Crypto tax in South Africa: do I owe SARS, and how do I calculate it?

If you sold, swapped, spent, or earned crypto during the year, check whether you need to declare gains or income to SARS.

SARS applies normal income tax rules to crypto assets. Affected taxpayers must declare crypto-related gains or losses. Whether you owe tax depends on your circumstances, including whether the gain is revenue or capital in nature.

That is where crypto tax gets difficult. For a deeper look at how SARS classifies crypto and what the rules mean in practice, see how SARS taxes crypto in South Africa, or start with the complete guide to crypto tax in South Africa for rates, deadlines, and the Budget 2026 changes.

When the real problem is your transaction history

A single buy-and-hold position is usually not the problem. The problem starts when your history is spread across exchanges, wallets, swaps, old CSVs, fees, deposits, withdrawals, and transfers that you barely remember making. By the time you need to file, the real question is not only "do I owe tax?" It becomes: What actually happened in my crypto accounts, and can I prove the number?

That is what we built Coinfig for.

What Coinfig does

Coinfig turns exchange, wallet, and CSV history into clear tax figures, with reports you can use when completing your South African tax return or sending information to your accountant. It supports:

• Read-only exchange connections, including native support for Luno and VALR, plus Kraken
• Wallet history and CSV imports
• FIFO, LIFO, and HIFO cost-basis methods
• Transaction schedules, capital gains, and revenue reporting
• A data-completeness check before you rely on the final numbers

Coinfig organises your data, calculates results, shows assumptions, and flags potential gaps. It does not provide tax advice or file your return. Ask an accountant or tax practitioner to review complex cases.

What should crypto users do now?

Start with your records. That means your local exchanges, offshore exchanges, wallets, old trading accounts, and any CSVs you still have. Then use Coinfig to connect or upload the data and run a completeness check.

Missing deposits, unmatched withdrawals, and unexplained transfers can change the result. Coinfig flags potential gaps before you export, so you can investigate them before filing.

1. Gather history from every exchange, wallet, and CSV you have used.
2. Connect or upload sources in Coinfig.
3. Run the completeness check and resolve flagged gaps.
4. Review the report yourself, or send it to your accountant.

2026 filing season dates

So, no need to panic. But also, do not leave it until the night before.

Add your records to coinfig.tax, resolve flagged gaps, and review the report. If you need help deciding the tax treatment, take the report and supporting records to your accountant.

This article is general information, not tax advice. Crypto tax outcomes depend on your specific circumstances. For complex situations, consult a qualified tax practitioner.