The German Ministry of Finance has published a letter officially confirming that the sale of crypto assets is tax-free after one year, even if the coins are used for gambling and lending.
How Cryptocurrency Profits are Taxed in Germany
The German Ministry of Finance announced on Wednesday that it has published a letter on cryptocurrency income tax, in which it states:
This is the first time that there is uniform administrative instruction at the national level on the subject.The Ministry of Finance detailed that, at a hearing that took place last year, one of the most discussed questions was whether the tax-free period for borrowing and staking cryptocurrencies should be a minimum of 10 years.
The ministry highlighted that in coordination with the federal states:
The letter now states that the so-called 10-year period does not apply to virtual currencies.In Germany, cryptocurrency is seen as “a private asset”, meaning it “attracts an individual income tax rather than a capital gains tax”, explained crypto tax firm Koinly, emphasizing that Germany “only taxes cryptocurrencies if they are sold within the same year it was purchased.”
More detailed Koinly:
As a “private sale” in Germany, crypto profits are completely tax-free after a one-year retention period.“Additionally, earnings from cryptocurrency sales of up to €600 per calendar year remain tax-free,” the company added, noting that previously, “when it comes to withdrawing staked cryptocurrencies, this tax-free retention period is a minimum. of 10 years.”
Citing the letter published by the Ministry of Finance, cryptocurrency consultant Patrick Hansen explained on Twitter:
The sale of the purchased crypto assets will remain tax-free after one year, even if they are used for staking/borrowing.Parliamentary Secretary of State Katja Hessel commented: “For individuals, the sale of purchased bitcoin and ether is tax-free after one year. The period does not extend to 10 years, even if, for example, Bitcoin has previously been used for lending or the taxpayer has provided ether as equity to someone else.”