Cryptocurrency taxes in Brazil: obligations and limits

You sold bitcoin at a profit, swapped one cryptocurrency for another or left a balance on a foreign exchange. Each of these situations has a different tax consequence in Brazil, and some rules have changed in the last two years.

This article summarizes the obligations of individuals resident in Brazil, based on official rules and guidance from the Receita Federal (Brazil’s federal tax authority) checked on October 8, 2026. It does not cover companies, does not calculate anything for your case and does not replace an accountant or tax lawyer. Before filing or paying, confirm with a professional and on the Receita’s website, because these rules change frequently.

Who supervises exchanges and the role of each agency is covered in Crypto regulation in Brazil: who supervises what. The focus here is only on tax and reporting.

The question that sets the rule: where the asset is

The Receita splits crypto assets into two groups, according to the IRPF 2026 Questions and Answers (IRPF is Brazil’s individual income tax), published on April 23, 2026 (questions 473 and 653):

• Located abroad: crypto assets “held in custody or traded by institutions located abroad”, regardless of where the asset was issued.
• Located in Brazil: those held in custody or traded by institutions located in Brazil.

And there is a third case, self-custody, when you keep your own keys in a private wallet. For the Receita, in this case “the taxpayer’s residence determines whether the virtual asset is located in Brazil or abroad”. Someone who lives in Brazil and holds their own crypto assets therefore falls under the Brazilian rule. The difference between wallet types is explained in Crypto wallets: custodial and non-custodial.

Crypto assets in Brazil: monthly exemption and capital gains

For assets held in custody or traded in Brazil, the Receita states in its Questions and Answers that the rules “have not been changed”. They work like this:

• R$ 35,000 monthly exemption. If total sales in the month, adding up all crypto assets, are up to R$ 35,000, the gain is exempt. What counts is the total value of sales, not the profit.
• Above the limit, everything is taxed. If total sales in the month exceed R$ 35,000, the capital gain on all sales that month is subject to tax, not just the excess.
• All types added together. The limit considers all crypto assets sold, “regardless of their type (Bitcoin, altcoins, stablecoins, NFTs, among others)”.
• Progressive rates. Capital gains are taxed at 15% up to R$ 5 million, 17.5% from R$ 5 million to R$ 10 million, 20% from R$ 10 million to R$ 30 million and 22.5% above that (question 574).
• Deadline. The tax is paid via DARF (Brazil’s federal tax payment slip), code 4600, by the last business day of the month following the sale.

Capital gain is the positive difference between the sale price and the acquisition cost. That is why keeping records of purchases and sales is part of the obligation: the Receita asks taxpayers to keep documentation proving the amounts.

Swapping one crypto for another also counts

A point that often goes unnoticed: according to the Receita, when a cryptocurrency is used directly to buy another, there is a sale for tax purposes, “even if the cryptocurrency used for the acquisition is not first converted into reais”. The transaction value is the market value in reais on the date of the swap. Swapping bitcoin for a stablecoin, for example, counts toward the monthly total. What stablecoins are is covered in What stablecoins are and how they hold their value.

Crypto assets abroad: 15% and no exemption, since 2024

Law 14,754/2023 changed the taxation of individuals’ investments outside the country as of January 1, 2024 (art. 47). It expressly includes “virtual assets” and “digital wallets” in the list of financial investments abroad (art. 3, § 1, item I) and treats as income the “change in the cryptocurrency’s value against the national currency” (item II).

In practice, for crypto assets on foreign platforms:

• 15% rate on the year’s income and gains, in the Annual Adjustment Return (the annual income tax return), with no deductions from the tax base (art. 2, § 1).
• No monthly exemption. The Receita says “there is no legal provision for an exemption” for this income or these gains (question 653). The R$ 35,000 limit does not apply.
• Annual calculation. The tax is not paid by monthly DARF; it goes into the following year’s return, on a cash basis, when the gain is actually realized.
• Offsetting losses. Proven losses on investments abroad can offset gains on investments abroad in the same year and, if any remain, in subsequent years, only once (art. 9). They do not offset crypto gains in Brazil.
• Tax paid abroad. Tax paid in the country of origin may be deducted, under the conditions of art. 4 of the law.

For those who traded on a foreign exchange before 2024, the old rule (with the monthly exemption) applies to events up to December 31, 2023, according to the Receita itself.

How to report in the annual income tax return

Besides paying tax on gains, you need to report what you own. According to question 473 of the IRPF 2026 Questions and Answers:

• Crypto assets go in the Assets and Rights section, Group 08 – Crypto assets, with their own codes: 01 (Bitcoin), 02 (other cryptocurrencies), 03 (stablecoins), 10 (NFTs) and 99 (others, such as fan tokens and receivables tokens).
• Reporting is mandatory when the acquisition value of each type of crypto asset is R$ 5,000 or more.
• The amount reported is the acquisition cost, not the current price. In the description, state the quantity and where it is held (company name and CNPJ, Brazil’s company tax ID, or “self-custody”).
• For assets abroad, also state the country and fill in the financial investment section with the year’s income or loss.

DeCripto: the transaction report changed in July 2026

Income tax and transaction reporting are different obligations. The report is an ancillary obligation: you report transactions to the Receita even if there is no tax to pay.

Until June 30, 2026, this report followed Receita Federal Normative Instruction (IN) 1,888/2019. Individuals who traded on a foreign exchange or without an exchange had to report transactions when the monthly amount exceeded R$ 30,000, by the last business day of the following month, according to the IRPF 2026 Questions and Answers.

Since July 1, 2026, the Crypto Assets Declaration (DeCripto) has been in force, created by Receita Federal Normative Instruction 2,291 of November 14, 2025, which replaced the previous system (Receita Federal, DeCripto acts; DeCripto manual). The standard follows the OECD’s crypto-asset information exchange model, known as CARF.

Under the text of IN 2,291 (art. 5), an individual resident in Brazil is still required to report when trading through a provider based abroad, a decentralized platform or without a provider, and the monthly threshold became more than R$ 35,000 in transactions. Brazilian exchanges report their clients’ transactions. The rule provides for fines for late filing and for omitted, incorrect or incomplete information. As DeCripto is recent and has already been adjusted, check the consolidated text and deadlines on the Receita’s crypto assets page before each filing.

DeCripto did not change rates or exemptions. It changed the form and scope of the report.

What was proposed and did not stick: MP 1,303/2025

On June 11, 2025, the government issued Provisional Measure 1,303, which, among other changes, would have taxed gains on virtual assets at 17.5%, ended the R$ 35,000 exemption for those gains and also reached self-custody. The provisional measure was not converted into law and is listed on the Planalto (presidency) website as “no longer in force”. These changes are therefore not in effect.

If you read in 2025 that “the exemption is over”, that information refers to a proposal that lapsed. As of the date of this article, the Receita maintains the monthly exemption for crypto assets in Brazil.

Summary timeline

When	What changed	Basis
May 2019	Receita creates the monthly crypto transaction report	IN RFB 1,888/2019
January 1, 2024	Crypto on foreign platforms becomes subject to 15% annually, with no exemption	Law 14,754/2023
June 2025	Provisional measure proposes 17.5% and an end to the exemption; later lapses	MP 1,303/2025
July 1, 2026	DeCripto replaces IN 1,888; threshold for individuals rises to R$ 35,000 a month	IN RFB 2,291/2025

Limits of this guide

Some topics were left out because they depend on the details of each case or lack clear official guidance for every situation:

• Income from staking, crypto lending and airdrops. On foreign platforms, income falls under the 15% rule of Law 14,754. For transactions in Brazil and in self-custody, the classification may vary; seek professional advice. The risks of staking are covered in Staking: how it works, rewards and risks.
• Frequent trading, day trading and mining. These may be treated differently from occasional capital gains.
• Disputed interpretations. There is debate among experts about the scope of some Receita guidance. Private letter rulings and Questions and Answers provide guidance, but do not settle disputes in court.

Key takeaways

• The place of custody sets the rule: in Brazil (including a resident’s own wallet), a R$ 35,000 monthly sales exemption and rates of 15% to 22.5%; abroad, 15% on the annual gain, with no exemption.
• Reporting assets, paying tax and reporting transactions are three separate obligations. Since July 2026, DeCripto handles the transaction report, not the tax.
• The 17.5% proposal in MP 1,303 is not in force. Always confirm the current rule on the Receita’s website and with an accountant before filing.