Spending or Accepting Crypto in Ireland: CGT and VAT

Updated 17 October 2026 · Information only · Not tax or financial advice

Short answer: Revenue's crypto manual gives this example: a person used crypto-assets to buy goods in a café; the manual says this use of crypto is a disposal for CGT purposes, so the person must calculate the gain, declare it on a return and pay any CGT. For a business that accepts crypto for goods or services, the manual says there is no change to when revenue is recognised or how taxable profits are calculated, and VAT is due in the normal way on the euro value at the time of supply.

If you spend crypto

1. Work out the euro value of what you received (the goods) or of the crypto given up at that moment; the manual says a reasonable effort should be made to use an appropriate valuation, because prices differ between exchanges.
2. Subtract what the crypto cost you (and allowable costs).
3. A gain feeds into the year's CGT calculation: exemption and losses. A loss may be deductible against gains in most cases (manual wording). Example (made-up): you bought crypto for €400; you spend it when it is worth €900 on a laptop. Gain: €900 - €400 = €500, before the €1,270 exemption.

If you accept crypto (business)

• Profits are computed in euro; a company's accounts for tax can't be prepared in crypto (the manual says euro or functional currency accounts).
• VAT: the taxable amount is the euro value of the crypto at the time of supply.
• If you then hold or sell the crypto, a later sale is a separate disposal: see which transactions are disposals.

Paid in crypto by an employer

For an employee or director, payroll tax is generally based on the euro amount of the crypto at the time of payment (manual wording).

Dates

Disposals from 1 January to 30 November: pay by 15 December (a Tuesday in 2026); December disposals by 31 January. See dates. Revenue's eBrief 142/26 (6 October 2026) says the 2% reduction to 31% was announced in Budget 2027 and applies to disposals on or after 7 October 2026; Revenue's How to calculate CGT page (published 7 October 2026) shows 31% (33% before). We did not verify the legislation, so we write 31% per Revenue (Budget 2027), to be legislated and treat it as expected.

FAQ

Is a small coffee a disposal?

The Revenue example is a café purchase; we found no minimum amount.

Do I need receipts?

Keep records for 6 years (record keeping).

What we could not verify

Sources (official)

Previous: Tax software (Ad) · Next: Crypto-to-crypto swap