How FTX Collapse and Investment Losses Affect Taxes and Tax Relief (2024)

Undoubtedly the recent collapse of global crypto exchange FTX is the most painful event in the nascent history of the digital asset industry. The impactful event, which was triggered by a CoinDesk article and several alarmist tweets, wiped out billions of dollars of wealth, resulting in the bankruptcy of over 130 entities and hundreds of thousands of users (millions?) losing their funds.

With FTX becoming insolvent and all funds on the crypto exchange frozen, affected taxpayers are wondering how to report their potential losses on tax returns. Experts generally agree taxpayers who lost money with FTX may benefit from some tax relief.

This post discusses tax implications of the FTX collapse and investment losses.

What Is FTX?

FTX is a crypto exchange promoting liquidity and transaction of coins and tokens. Founded in 2018 by Sam Bankman-Fried, the platform offered various products, including leveraged tokens, volatility products, derivatives, and options. FTX also featured spot trading for more than 300 crypto pairs.

FTX filed bankruptcy November 11, 2022 after several customers withdrew funds earlier in the month and an article in CoinDesk raised concerns about the crypto platform’s financials. As word spread, worried investors offloaded sizable FTX holdings leading to the token devaluation.

Today, all users’ funds remain frozen, preventing customers from accessing their money.

What’s the Difference Between a Capital Loss and Investment Theft Loss?

Capital Loss

A capital loss occurs when a stock or other security is sold for less than the original price. The negative dollar difference between selling and purchase prices is considered a capital loss. Capital losses enable an investor to reduce future capital gains taxes. In a nutshell, a capital loss allows you to recoup part of the losses on your tax returns by offsetting capital gains and other types of income.

Investment Theft Loss

The IRS considers an investment theft loss as the taking or removal of money or assets without your knowledge or consent. This theft must be illegal per state law where it happened and done with criminal intent. An investment theft loss can be deducted by a taxpayer in the year they realize their property was stolen.

The IRS allows taxpayers to deduct up to $3,000 in capital losses from their income annually or $1,500 if they are married and filing separately. Keep in mind other deduction rules may apply to theft losses from Ponzi-type investment schemes.

Is Crypto Capital Loss for Taxes Calculated from the Current Fair Market Value or Original Cost?

You cannot calculate a capital loss based on the current fair market value of the coins or tokens. The IRS states taxpayers should deduct a loss for the original cost basis of the assets. This means the capital loss is based on what you paid to acquire the tokens, not their current price.

Will FTX Investors Be Able to Report Losses for the 2022 Tax Year?

Whether crypto investors will report FTX losses for the 2022 tax year depends on several scenarios.

The following outcomes related to the FTX collapse may affect how you report an FTX loss on your tax return:

  • Ideally, the fact that FTX has filed bankruptcy implies affected customers with assets on the platform may still get a percentage of their funds back. Because you could still recover your frozen funds, you should not deduct any losses on your returns. You should also not report any investment gains.
  • When it becomes clear you will not recover your funds and the exchange gets shut down, it is advisable to classify the tokens you lost on FTX as “worthless” investment losses. The IRS states that securities such as stocks that become worthless are considered capital losses. Although crypto is not classified as stocks or securities, capital gains and losses from crypto transactions must still be reported on IRS Form 8949.

In essence, you are allowed to report your assets held on FTX as a sale of $0 on the last day of the year when it becomes apparent you will not get your funds back. You will then deduct the cost of the tokens as a capital loss on your Form 8949.

What FTX Account Documents Should You Have for Taxes?

As you wait to see whether you can deduct FTX losses for tax year 2022, consider collecting documents from your FTX account. These documents may include the following:

  • History of all transactions, including trades, PNL, and rewards
  • Screenshots of funds balances
  • Screenshots and documents with your account information

The FTX collapse is stressful for crypto investors. At the very least, there could be some benefits from a tax perspective.

START FOR FREE

6 Simple Questions. Free Evaluation.

Join our Newsletter

Enter your email address to join our free newsletter. Get all the latest news and updates.

How FTX Collapse and Investment Losses Affect Taxes and Tax Relief (2024)

FAQs

How FTX Collapse and Investment Losses Affect Taxes and Tax Relief? ›

“Consumers are likely to incur deductible losses,” Ledgible's vice president of tax and accounting, Gabriel Brin, told Checkpoint. “However, since FTX filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, these losses will likely not be recognizable on their tax returns until [at least] 2023 once fully ruled on by the court.”

Can I claim FTX losses on my taxes? ›

If you lose access to your FTX holdings permanently, you may be able to write off the value of your lost crypto-assets as an 'investment loss'. However, you will relinquish the right to re-claim your holdings in the future. For more information, check out our guide to writing off your FTX losses.

Can you claim tax relief on investment losses? ›

Losses made from the sale of capital assets are not allowed to be offset against income, other than in very specific circ*mstances (broadly if you have disposed of qualifying trading company shares). You cannot claim a loss made on the disposal of an asset that is exempt from capital gains tax (CGT).

Can I write off investment losses on my taxes? ›

The IRS allows you to deduct from your taxable income a capital loss, for example, from a stock or other investment that has lost money. Here are the ground rules: An investment loss has to be realized. In other words, you need to have sold your stock to claim a deduction.

Can I claim crypto losses on my taxes? ›

If you sell your crypto for a loss, the IRS allows you to offset losses against other income on your tax return. These so-called “realized losses” can be used to offset other taxable investment profits.

How do I claim money back from FTX? ›

In order to submit a claim you will first need to create an account on the FTX Digital Claim Portal. Once you have created your account you will be able to link your FTX accounts, view the account balances (per the JOLs records) and submit a claim.

How do I claim trading losses on my taxes? ›

Here are the steps to take when it comes to tax filing season.
  1. Calculate Your Short-Term and Long-Term Capital Gains and Losses. ...
  2. Calculate Your Total Net Capital Gain or Loss. ...
  3. Use an Overall Loss to Offset Taxable Income. ...
  4. Carry Forward a Loss.

Does investment loss reduce taxable income? ›

It's never fun to lose money on an investment, but declaring a capital loss on your tax return can be an effective consolation prize in many cases. That's because capital losses can be applied against capital gains or other income to reduce taxable income.

What is the time limit for loss relief? ›

The Revenue Tax and Duty Manual was recently updated to clarify that a terminal loss relief claim must be made by a company within 4 years from the end of the accounting period in which the terminal loss was incurred by the company.

How far back can I claim capital losses? ›

In general, you can carry capital losses forward indefinitely, either until you use them all up or until they run out. Carryovers of capital losses have no time limit, so you can use them to offset capital gains or as a deduction against ordinary income in subsequent tax years until they are exhausted.

Can I use more than $3000 capital loss carryover? ›

If the net amount of all your gains and losses is a loss, you can report the loss on your return. You can report current year net losses up to $3,000 — or $1,500 if married filing separately. Carry over net losses of more than $3,000 to next year's return. You can carry over capital losses indefinitely.

Do you have to report investment losses to IRS? ›

You must report all 1099-B transactions on Schedule D (Form 1040), Capital Gains and Losses and you may need to use Form 8949, Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets. This is true even if there's no net capital gain subject to tax.

What is the 6 year rule for capital gains tax? ›

Here's how it works: Taxpayers can claim a full capital gains tax exemption for their principal place of residence (PPOR). They also can claim this exemption for up to six years if they move out of their PPOR and then rent it out. There are some qualifying conditions for leaving your principal place of residence.

How to recover from crypto loss? ›

If you are a victim of a crypto scam, joining a class action lawsuit can help you recover some or all of your funds. A class action lawsuit pools together many victims who have suffered similar crypto losses. This makes it easier to hold the perpetrators accountable and seek justice.

How to enter crypto losses on TurboTax? ›

How do I report cryptocurrency on my taxes? Cryptocurrency gains and losses should be reported on Form 8949 while cryptocurrency income should be reported on Schedule 1, Schedule B, or Schedule C depending on the nature of your earnings.

Which crypto exchanges do not report to the IRS? ›

Some cryptocurrency exchanges do not report user transactions to the IRS, including: Decentralized crypto exchanges (DEXs) like Uniswap and SushiSwap.

What if I lost money in FTX? ›

FTX customers will get their money back and more—but the biggest winners are bankruptcy traders. Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of FTX, is serving a 25-year sentence. In a rare outcome for bankruptcy, customers of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX will recover all of their money—and then some.

Will I recover my money from FTX? ›

Nearly all customers of FTX will get their money back, plus interest, after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded 17 months ago. FTX, which filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2022, said in a court filing Tuesday that between $14.5 billion and $16.3 billion would be available for distribution.

Will I get a 1099 from FTX? ›

FTX.US issues Form 1099-MISC in the event that a customer earns more than $600 of ordinary income on the platform. In the future, FTX.US will be required to report more detailed information to the IRS.

Are scammed losses tax deductible? ›

Taxpayers with losses from scams, robberies, storms, fires and other adverse events are taxable under current law for those losses. Indeed, an elderly person who loses stock certificates in a scam ripoff not only has no deduction but must pay taxes on any income realized. “You know how they say life isn't fair?” Rep.

Top Articles
Balance sheet and income statement relationship (video) | Khan Academy
Choosing and applying for a credit card
Bank Of America Financial Center Irvington Photos
Friskies Tender And Crunchy Recall
Lorton Transfer Station
Craigslist Cars Augusta Ga
Us 25 Yard Sale Map
50 Meowbahh Fun Facts: Net Worth, Age, Birthday, Face Reveal, YouTube Earnings, Girlfriend, Doxxed, Discord, Fanart, TikTok, Instagram, Etc
Aces Fmc Charting
Ogeechee Tech Blackboard
Little Rock Arkansas Craigslist
Keurig Refillable Pods Walmart
ATV Blue Book - Values & Used Prices
Ella Eats
Nyuonsite
Milspec Mojo Bio
Jalapeno Grill Ponca City Menu
Wausau Marketplace
Eine Band wie ein Baum
Kashchey Vodka
Raz-Plus Literacy Essentials for PreK-6
Quest: Broken Home | Sal's Realm of RuneScape
Egizi Funeral Home Turnersville Nj
Ou Class Nav
Mineral Wells Skyward
Great ATV Riding Tips for Beginners
Mynahealthcare Login
Tactical Masters Price Guide
How Much Is An Alignment At Costco
3473372961
Craigslist Cars And Trucks Mcallen
Grand Teton Pellet Stove Control Board
Pnc Bank Routing Number Cincinnati
How to Draw a Bubble Letter M in 5 Easy Steps
What Is Xfinity and How Is It Different from Comcast?
Texas Baseball Officially Releases 2023 Schedule
Devin Mansen Obituary
Frcp 47
Boone County Sheriff 700 Report
Panorama Charter Portal
Barstool Sports Gif
manhattan cars & trucks - by owner - craigslist
All Characters in Omega Strikers
Stranahan Theater Dress Code
Busted Newspaper Mcpherson Kansas
Marcal Paper Products - Nassau Paper Company Ltd. -
Fluffy Jacket Walmart
Egg Inc Wiki
Richard Mccroskey Crime Scene Photos
53 Atms Near Me
Black Adam Showtimes Near Kerasotes Showplace 14
Coldestuknow
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 6701

Rating: 5 / 5 (50 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Birthday: 1996-05-10

Address: Apt. 425 4346 Santiago Islands, Shariside, AK 38830-1874

Phone: +96313309894162

Job: Legacy Sales Designer

Hobby: Baseball, Wood carving, Candle making, Jigsaw puzzles, Lacemaking, Parkour, Drawing

Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.