tax advisor if mining is a significant part of your crypto activity.

DeFi and yield farming

Income from liquidity provision, yield farming, and other DeFi activities follows the same principles: revenue is recognized when you receive tokens, costs are what you put in. The complexity can be significant — detailed records are essential.

How to File PIT-38 — Step by Step

1. Gather transaction records from all exchanges and wallets
2. Calculate total revenue (sum of all sales/disposals in PLN)
3. Calculate total costs (sum of all acquisitions + fees in PLN)
4. Fill in PIT-38 — Section E covers capital income
5. Submit electronically via e-Urzad Skarbowy or e-Deklaracje
6. Pay the tax by April 30

If your total calculation results in a net loss, you still should file PIT-38 to document the loss properly.

Does the Polish Tax Office Know About My Crypto

Increasingly, yes. Exchanges registered in Poland are required to report to tax authorities. Additionally, the EU DAC8 directive, being phased in from 2026, mandates automatic exchange of information about crypto transactions between EU member states.

Polish tax authorities are also improving their ability to trace blockchain transactions. The days of flying under the radar are effectively over.

Common Mistakes

1. No records — without transaction history, you cannot calculate your tax correctly
2. Ignoring small transactions — every transaction counts, even small ones
3. Forgetting fees — trading fees are deductible costs that reduce your tax bill
4. Missing crypto-to-crypto swaps — swapping BTC for ETH is a taxable event
5. Using the wrong form — crypto goes on PIT-38, not PIT-36 or PIT-37
6. Late filing — after April 30, interest accrues on unpaid tax

Summary

Crypto taxation in Poland is not complicated in principle — 19% on net gains, reported on PIT-38. The challenge lies in maintaining accurate records, especially if you trade frequently or use multiple platforms.

Start keeping records from day one. Use tools that aggregate your transactions automatically. And file on time — the penalties for non-compliance are not worth the risk.

FAQ

Do I pay tax on every crypto transaction?

Not every transaction — but every transaction that generates a gain. Buying crypto is not taxed. Selling at a profit, swapping crypto-to-crypto, and paying with crypto are all taxable events.

What happens if I do not report my crypto gains?

The tax office can assess back taxes plus interest. In serious cases, you may face criminal-fiscal liability. With exchanges increasingly reporting to authorities and DAC8 coming into effect, the risk of detection is rising.

Can I offset crypto losses against stock market gains?

No. Crypto losses can only be offset against crypto gains. They are treated as a separate source of income under the Polish PIT Act.

How do I value crypto in PLN for tax purposes?

Use the exchange rate on the day of the transaction. The simplest approach is to use the PLN value shown by your exchange — most platforms record the value in your local currency or allow you to export transaction history with prices.