Cryptocurrency Tax Documents: What to Collect From Clients
Crypto clients rarely have one tidy tax form. The exchange reports, transaction histories and cost basis records to collect, and the questions to ask every client.
Quick answer: For clients with cryptocurrency activity, collect every tax form issued by exchanges and brokers, complete transaction histories (CSV exports) from each exchange and wallet for the year, cost basis records for assets bought in earlier years, records of crypto received as income (mining, staking, payment for services), and records of transfers between wallets. Ask every client the digital asset question directly, since Form 1040 asks it of every filer.
Key takeaways
- Ask every client about digital assets, not just the ones you expect.
- Collect data from every platform and wallet, including closed accounts.
- Cost basis often needs records from years before the sale.
- Transfers between a client's own wallets aren't sales, but must be tracked to keep basis correct.
- Rules and broker reporting continue to evolve, so check current IRS guidance each season.
Records to collect
- Form 1099-DA and any other tax forms from exchanges and brokers for the year. For 2026 sales, brokers report cost basis only for assets bought on or after January 1, 2026 and held at that broker, so basis may be missing for older or transferred-in assets
- Full transaction history exports from each exchange, not just a summary
- Wallet addresses and transaction records for self-custody wallets
- Cost basis records for assets acquired in prior years
- Income records: staking, mining, rewards, airdrops, or crypto received as payment
- Transfer records showing movement between the client's own accounts
- Crypto tax software reports, if the client uses one
Questions to ask
- Did you buy, sell, trade, spend or receive any digital assets this year?
- Which exchanges, apps and wallets did you use, including any you've closed?
- Did you receive crypto as income or payment?
- Did you move crypto between accounts?
- Do you use crypto tax software?
Add these to your intake form and January "what changed?" questions.
Common problems
- Missing history from an exchange the client stopped using
- Exchange forms without cost basis for assets transferred in
- Screenshots instead of full exports
- Transfers mistaken for sales, or sales mistaken for transfers
Mismatches between reported proceeds and the return can lead to IRS notices. See CP2000 notices. For heavy traders, plan for an extension while data is reconstructed.
Crypto clients often send a mix of screenshots and partial exports. Correctdocs checks each upload against what was requested, such as the right account and date range, and tells the client what to fix when a screenshot arrives instead of an export.
Correctdocs is in early access. The first 10 US accounting, bookkeeping and tax firms get a free 30-day pilot on real client requests. Request early access.
Frequently asked questions
What documents do I need for crypto taxes?
Exchange tax forms, full transaction histories from every platform and wallet, cost basis records, and records of crypto received as income.
Are transfers between my own wallets taxable?
Generally, moving assets between your own accounts isn't a sale, but the records are needed to track cost basis correctly.