Crypto Records in Canada: What the CRA Says to Keep

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. Last checked: 17 October 2026. Anything marked expected should be re-checked. Examples use made-up numbers. This page contains no affiliate links.

Short answer: The CRA says that if you engage in crypto-asset transactions you have to keep adequate books and records to support each one, whether you are an individual or a business. It lists what you should keep, and says you are responsible for keeping all required records for at least six years from the end of the last taxation year they relate to.

What the CRA says to keep (read in full 17 October 2026)

For each transaction: - number of units and the type of crypto-asset; - date and time; - value in Canadian dollars at the time; - nature of the transaction and the other party (even just their address); - addresses of each wallet you used; - beginning wallet balance (and its cost) and ending balance for each crypto-asset each year.

Associated receipts: accounting costs, legal costs, third-party software costs.

On exchanges and custodial platforms: trade ledgers (buy, sell, swaps), transfer ledgers (deposits and withdrawals of crypto and government-issued currency), and records of any other transactions.

For mining: hardware purchase receipts, expense records (power costs, pool fees, maintenance, hardware operation time) and hardware specifications, and pool agreements with exported pool records.

How to store them

Manual methods are allowed; the CRA encourages electronic records and says you may use third-party software but does not endorse products. It recommends exporting your transaction history regularly, in case an exchange stops operating, stops offering services in Canada, or you lose access. Exchanges keep records to different standards.

Why this matters for losses

The superficial-loss test looks at purchases of the same or identical property by you or a person affiliated with you in the 30 days before and 30 days after a sale at a loss (Income Tax Act s. 54), and your adjusted cost base depends on every earlier purchase, so a complete history, including any purchases by a spouse or common-law partner, helps you check your numbers. See superficial loss rule, tax-loss selling window and Schedule 3 line 7.

Year-end checklist (a suggestion built from the CRA list)

  1. Export full trade and transfer history from each exchange.
  2. Note each wallet address you used.
  3. Record the CAD value method you use and use it consistently (a suggestion; the CRA's valuation page, search excerpt, suggests a reasonable, consistent method).
  4. Save ending balances and cost for 31 December 2026.
  5. Keep the files in a readable electronic format.

FAQ

Does six years include the current year? The CRA's wording is six years from the end of the last taxation year the records relate to.

Does the CRA say which software to use? No.

What we could not verify

Sources (official)

Blank records template

A blank comma-separated file with the columns named on this page. It is created in this browser when you ask for it. It is not a CRA form, and nothing is saved on this site.