A 1% Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) applies to crypto transfers once annual turnover crosses the threshold. This means exchanges and wallets must deduct 1% of consideration on transfers once the limit is hit—and you get credit for that deduction in your ITR filing.
Salaried employees with VDA activity typically file ITR-2. Self-employed or business owners file ITR-3. Check your primary income type first, then confirm VDA activity goes into Schedule VDA (not Schedule S in ITR-1).
The Income Tax Act 2025 (effective 1 April 2026) requires reporting of every VDA transfer: acquisition date, transfer date, consideration, cost of acquisition, and resulting gain/loss. This includes trades, staking conversions, wallet transfers—not just net year-end positions.
Keep exchange transaction CSVs, blockchain confirmations, and the INR value of each transaction on the transaction date. Without dated valuations and proof of acquisition cost, the income tax department may reject your filing or impose penalties.
If you lose ₹10,000 on a Bitcoin trade and gain ₹15,000 on an Ethereum trade, you pay tax on the ₹15,000. You cannot offset the ₹10,000 loss. This asymmetry makes loss documentation crucial—if audited, show losses were real and contemporaneous.
ITR filing deadline is typically July 31 (extended to August 31 with surcharge). Missing the deadline invokes penalties and loss of carry-forward provisions. File early with clear Schedule VDA entries and retain all supporting documents for 5 years.
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