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 staking and lending.
How Crypto Gains Are Taxed in Germany
The German Ministry of Finance announced Wednesday that it has published a letter on the income taxation of cryptocurrency, stating:
This is the first time that there is a nationwide uniform administrative instruction on the subject.
The finance ministry detailed that in a hearing that took place last year, one of the most intensely discussed questions was whether the tax-free holding period for crypto lending and staking should be a minimum of 10 years.
The ministry noted that in coordination with federated states:
The letter now states that the so-called 10-year period does not apply to virtual currencies.
In Germany, cryptocurrency is viewed as “a private asset,” which means “it attracts an individual income tax rather than a capital gains tax,” crypto tax firm Koinly explained, emphasizing that Germany “only taxes crypto if it’s sold within the same year it was bought.”
Koinly further detailed:
As a ‘private sale’ in Germany, crypto gains are completely tax-exempt after a holding period of one year.
“In addition, profits on crypto sales up to €600 per calendar year remain tax-free,” the firm added, noting that previously, “When it comes to cashing in on staked crypto, that tax-free holding period is a minimum of 10 years.”
Citing the letter published by the Ministry of Finance, crypto advisor Patrick Hansen explained on Twitter:
The sale of acquired crypto assets will remain tax-free after one year, even if used for staking/lending.
Parliamentary State Secretary Katja Hessel commented: “For individuals, the sale of acquired bitcoin and ether is tax-free after one year. The period is not extended to 10 years even if, for example, bitcoin was previously used for lending or the taxpayer provided ether as a stake for someone else.”
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