Crypto / VDA Tax Calculator

⚡ In shortSold crypto or other virtual digital assets? Work out your tax instantly — a flat 30% (plus 4% cess) on the gain, and the separate 1% TDS on the transfer value.

Open the free Crypto / VDA Tax Calculator →

Use the Crypto / VDA Tax Calculator now

📋 Embed this free calculator on your website

Free to embed on any site, with attribution. Copy this code:

<iframe src="https://onefiling.in/embed.html?calc=crypto-tax" width="100%" height="520" style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px;max-width:480px" title="Crypto / VDA Tax Calculator" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:12px;margin:6px 0 0">Free <a href="https://onefiling.in/citizen-tools/">Crypto / VDA Tax Calculator</a> by India Law Simplified</p>
<script>window.addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e.data&&e.data.type==="ils-embed-height"){var f=document.querySelector('iframe[src*="onefiling.in/embed.html?calc=crypto-tax"]');if(f)f.style.height=(e.data.height+24)+"px";}});</script>

How it is calculated

Income from transfer of a Virtual Digital Asset (VDA) — cryptocurrencies, NFTs — is taxed at a flat 30% under section 115BBH, plus a 4% health & education cess (effective 31.2%). No expense except the cost of acquisition is deductible, and losses from one VDA cannot be set off against gains from another or carried forward. A separate 1% TDS under section 194S applies on the transfer value (usually deducted by the exchange) and is adjustable against your final tax.

A flat 30%, with almost nothing deductible

Income from transfer of virtual digital assets is taxed at a flat 30% plus applicable surcharge and cess, regardless of your slab. Only the cost of acquisition may be deducted — not exchange fees, not infrastructure or electricity costs, and not any other expenditure. This is materially harsher than the treatment of shares or property, where incidental costs and improvements are allowable.

Losses cannot be set off against anything, or carried forward

A loss on one virtual digital asset cannot be set off against a gain on another, cannot be set off against any other head of income, and cannot be carried forward to a later year. Gains and losses are therefore assessed transaction by transaction: a year in which you gained on one coin and lost more on another can still produce a substantial tax liability. This asymmetry is the single most important thing to understand before trading actively.

1% TDS under section 194S sits on top

Transfers attract TDS at 1% under section 194S above the specified thresholds, deducted by the exchange in most cases and by the buyer in peer-to-peer transactions. It is an advance payment rather than an additional tax, and it should appear in your Form 26AS and AIS. Because it applies per transaction, frequent trading generates a long trail of small credits that must be reconciled before filing.

Reporting is required, and the department already has the data

Virtual digital asset transactions have their own reporting requirements in the return, and exchanges report to the department, so the transactions appear in your AIS whether or not you declare them. Filing without them is one of the more reliable ways to attract a mismatch notice. Keep a full transaction log with dates, quantities, values in rupees and fees — reconstructing it from an exchange months later is difficult and sometimes impossible.

Gifts, airdrops and swaps are not free of tax

Receiving a virtual digital asset as a gift can be taxable in the recipient's hands, and a crypto-to-crypto swap is a transfer of the asset given up — so tax can arise even though no rupees were received and no money reached your bank. Many people discover this only when reconciling a year of activity. Where the amounts are significant, take advice before assuming a transaction was tax-neutral.

Frequently asked questions

How is crypto taxed in India?

Gains on transfer of crypto and other VDAs are taxed at a flat 30% (plus 4% cess) under section 115BBH, regardless of your income slab or how long you held them. Only the cost of acquisition is deductible.

Can I set off crypto losses against other income?

No. Losses from one VDA cannot be set off against gains from another VDA, against any other income, or carried forward to future years.

What is the 1% TDS on crypto?

Section 194S levies a 1% TDS on the transfer value of a VDA (above small thresholds), usually deducted by the exchange. It is not an extra tax — it is adjusted against your final 30% tax liability.

Do I pay tax if I only made a small crypto gain?

Yes — there is no basic exemption or ₹1 lakh relief for VDA gains as there is for equity. The full gain is taxed at 30% (plus cess).