Tracking cost basis when transferring crypto from Fidelity to Robinhood - help needed
Hey guys, I'm planning to move some of my crypto assets from my Fidelity account over to Robinhood and I'm worried about keeping track of my cost basis during the transfer. Will Robinhood automatically have that information when I transfer the crypto over? Or do I need to manually record this stuff somewhere? I don't want to mess up my taxes next year by losing track of what I originally paid. Has anyone done a transfer between these platforms specifically? Any advice would be super helpful!
26 comments


Luca Greco
The short answer is no, Robinhood won't automatically know your cost basis from Fidelity. When you transfer crypto between wallets/platforms, the cost basis information doesn't travel with the assets. You need to keep your own records. I recommend creating a simple spreadsheet before you transfer, documenting the date of original purchase, how much you paid (cost basis), and any fees associated with each transaction. Take screenshots of your Fidelity transaction history as backup. Remember that crypto-to-crypto transfers aren't taxable events, but you still need that original cost basis info for when you eventually sell.
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Nia Thompson
•Quick question - if I've already transferred some ETH from Coinbase to Kraken last month without keeping records, am I totally screwed for taxes? Or can I somehow go back and piece this together from the blockchain transactions?
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Luca Greco
•You're not totally screwed! For past transfers, you can still go back to your original platform (Coinbase in your case) and download your transaction history. Most exchanges keep this data available for several years. Look for your original purchases and note the dates and amounts. The blockchain itself doesn't store cost basis information, but it does verify the transfer occurred. So match up the transaction hashes from Coinbase with the receiving transactions in Kraken to confirm which assets moved where.
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Mateo Rodriguez
Just wanted to share my experience using taxr.ai https://taxr.ai to solve this exact problem! I transferred crypto between three different platforms last year and was completely lost trying to track my cost basis. I couldn't remember when I bought what or for how much, and the exchanges weren't helping. I uploaded my transaction CSVs from each platform to taxr.ai and it automatically matched my transfers between wallets, identified the original purchase prices, and calculated my cost basis for everything. Saved me hours of spreadsheet work and probably prevented a tax nightmare.
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Aisha Hussain
•Does it work with all exchanges? I've got stuff spread across Binance, Kraken and some old Dogecoin in a hardware wallet I've had since like 2017.
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GalacticGladiator
•I'm always skeptical of these crypto tax tools. How accurate was it really? Did you double-check any of the calculations or just trust what it spit out?
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Mateo Rodriguez
•It works with over 500+ exchanges and platforms, including all the major ones like Binance and Kraken. They also support importing from hardware wallets, though you might need to export transaction details first depending on which wallet you're using. Dogecoin from 2017 is definitely supported! I was skeptical at first too, so I manually checked a few transactions against my records. Every calculation matched up perfectly. What impressed me most was how it identified transfers between wallets vs. actual buys/sells. It even caught some weird DeFi transactions that I had forgotten about. Their support team answered within hours when I had questions about a specific transaction that looked weird.
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GalacticGladiator
I tried taxr.ai after reading about it here and I'm honestly shocked how well it worked. I was the skeptical one who questioned it earlier, but it totally saved me. I had crypto scattered across 4 platforms including some I'd completely forgotten about. The cost basis tracking worked exactly as promised - even for coins I'd moved multiple times. It identified transactions from 2018 that I would have completely missed and probably gotten flagged for during an audit. Even tracked my staking rewards which I wasn't properly recording. Definitely using this for my taxes this year!
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Ethan Brown
After struggling with the IRS about my crypto taxes last year, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which literally saved me hours of waiting on hold. I needed specific clarification about reporting my crypto transfers and couldn't get through to anyone at the IRS for weeks. Used Claimyr and got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the 3+ hours I spent on previous attempts. The agent confirmed that I needed to maintain my own cost basis records and helped clarify how to report my specific situation. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c
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Yuki Yamamoto
•Wait how does this actually work? Does it like hack the IRS phone system or something? Seems kinda sketchy tbh.
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Carmen Ruiz
•There's no way this actually works. I've tried everything to get through to the IRS and always end up waiting 2+ hours or getting disconnected. If this actually worked, everyone would be using it.
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Ethan Brown
•It's completely legitimate - no hacking involved! It basically navigates the IRS phone tree for you and waits in the queue on your behalf. When an agent is about to pick up, it calls you and connects you directly. It's like having someone else wait on hold for you. I was honestly surprised too, but it's a real service that saves you from wasting hours listening to that terrible hold music. Nothing sketchy about it - just a smart solution to a frustrating problem.
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Carmen Ruiz
Ok I need to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I tried it myself because I had a crypto tax question that was driving me crazy. Got connected to an IRS rep in about 20 minutes when I had previously wasted an entire afternoon trying to get through. The agent actually helped me understand exactly how to document cost basis when transferring between wallets and what records I needed to keep. Turns out I was overthinking it. Just needed to maintain my own records of original purchases with dates, amounts and transaction IDs. Been recommending it to everyone in my crypto group since.
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Andre Lefebvre
Here's what I do - I use a dedicated crypto tax software (Koinly) to track everything. Before transferring anything, I export ALL my transaction history from Fidelity as CSV files and save them forever. The most important thing: NEVER delete your Fidelity account even after transferring! You need access to that transaction history. Robinhood will only show that you received X amount of crypto on Y date, not what you originally paid.
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Zoe Dimitriou
•Do you still have to manually match up the transfers or does Koinly do that automatically?
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Andre Lefebvre
•Koinly does automatically match most transfers between wallets that you've connected. It looks at the timestamps and amounts to identify when you've moved crypto between your own wallets rather than buying or selling. Sometimes with very common amounts (like exactly 1 ETH) you might need to manually confirm it's a transfer, but the system flags these for review. The real time-saver is that once you've imported all your exchange data, it calculates your complete tax position with all the correct cost basis information.
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QuantumQuest
Hate to be that guy but NEVER use Robinhood for crypto if you care about taxes or actually owning your coins. Until very recently you couldn't even transfer crypto out of Robinhood! They've improved but still don't give you full wallet functionality. Try Kraken or Coinbase Pro instead. Better features, lower fees, and much better tax reporting tools.
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Jamal Anderson
•Robinhood's crypto service has actually improved a lot this past year. They finally added wallet transfers and their tax documents are pretty good now. The main advantage is having stocks and crypto in one place. But yeah their fees are still higher than dedicated exchanges.
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Statiia Aarssizan
This is such a common headache! I went through the exact same thing when I moved my Bitcoin from Fidelity to Coinbase last year. Unfortunately, Robinhood won't automatically receive your cost basis information - that data doesn't transfer with the crypto itself. Here's what saved me: Before initiating any transfer, log into your Fidelity account and download/screenshot EVERYTHING. Get your complete transaction history showing purchase dates, amounts paid, fees, and confirmation numbers. I made the mistake of not doing this initially and had to scramble later. Also keep the blockchain transaction hash from the transfer itself - you'll need this to prove the connection between your Fidelity purchase and your Robinhood holdings if the IRS ever asks questions. One tip: if you have multiple purchases of the same coin at different prices (like DCA), make sure you know which specific coins you're transferring so you can use the right cost basis. FIFO (first in, first out) is the default method but you might want to consider other options depending on your situation.
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QuantumLeap
•This is really helpful advice! I'm curious about the FIFO vs other methods you mentioned - can you actually choose which specific coins to transfer, or does the platform decide for you? I've been buying small amounts of Bitcoin weekly for months and I'm worried about accidentally transferring the wrong cost basis if I move some to another platform. Do you know if there's a way to specify which purchase lots you want to transfer?
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CosmicCadet
•Great question! Unfortunately, most exchanges including Fidelity don't let you choose specific lots when transferring crypto - they use their default accounting method (usually FIFO). This is different from stocks where you can often specify which shares to sell. However, for tax purposes, you can still choose your accounting method when you eventually sell. So even if Fidelity sends your "oldest" Bitcoin based on FIFO, you could potentially use specific identification or HIFO (highest in, first out) when calculating gains on your tax return, as long as you have detailed records. The key is maintaining those detailed purchase records @d1310504bfbb mentioned - date, amount, price for each DCA purchase. Then when you transfer, note exactly how much you moved and the date. This gives you the flexibility to optimize your tax strategy later when you actually sell. Some people actually do multiple smaller transfers to better control which cost basis they're moving, but that can get complicated with fees.
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Javier Cruz
Great question and really timely for me too! I just went through this exact scenario moving some Bitcoin from Fidelity to Robinhood last month. The key thing everyone's mentioned is absolutely right - Robinhood will NOT receive your cost basis automatically. When the crypto arrives in your Robinhood account, it will just show the current market value as if you bought it that day, which is completely wrong for tax purposes. Here's my step-by-step process that worked well: 1. Before transferring, export ALL transaction history from Fidelity (CSV format if possible) 2. Screenshot your current holdings showing original purchase dates and amounts 3. Document the exact amount you're transferring and the date 4. Save the blockchain transaction hash when the transfer completes 5. Create a simple spreadsheet linking your original Fidelity purchases to your new Robinhood holdings One thing I learned the hard way - Fidelity's transaction history doesn't stay available forever after you close positions, so grab those records while you still can access them easily. I use a simple Google Sheet with columns for Date, Platform, Amount, Price Paid, Transaction Hash, and Notes. The good news is that crypto-to-crypto transfers aren't taxable events, so you won't owe anything just for moving between platforms. But you definitely need that original cost basis info for when you eventually sell on Robinhood.
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Luca Conti
•This is exactly the kind of detailed walkthrough I needed! Thank you for sharing your actual experience. I'm curious about step 5 - when you created your spreadsheet linking Fidelity purchases to Robinhood holdings, how did you handle partial transfers? Like if you bought 0.5 BTC on three different dates but only transferred 1 BTC total, how do you determine which specific purchases that 1 BTC represents for cost basis purposes?
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Aileen Rodriguez
•This is such a great question @264fb0e898f1! Partial transfers definitely make the record-keeping trickier. When I did my partial transfer, I used the FIFO method to determine which specific purchases were being moved. So in your example with 0.5 BTC bought on three dates, I would assume the 1 BTC transfer consisted of the first 0.5 BTC purchase (complete) plus the second 0.5 BTC purchase (complete), leaving the third purchase untouched in my Fidelity account. In my spreadsheet, I created separate rows for each "piece" of the transfer. So if Purchase #2 was 0.8 BTC at $45K but I only transferred 0.5 BTC of it, I'd have one row showing "0.5 BTC transferred to Robinhood from Purchase #2" and another showing "0.3 BTC remaining in Fidelity from Purchase #2." The key is being consistent with whatever method you choose (FIFO, LIFO, etc.) and documenting your logic clearly. I also noted in my spreadsheet comments exactly why I allocated the transfer the way I did, in case I ever need to explain it to the IRS or my tax preparer later. @bf3d16545fc5 did you handle partial transfers the same way or use a different approach?
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Justin Evans
As someone who's been through multiple crypto transfers between platforms, I can't stress enough how important it is to keep meticulous records BEFORE you initiate any transfer. I learned this lesson the hard way when I moved some Ethereum from Coinbase to Fidelity a couple years ago without proper documentation. Here's what I wish I had done from the start: 1. **Export everything immediately** - Don't wait until after the transfer. Get your complete transaction history from Fidelity right now in CSV format. Include purchase dates, amounts, fees, and any DCA transactions. 2. **Use blockchain explorers** - Tools like Etherscan (for Ethereum) or Blockchain.info (for Bitcoin) can help you verify transfer details and provide permanent records of the transaction hashes. 3. **Consider tax software early** - Even if you don't plan to sell soon, setting up with something like TaxBit or CoinTracker now can save you major headaches later. They can import your data and track cost basis automatically. 4. **Document your method** - Write down whether you're using FIFO, LIFO, or specific identification for your cost basis calculations. Be consistent and stick with it. The transfer itself won't trigger taxes, but when you eventually sell on Robinhood, you'll need to report the gains/losses based on your original Fidelity purchase prices, not what Robinhood shows as your "cost basis." Trust me, spending an hour organizing this now will save you days of stress during tax season!
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Levi Parker
•This is incredibly helpful advice, especially the point about using blockchain explorers! I'm completely new to crypto transfers and honestly didn't even know those tools existed. Just checked out Etherscan and it's amazing how much transaction detail is available there. Quick newbie question - when you mention "specific identification" as a cost basis method, how does that actually work in practice? Is that something you declare on your tax return, or do you need to set it up somewhere beforehand? I've been doing small weekly Bitcoin purchases on Fidelity for about 6 months and I'm worried I might have already locked myself into FIFO without realizing it. Also, are there any red flags or common mistakes I should avoid when documenting everything? I don't want to accidentally create problems for myself down the road by organizing my records incorrectly from the start.
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