DAC8: how EU crypto tax reporting works from 2026
Crypto service providers now collect user and transaction data for EU tax authorities. Here is who reports, what is reported and when.
Since 1 January 2026, crypto exchanges and brokers serving EU customers have been collecting data that will be reported to tax authorities and shared across member states. If your company, fund or DAO uses such a provider, expect requests for tax residence and tax identification numbers, and expect tax authorities to hold a summary of your 2026 activity by late 2027.
What DAC8 is
DAC8 is Council Directive (EU) 2023/2226, adopted on 17 October 2023. It amends the EU's directive on administrative cooperation in taxation so that crypto transactions are covered by automatic exchange of information [1]. Member states had to write it into national law by 31 December 2025 and apply it from 1 January 2026 [1][2].
The rules are based on the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, and the Commission says OECD commentary and FAQs can be used to interpret them where the texts align [2]. DAC8 also builds on the definitions in MiCA, the EU's crypto markets regulation, and reaches stablecoins, e-money tokens and some NFTs [2].
Who has to report
The obligation sits with reporting crypto-asset service providers, not with users [2]. That covers providers authorised under MiCA and also operators that are not authorised in the EU but serve EU residents [1][2]. Those non-authorised operators must register with the competent authority of a single member state, which issues them an identification number [1].
What gets reported
For each reportable user, the provider reports identity details including name, address, member state of residence and tax identification number, plus date and place of birth for individuals; for entities it also reports controlling persons where required [1]. Then, for each type of crypto-asset the user transacted in during the year, it reports aggregate figures [1]:
- Acquisitions and disposals against fiat currency: the gross amount paid or received, the number of units and the number of transactions.
- Acquisitions and disposals against other crypto-assets: the fair market value, units and number of transactions.
- Reportable retail payment transactions, defined as transfers for goods or services worth more than USD 50,000.
- Other transfers to and from the user, split by transfer type where the provider knows it.
- Transfers the provider made to wallet addresses not known to belong to another service provider or financial institution.
Fiat amounts are reported in the currency actually paid or received, and fair values are measured in a single fiat currency at the time of each transaction, using a method the provider applies consistently [1]. Two things are absent from that list: cost basis and realised gain. DAC8 tells a tax authority how much you traded and moved, not what you made.
The timetable
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | Rules apply; 2026 is the first reportable calendar year [1] |
| 1 January 2027 | Deadline to obtain self-certifications from users who were already customers before the rules applied [1] |
| 2027 | Providers report 2026 data to their national tax authority [2] |
| By 30 September 2027 | Member states exchange 2026 data, within nine months of year-end [1][2] |
Exchanges between member states use standard forms and XML formats set by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2263 [2]. The national filing deadline for providers is set in each member state's transposing law, so check the rules where your provider reports.
Transposition is uneven
Not every member state met the 31 December 2025 deadline. On 30 January 2026 the Commission sent letters of formal notice to 12 member states, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Luxembourg, for failing to notify DAC8 transposition measures, giving them two months to respond [3]. Some have since legislated, but local details such as filing dates and penalties can still differ, so confirm the current position in each country that matters to you.
What users receive
The directive requires each provider to tell individual users that information about them will be collected and transferred, in time for them to exercise their data protection rights and before the information is reported [1]. In the text we reviewed, DAC8 does not itself require providers to send users an annual tax statement of the reported figures; some providers may do so voluntarily or under national rules. In practice, what most users will notice first is the request for a self-certification of tax residence and tax identification number. The directive requires member states to set effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for breaches of the national rules [1].
Why it matters for finance teams
Tax authorities will hold third-party gross figures that need to reconcile with what you declare. Because providers report gross amounts and aggregate fair values, not gains, the reconciliation runs from your own transaction records and lot calculations to the provider's totals. Transfers out to self-hosted wallets are flagged separately, so internal movements to your own wallets should be documented as such to avoid questions about disposals that never happened.
What to do
- Respond to provider self-certification requests promptly and make sure the residence and tax number match your tax registrations.
- Ask each EU provider which member state it reports to and whether it will share a copy of the reported figures.
- Keep a register of your own wallet addresses so outbound transfers to them can be explained.
- From early 2027, reconcile provider totals for 2026 to your ledger by asset: units, gross fiat amounts and fair values.
- Check national transposition status and deadlines where your providers are based.
Sources
- Council Directive (EU) 2023/2226 of 17 October 2023 amending Directive 2011/16/EU on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation (EUR-Lex (Official Journal of the European Union))
- DAC8 (European Commission, Taxation and Customs Union)
- EU: EC launches infringement procedures over national implementation of DAC9 and DAC8 (KPMG)
General information for finance teams, current as of publication. Not legal, tax or accounting advice.