Tax-Loss Selling Crypto in Canada: 2026 Dates and Window
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: Capital gains and losses are counted by calendar year, so a disposition has to happen in 2026 to count for the 2026 tax year; December 31, 2026 is a Thursday. The CRA's dates page currently lists the 2025 deadlines (April 30, 2026; June 15, 2026 if you or your spouse or common-law partner are self-employed). The 2026-tax-year equivalents are expected to be April 30, 2027 (a Friday) and June 15, 2027 (a Tuesday), but the page doesn't yet show them.
Why the window matters here
A sale at a loss late in December pulls part of the 61-day superficial-loss window into January. Example: a sale on December 15, 2026 gives a window from November 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027 (our arithmetic), and the ownership test is applied on January 14. See the rule.
Dates to put in a calendar (expected for 2026 taxes)
| Item | Date |
|---|---|
| Last day of the 2026 tax year | December 31, 2026 (Thursday) |
| File 2026 return, most people | April 30, 2027 (expected) |
| File if you or your spouse/partner is self-employed | June 15, 2027 (expected) |
| Pay any balance owing | April 30, 2027 (the CRA says to pay by April 30 even if you have until June 15 to file; stated for 2025 taxes) |
What the CRA hasn't told us
The pages we read don't say whether a crypto disposal on December 31 is dated by trade time or settlement time, or which time zone applies.
Made-up timeline
Sell December 15, 2026 at a loss. Anything bought by you or a spouse between November 15 and January 14 that you still hold on January 14 can trigger the rule. This is a description of the statute's arithmetic, not advice to buy or not buy.
FAQ
Is the loss claimed on the 2026 return? A capital loss from a 2026 disposition is reported for 2026 on Schedule 3 (see capital losses).
Do the dates change on weekends? Not addressed here; April 30, 2027 is a Friday.
What we could not verify
- The 2026-tax-year filing and payment dates: expected, not yet shown on the CRA page we read.
- How crypto disposals near midnight on December 31 are dated.
- Whether any CRA crypto-specific guidance on the rule exists (none found).
- Provincial deadlines or Quebec return dates.
Sources (official)
- CRA, Due dates and payment dates (shows dates for 2025 taxes) — https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/important-dates-individuals.html (read October 17, 2026)
- Department of Justice Canada, Income Tax Act, s. 54 (definitions, "superficial loss"; Act current to 2026-09-30, last amended 2026-06-18) — https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/I-3.3/section-54.html (read in full October 17, 2026)
- CRA, Capital losses (page modified February 5, 2026 per our researcher's check; examples refer to tax year 2025) — https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/personal-income/line-12700-capital-gains/capital-losses-deductions.html (read in full October 17, 2026)