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Tax declaration with a Coinbase in France: the complete guide
Do you have an account on Coinbase and you do not know how to declare your gains or your transactions in cryptocurrencies at French taxes Are you looking for clear information to avoid any penalty risk? You are in the right place. However, we are not tax experts and this article does not in any case replace the services of a tax lawyer specializing in cryptocurrencies. It is written for information from the various research carried out on the subject and aims to highlight certain useful tools and practices. We advise you to directly consult the regulations in force with the Financial Markets Authority (AMF) and to request a professional for any specific situation.
Table of contents
Declare your account and your Coinbase gains
French taxation requires declaring any account of crypto-assets held abroad, as well as any capital gains made when you sell your cryptocurrencies or use them to buy goods and services. In the case of a Coinbase , the tax declaration of the Coinbase is essential for any French resident. The tax administration requires both the filing of certain forms and the precise calculation of your earnings over a year.
In this article, you will discover:
- Legal obligations for a Coinbase account based in Dublin.
- Key forms (form 3916-Bis, form 2086, form 2042 c).
- Tax rates and French specificities ( flat tax , exemption under 305 €).
- Practical solutions to calculate and centralize your transactions.
Coinbase Tax Declaration: Declaring your Coinbase account in France is compulsory
Understand the legal framework
Coinbase being based in Ireland, a French tax resident must report this account to the tax authorities by filling out the 3916-BIS form during his annual income declaration. Omitting this declaration exposes to financial sanctions , with a fine of up to € 750 per unconvolved account and € 1,500 if the value of the account exceeds € 50,000 .
The growing attraction of French people for cryptocurrencies strengthens the importance of compliance with tax obligations. According to a study published in April 2023 by the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (Adan) in partnership with KPMG , nearly 4.8 million French people have cryptocurrencies. This trend highlights the need for investors to fully understand their responsibilities in terms of declaration and taxation.
A Coinbase account: What does that imply?
Coinbase is one of the most popular exchange platforms, especially for novice users, thanks to its intuitive interface and the diversity of its services (purchase, sale, stoking , crypto payments, etc.). In the eyes of the French taxman, he is assimilated to a digital asset account held abroad , which implies certain obligations:
- Declaring its existence each year , even if no movement has been made.
- Declaring the capital gains made , when a conversion to euros or a purchase with cryptos took place.
- Respect legislation , under penalty of sanctions in the event of forgetting or omission.
Even if no taxable transaction has been made, the annual declaration of the Coinbase remains compulsory to avoid any risk of tax control.
Coinbase Tax Declaration: The essential steps to declare your Coinbase account in France
Step 1: Identify the required forms
For cryptocurrencies, French taxation is mainly revolving around three documents:
- Form 3916-BIS : It is used to declare any "digital asset account" held from a foreign platform.
- Form 2086 : It lists all taxable transactions (taxable “transfers”) of the year, including those made on Coinbase .
- Form 2042 C : This is the dedicated annex to declare capital gains or losses and which addresses your general income declaration.
Practical sheet: List the information to be provided
- Identification of the organization: Coinbase Europe Limited, 70 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin D02 R296, Ireland.
- Account nature: digital asset account.
- Dates: Opening date (and, if applicable, closing) of the account.
- This information is crucial to correctly complement the 3916-Bis form.
Step 2: Enter the 3916-BIS form online
To make your tax return related to Coinbase, you must access your personal space on impots.gouv.fr and check the box corresponding to the accounts held abroad (box 8uu). The site will then suggest that you fill the 3916-Bis, which allows you to enter:
- The name of the platform (Coinbase Europe Limited).
- The address of the head office (Dublin, Ireland).
- The characteristics of the account (your Coinbaseidentifier, the opening date, etc.).
Vigilance on account data
Make sure to enter the exact information:
Your e-mail identifier used for Coinbase or the internal account number if Coinbase has assigned you one.
The opening year (for example, if you have subscribed in 2022).
If you have closed the account, indicate the closing date to avoid any misunderstanding with the tax administration.
Step 3: declare capital gains via form 2086 and 2042 C
In France, only the exchanges of cryptocurrency towards Currency Fiat (such as the euro) or the purchase of goods/services trigger taxation. Crypto-Crypto transfers are not taxed. If the total sum of your annual transfers is less than 305 €, the capital gains made are exempt from tax. But as soon as this threshold is exceeded, a lump sum rate of 30 % (flat tax) applies (12.8 % tax + 17.2 % of social security contributions).
- Form 2086: Declare each taxable transfer here, its amount, and calculate the gross added value or the capital loss.
- Form 2042 C: The total of your net earnings (after compensation for the losses) is postponed in the 3an (capital gains) or 3bn (losses) boxes.
Coinbase Tax Declaration: Calculate your earnings with centralization and reporting tools
Why centralize all its platforms and wallets?
You can have several Exchange accounts (Binance, Bitvavo, etc.) as well as non -custodial wallets (Ledger, Tangem) to secure your assets.
Difficult, under these conditions, to do a fine calculation of your annual capital gains for each account. Many declaration errors arise because you forget a transaction or underestimate the value of a token.
The easiest way to avoid this is to use specialized solutions that take into account all of your transactions, even on multiple blockchains (Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain, etc.), and which generate a tax report. So you suddenly consolidate:
- Your purchases and sales of crypto-assets (Fiat-Crypto).
- Your transfers from and to other platforms.
- Your transaction and trading .
- The overall value of your portfolio , updated for each taxable movement.
Quick comparison of automation software for tax calculations
- Waltio : French interface, local support, higher cost for some.
- Koinly : global tool, solid ergonomics, some limits on French taxation (language, settings).
- Cryptotaxcalculator DeFi features , interface to be configured seriously, in English for the main thing.
In any case, going through a specialized software will save you time and will decrease the risk of being mistaken in your calculations, especially if you multiply the platforms and operations.
Coinbase Tax Declaration: The declaration procedure step by step
Create or open your declaration online
Connect to taxes.gouv.fr and access your personal space.
In the "Declarations" section, check the "Accounts abroad (8uu)" box to open the 3916-Bis form.
Also check the “more or loser to digital assets (3an / 3bn boxes)” to open the 2086 annex if you have exceeded € 305 of taxable disposals.
Fill in form 3916-bis
Indicate:
- " Coinbase Europe Limited" as an organization, with the address in Ireland.
- The opening date of the account (and closing if this is the case).
- The type of account: "Digital asset account".
- The use of the account (e.g. investment ).
Fill in form 2086
This form can remain virgin if you have not carried out taxable disposal (that is to say no exchange of crypto for Fiat or purchase of goods/services in crypto). Otherwise, you must identify:
- The date of each transfer.
- The sale price (or the value if you have bought a good/service).
- The overall acquisition price, calculated according to the tax method (proportion of the portfolio).
Report the sums to the 2042 C form
At the end, validate your data. The site automatically rocks the net profit (added value or lower value) in the 3an or 3bn boxes of 2042 C. Always control that these boxes have been filled well and that you have not forgotten any possible costs.
More information here
Coinbase Tax Declaration: Possible tax rates and regimes
The single flat -rate levy at 30 %
PFU (or flat tax) is the standard rule for most taxpayers. He understands:
- 12.8 % income tax.
- 17.2 % of social security contributions.
If you make a total added value of € 1,000 on your Coinbasetransactions, you will therefore pay € 300 in taxes for this capital gain.
The progressive scale: who is concerned?
Since 2019, and especially since the reform of 2023, you have the possibility of opting for the progressive scale of income tax. This option mainly interests those whose marginal tax tranche is lower than 12.8 %. However, specific calculations must be made because social contributions are always added.
Special cases: professional activity
If the administration considers that you are doing very common trading and using techniques worthy of a professional, you may be requalified into industrial and commercial profits (BIC) or non -commercial profits (BNC). This leads to heavier accounting obligations and a different tax regime. The administration checks in particular:
- The frequency of operations.
- The amounts invested.
- The technical knowledge used.
- IT tools used (trading bots, etc.).
Coinbase Tax Declaration: risks in the event of forgetting or non-declaration
Fines and penalties
Opposing to declare your Coinbase account is sanctioned. As mentioned, the fine can go up to € 1,500 per account and per year if the value of the account exceeds € 50,000. If you do not declare your capital gains, you risk:
- Delay penalties from 10 % to 40 %, or even 80 % in the event of characterized fraud.
- Interest in delay at the rate of 0.2 % per month, reassessed regularly.
Right
France has set up a "right to error" system to encourage spontaneous regularization. If you realize that you have failed to declare your cryptocurrency income or an account, you can contact the administration to rectify your declaration. Penalties can then be reduced.
Coinbase Tax Declaration: Advice for effective management of your Crypto taxation
Hold an updated register of your transactions
Note each purchase in euros on Coinbase, each sale, and even each Crypto-Crypto transfer if you want to follow your wallet precisely. If you do many transactions, this will not be realistic, you will have to go through other solutions.
Regularly export your History Coinbase
Coinbase allows you to download a CSV file that summarizes all of your trades, withdrawals and deposits. Combine the surveys of your other platforms to have a complete overview.
Use a calculation platform: Waltio, Koinly, Cryptotaxcalculator
These solutions are automatically interfaced with Coinbase, either via the platform API, or via the import of CSV files. You get a summary table of your capital gains in suitable format.
Do not forget the exemption thresholds
As long as you do not exceed 305 € of annual assignments, you are exempt from capital gains tax. Please note, this threshold is based on total transfers, not on the capital gain itself.
Keep an eye on the regulations
The taxation of cryptocurrencies evolves quickly. Discussions around the finance law of each year may change the rates or conditions of declaration. Be informed via:
The Oumed Public Finance Bulletin (BOFIP).
European legislative updates (DAC8, MiCA , etc.).
Guides published by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF).
Coinbase Tax Declaration: Can we avoid taxation? Vigilance points
The main way to avoid taxation remains that you do not convert your cryptocurrencies into euros and convert your assets at risk to stbaclecoins, since only crypto-fiat passages or direct purchases of goods and services in digital assets are taxable. Purely Crypto-Crypto exchanges do not trigger tax in the current French tax regime.
However, buying for example a gift card or a physical product with BTC is assimilated to an expensive sale, which triggers the tax if the total of your transfers over the year exceeds € 305.
Conclusion: complying to secure your earnings
Correctly declaring an account on Coinbase as a French tax resident has become more than just formality.
Fortunately, the procedure for this Coinbase report tax remains accessible to all. It especially requires rigor in monitoring its transactions, attention to forms 3916-Bis, 2086 and 2042 C, and the use of suitable tools such as Waltio, Koinly or Cryptotaxcalculator to produce detailed reports.
Now that you know the basics, you are armed to easily declare your Coinbase account and your possible gains, avoiding unpleasant surprises. Just make sure to meet the declaration deadlines according to your tax area and to check that all your transactions are taken into account.
If in doubt, it is always recommended to call on a tax advisor specializing in cryptocurrencies or a law firm familiar with French regulations. This remains the safest way to avoid errors that could cost dear long -term.
Investments in cryptocurrencies are risky. Crypternon could not be held responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused following the use of a property or service put forward in this article. Readers must do their own research before undertaking any action and investing only within the limits of their financial capacities. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This article does not constitute an investment advice.
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AMF recommendations. There is no guaranteed high yield, a product with high performance potential implies a high risk. This risk taking must be in line with your project, your investment horizon and your ability to lose part of this savings. Do not invest if you are not ready to lose all or part of your capital .
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Yohan Uzzan
Training engineer, I quickly became interested in the field of finance. Convinced that decentralized finance has a bright future ahead of it, I participate in its democratization by developing Crypternon.
