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NFT Tax Loss Harvesting: Save Thousands In Taxes Using NFTs

by
Brihasi Dey
5
min read

While the declining hype around NFT trading has been a concern for investors, it may act as a silver lining for tax saving. 

Losses incurred by you can be claimed to offset your capital gains and reduce your overall tax bill. And this can be done through NFT tax loss harvesting. In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about harvesting your NFT losses and how you can leverage it to reduce your tax burden.

What Is NFT Tax Loss Harvesting?

NFT tax loss harvesting is the practice of selling a non-fungible token (NFT) at a loss to offset crypto taxes on other capital gains. The idea is to sell the NFT at a lower price than what was paid for it, and then use the loss to offset capital gains from the sale of other assets. 

This strategy helps to reduce your overall tax burden and potentially increase your after-tax return on investment. To know in-depth about tax loss harvesting for all your crypto assets, you can refer to our crypto tax loss harvesting guide. 

You can claim your capital losses to offset up to $3,000 of income for the given tax year. Any additional losses can be taken forward into future years to offset gains.

Step-By-Step Guide For NFT Tax Loss Harvesting 

To give you a better picture of how to use your NFTs for tax loss harvesting, we have broken down the entire process into three steps:

  • Determining which NFTs can be sold for tax loss harvesting purposes
  • How to realize losses by disposing of your NFTs
  • How you shouldn’t dispose of your NFTs to realize losses

Let’s look at each of the steps in detail.

How To Determine Which NFTs Can Be Used To Realize Losses?

Tax loss harvesting requires you to identify NFTs that can be disposed of to realize losses. To do this, you first need to look into the fair market value of your NFTs at the time of selling. 

However, this process can become challenging as every NFT is unique with variable market values. Automated software like Kryptos can simplify this by helping you identify tax loss harvesting opportunities for your assets.

Once you find their fair market value, you can then subtract it from the cost basis of your NFT to determine whether or not they can be sold to realize losses. 

How To Dispose Of Your NFTs To Realize Losses?

Once you have decided which NFTs can be used to offset your capital gains, it is time to dispose of them to realize losses. While there are many methods to do so, the best way to tax loss harvest your NFTs is to sell them to someone else at a loss. 

But because the NFT market is hype-driven, it often becomes difficult to sell your NFTs if the craze is gone. In this case, there may not be any purchaser to actually buy your NFTs and you will not be able to realize a loss. 

Another way to dispose of your NFT for tax deductions is to donate them. These transactions are exempted from taxes for both the donor and the receiver if you fulfill these three criteria:

  • You have held the NFT for more than a year
  • You are donating it directly to the concerned organization
  • The receiver falls under the tax-exemption category by IRS

It is important to note that the disposal of NFTs must be a ‘arm's length transaction’ to reap tax benefits. This means that both parties concerned with the transaction of the NFT asset should be independent of each other, acting solely in their self-interest, and shouldn’t be influenced by the other.

When Should You Not Tax Loss Harvest Your NFTs?

While we discussed the right way to dispose of your NFTs, here are three scenarios where you shouldn’t use your NFTs for tax deductions.

1- Selling NFT To Your Friend For Tax Loss Harvesting

As discussed earlier, you must sell your NFTs in arm's length transactions to gain tax benefits. If you sell an NFT to your family or friends, it may become hard to prove that the two parties are acting independently, especially if you use the realized loss to offset capital gains. Hence, we recommend avoiding this method of tax loss harvesting your NFT.

2- Selling NFT To Yourself For Tax Benefits

In this case, you do not fulfill the arm’s length transaction requirement of two independent parties involved in the NFT disposal and it will not be considered for tax benefits. 

3- Burning NFT For Realizing Losses

Burning your NFT simply means you are sending it to a dead wallet address that no one can access. While the NFT still remains in the blockchain, it is removed from circulation. The IRS does not have any clear guidelines for this type of transaction and tax loss harvesting through this method must be avoided as of now.

Harvest NFT Losses With Kryptos

NFT tax loss harvesting is a great way to offset your capital gains and improve after-tax return. However, unlike other assets, NFT transaction guidelines can be complex. While harvesting your losses manually can be considered, it may lead to missed tax-saving opportunities and higher tax bills.

Kryptos helps you calculate your realized and unrealized losses and gains so that you can maximize your tax savings. To do this, all you need is to auto-sync your transactions and let the platform do the rest for you. Sign up today to try Kryptos for free.

FAQS

1. Can I burn an NFT to realize a loss?

The IRS does not have any clear guidelines for this type of transaction at present and so this method must be avoided if you want to realize a loss by disposing of your NFT.

2. Can I sell an NFT to myself to realize a loss?

You must sell your NFTs in arm's length transactions to gain tax benefits. Selling NFT to yourself doesn’t fulfill the requirement of two independent parties involved in the NFT disposal and it will not be considered for tax benefits. 

3.Can I sell an NFT to my friend to realize a loss?

If you sell an NFT to your friends or family, it may become hard to prove that the two parties are acting independently, especially if you want to realize a loss. So, we suggest you do not use this method.

4. Can I claim my worthless NFT as a casualty or theft loss?

No, you cannot claim your worthless NFTs as a casualty or theft loss as the ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017’ has removed both of these types of cases from tax exemption.

All content on Kryptos serves general informational purposes only. It's not intended to replace any professional advice from licensed accountants, attorneys, or certified financial and tax professionals. The information is completed to the best of our knowledge and we at Kryptos do not claim either correctness or accuracy of the same. Before taking any tax position / stance, you should always consider seeking independent legal, financial, taxation or other advice from the professionals. Kryptos is not liable for any loss caused from the use of, or by placing reliance on, the information on this website. Kryptos disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of any positions taken by you in your tax returns. Thank you for being part of our community, and we're excited to continue guiding you on your crypto journey!

StepFormPurposeAction
11099-DAReports digital asset sales or exchangesUse to fill out Form 8949.
2Form 1099-MISCReports miscellaneous crypto incomeUse to fill out Schedule 1 or C.
3Form 8949Details individual transactionsList each transaction here.
4Schedule DSummarizes capital gains/lossesTransfer totals from Form 8949.
5Schedule 1Reports miscellaneous incomeInclude miscellaneous income (if not self-employment).
6Schedule CReports self-employment incomeInclude self-employment income and expenses.
7Form W-2Reports wages (if paid in Bitcoin)Include wages in total income.
8Form 1040Primary tax returnSummarize all income, deductions, and tax owed.
DateEvent/Requirement
January 1, 2025Brokers begin tracking and reporting digital asset transactions.
February 2026Brokers issue Form 1099-DA for the 2025 tax year to taxpayers.
April 15, 2026Deadline for taxpayers to file their 2025 tax returns with IRS data.
Timeline EventDescription
Before January 1, 2025Taxpayers must identify wallets and accounts containing digital assets and document unused basis.
January 1, 2025Snapshot date for confirming remaining digital assets in wallets and accounts.
March 2025Brokers begin issuing Form 1099-DA, reflecting a wallet-specific basis.
Before Filing 2025 Tax ReturnsTaxpayers must finalize their Safe Harbor Allocation to ensure compliance and avoid penalties.
FeatureUse Case ScenarioTechnical  Details
Automated Monitoring of TransactionsAlice uses staking on Ethereum 2.0 and yield farming on Uniswap. Kryptos automates tracking of her staking rewards and LP tokens across platforms.Integrates with Ethereum and Uniswap APIs for real-time tracking and monitoring of transactions.
Comprehensive Data CollectionBob switches between liquidity pools and staking protocols. Kryptos aggregates all transactions, including historical data.Pulls and consolidates data from multiple sources and supports historical data imports.
Advanced Tax CategorizationCarol earns from staking Polkadot and yield farming on Aave. Kryptos categorizes her rewards as ordinary income and investment income.Uses jurisdiction-specific rules to categorize rewards and guarantee compliance with local tax regulations.
Dynamic FMV CalculationDave redeems LP tokens for Ethereum and stablecoins. Kryptos calculates the fair market value (FMV) at redemption and during sales.Updates FMV based on market data and accurately calculates capital gains for transactions.
Handling Complex DeFi TransactionsEve engages in multi-step DeFi transactions. Kryptos tracks value changes and tax implications throughout these processes.Manages multi-step transactions, including swaps and staking, for comprehensive tax reporting.
Real-Time Alerts and UpdatesFrank receives alerts on contemporary tax regulations affecting DeFi. Kryptos keeps him updated on relevant changes in tax laws.Observe regulatory updates and provide real-time alerts about changes in tax regulations.
Seamless Tax Reporting IntegrationGrace files taxes using TurboTax. Kryptos integrates with TurboTax to import staking and yield farming data easily.Direct integration with tax software like TurboTax for smooth data import and multi-jurisdictional reporting.
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