The income you get from disposing of cryptocurrency may be considered business income or a capital gain. In order to report it correctly, you must first establish what kind of income it is.
The following are common signs that you may be carrying on a business:
you carry on activity for commercial reasons and in a commercially viable way
you undertake activities in a businesslike manner, which might include preparing a business plan and acquiring capital assets or inventory
you promote a product or service
you show that you intend to make a profit, even if you are unlikely to do so in the short term
Business activities normally involve some regularity or a repetitive process over time. Each situation has to be looked at separately.
In some cases, a single transaction can be considered a business, for example when it is an adventure or concern in the nature of trade. Whether you are carrying on a business or not must be determined on a case by case basis. For more information, please review our archived content on an adventure or concern in the nature of trade.
Another factor in deciding if there is a business activity is the date when the business begins. If you are still setting up or preparing to go into business, you might not be considered to have started the business. You usually have to undertake significant activity that is part of your income-earning process. Any funds or property you receive before your business begins are not generally considered to be business income. Similarly, you cannot claim deductions for income tax purposes before the business begins. For more information, please review our archived content on the start of business operations.
Some examples of cryptocurrency businesses are:
cryptocurrency mining
cryptocurrency trading
cryptocurrency exchanges, including ATMs
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