Crypto Mining and Staking in Canada: What the CRA Says

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

Educational information only, not tax 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 CRA's mining and staking page says that if you are in the business of mining, the value of the crypto-assets you receive must be included in business income at the time it is earned. Staking rewards on a centralized exchange will generally be income when the rewards are credited to your wallet on the platform. In most cases the CRA says mining is likely carrying on a business, given the scale and resources involved, and mining rigs such as ASICs and GPU rigs can fall in CCA class 50.

What the CRA page says

Proof-of-work miners generally get two payments: newly created crypto-assets and transaction fees. Both are paid in crypto-assets.
Proof-of-stake: validators are paid block rewards; rewards from staking on a centralized exchange are generally income when credited.
Residents: business income or loss from mining must be reported on the return (the CRA points to Guide T4002).
Non-residents: if you use mining equipment in Canada you may be carrying on a business in Canada, and may have a permanent establishment under a tax treaty.
CCA: ASIC miners and GPU rigs can meet the conditions for class 50.

What the CRA page does not say

How to value rewards received, beyond pointing to the separate valuation page (not read in full).
How to treat self-custodied or DeFi staking, or liquid-staking tokens (the page speaks of exchange staking only).
What happens to the cost of rewards when sold later.
Whether casual or small-scale mining is a business; the page says "in most cases".

Link to superficial loss

Rewards you later sell at a loss can raise the same questions as bought coins. Our page on the rule explains that the CRA has not said whether staking tokens are "identical" to the original (see below).

Trader or investor? · What records to keep · Superficial loss explained · Schedule 3, line 7

FAQ

Do staking rewards count as capital gains? The page treats exchange staking rewards as income when credited.

Is GST/HST involved in mining? See our GST/HST page below.

What we could not verify

Valuation of rewards (CRA valuation page not read in full).
DeFi, self-custody and liquid-staking treatment (not on the page).
Small-scale or hobby mining threshold.
Whether the CRA's wording changes for the 2026 tax year.

Sources (official)

Canada Revenue Agency, Reporting income from crypto-asset mining and staking activities — https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/programs/about-canada-revenue-agency-cra/compliance/cryptocurrency-guide/income-crypto-mining-staking-activities.html (read in full 17 October 2026; no review date shown)