Buy Back Bitcoin After a Loss in Canada: What's Identical?

17 October 2026 · en-CA · Educational information · No affiliate links

Educational information only. Not tax, legal or investment advice. We are not the CRA and are not affiliated with it. Check canada.ca and consider a qualified Canadian tax professional. Sources read October 17, 2026. Anything marked expected should be re-checked (re-check planned December 1, 2026). Examples use made-up numbers. This page contains no affiliate links.

Short answer: The Act applies the rule when you or an affiliated person acquires the same property or an identical property. We found no published CRA position on what counts as identical for crypto: the CRA's crypto pages contain no mention of the superficial loss rule or of identical properties (our researcher checked their HTML; the CRA states it is not expressing an opinion or position by presenting that information). Whether a wrapped, bridged, staking or stable token is "identical" to the coin you sold is therefore unresolved.

What exists on "identical"

IT-387R2 (an archived CRA bulletin on identical properties) describes properties as "the same in all material respects, so that a prospective buyer would not have a preference for one as opposed to another", and says it is a question of fact. It is archived, not crypto-specific, and not law.

Also treated as identical (the Act)

A right to acquire a property (other than a right held only as security) is deemed to be identical to that property. So holding a right or option to buy the same coin can matter.

What we won't claim

We don't say any specific token pair is or isn't identical. We don't say you should or shouldn't buy back; we only describe the rule and the window.

Made-up illustration

You sell 1 BTC at a loss. Whether a different token tracking BTC is "identical" depends on facts and has no published CRA answer; ask a Canadian tax professional before relying on any view.

Related

The rule · Dates and window

FAQ

Is a different coin always safe? We can't say; this is the unresolved point.

Does a crypto ETF count? Not addressed by any source we read.

What we could not verify

Sources (official)