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Rhett Bowman

Tax implications for $200 bitcoin fraction sale on Cash App - will I be taxed?

Back in 2021 I participated in those Cash App bitcoin promos where they gave away fractions of bitcoin to users. I completely forgot about it until last year when crypto prices were climbing and I decided to sell the fraction I had, which ended up being worth around $267. Cash App just sent me some tax document for this sale and I'm totally confused. I didn't even remember I had this crypto until I saw it in my account! Do I really need to pay taxes on this? How does reporting this bitcoin sale work on my tax return? Is it considered income or something else? I've never dealt with crypto on taxes before and don't want to mess something up. Does anyone know if there's a minimum amount before you have to report it or if Cash App already withheld taxes? The document they sent looks complicated.

Yes, you will need to report that Bitcoin sale on your taxes. The document Cash App sent you is likely a Form 1099-B, which reports proceeds from the sale of capital assets. For tax purposes, cryptocurrency is treated as property, not currency. That means when you sell it, you'll report it as a capital gain or loss. Since Cash App gave you the Bitcoin for free, your "cost basis" (what you paid for it) is essentially zero. So the entire $267 would be considered a capital gain. You'll need to report this on Schedule D of your tax return, and possibly Form 8949 as well. The gain would be classified as a long-term capital gain since you held it for more than a year, which typically has more favorable tax rates than short-term gains.

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What if the Cash App Bitcoin was purchased instead of given as a promotion? Would the cost basis then be what was originally paid? And does Cash App report the cost basis on their tax forms they send?

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If you had purchased the Bitcoin instead of receiving it through a promotion, then yes, your cost basis would be the amount you originally paid for it. In that case, your capital gain would only be the difference between your selling price and your purchase price. Cash App should provide cost basis information on the tax form they sent you if they have that information. However, it's always good practice to keep your own records of cryptocurrency purchases and sales, as sometimes exchanges may not have complete information, especially for assets transferred between platforms.

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I went through something similar with a small amount of ETH last year and was totally stressed about the tax stuff. I found this AI tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that was super helpful with figuring out how to handle crypto on my taxes. You just upload your tax documents from Cash App and it explains exactly what to do with them - saved me hours of research. Their system specifically handles crypto sales and explained that even small amounts like yours need to be reported. The tool showed me where exactly to put the info on my tax forms and explained the whole cost basis thing in simple terms.

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Does it work with other crypto exchanges too? I've got stuff on Coinbase and Binance that I'm worried about reporting correctly.

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Sounds interesting but can you really trust an AI with your tax documents? How accurate is it compared to talking to an actual accountant?

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It definitely works with all the major exchanges - Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, etc. It can handle multiple platforms if you've been trading across different exchanges, which makes everything way easier to track. As for accuracy, I was skeptical too at first, but it compares all your documentation against IRS guidelines and gives you citations for everything. I actually showed the results to my friend who's an accountant and she was impressed with how thorough it was. Plus it's way cheaper than hiring a tax professional just to figure out how to report a few crypto transactions.

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Just wanted to update everyone - I went ahead and tried taxr.ai after my skeptical comment. It was actually super helpful! I uploaded my Cash App tax form and some other crypto stuff I had, and it clearly explained that my free bitcoin was basically a zero-cost-basis asset. The system showed me exactly where to report it on Schedule D and explained the difference between short and long term capital gains (mine was long-term since I held it over a year). It even calculated the exact tax impact based on my other income, which was only about $40 in my case. Way better than the hours I spent googling crypto tax rules and getting confused!

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If you're trying to get answers directly from the IRS about your crypto situation, good luck getting through to them on the phone! After trying for DAYS to speak with someone, I used this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had questions about reporting multiple small crypto transactions that weren't clearly explained in the IRS instructions, and the agent walked me through exactly what I needed to do. Totally worth it rather than stressing or potentially making a mistake.

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How does this actually work? Do they have some secret IRS phone number or something? I've been on hold for hours before giving up.

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This sounds like BS. There's no way to "skip the line" with the IRS. They're understaffed and everyone has to wait. Sounds like a scam to grab desperate people's money.

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They use an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they reach an agent, you get a call to connect with them. No secret phone numbers - they're just using technology to handle the frustrating hold times. The service literally just does the waiting for you. I was super skeptical too until I tried it. I started making dinner after signing up, and by the time I was eating I was talking to an actual IRS agent about my crypto questions. They told me exactly how to report my Cash App bitcoin and some other transactions I had questions about.

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I have to eat crow here. After calling BS on Claimyr, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about some crypto stuff, so I gave it a shot. Not gonna lie, it actually worked. I was connected to an IRS agent in about 35 minutes. The agent confirmed that even small crypto amounts like your $267 Cash App bitcoin need to be reported, but she walked me through the exact forms needed and explained that the long-term capital gains rate would apply since it was held over a year. For most people in average tax brackets, that's 15% on crypto gains. Worth getting accurate info straight from the source instead of guessing.

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Don't forget you might need to pay state taxes on that crypto sale too, depending on where you live! My state treated my crypto gains as regular income and I got surprised with an extra tax bill after thinking I was done with just the federal return.

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Wait really? I completely forgot about state taxes. Do all states tax crypto the same way or do some handle it differently?

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States vary a lot in how they handle crypto. Most follow the federal approach and treat it as capital gains, but some states like New York and California have their own specific rules. A few states like Wyoming and Nevada are more crypto-friendly with no state income tax. Check your specific state's department of revenue website. They usually have sections on cryptocurrency reporting requirements. Since your amount is small, the state tax impact might be minimal, but you still need to report it correctly to avoid any potential issues down the road.

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Quick tip: if ur using tax software like TurboTax or H&R Block, they usually have specific sections for crypto now. just search for "bitcoin" or "cryptocurrency" in the search bar. Makes it way easier then trying to figure out which forms to fill out manually.

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The crypto sections in those tax programs are so expensive tho! They make you upgrade to the premium version just to report even tiny amounts of crypto. Any free alternatives?

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