How crypto tax works in France
Individuals managing private wealth pay a flat levy on crypto-to-fiat disposals, stated at 31.4% in the July 2026 impots.gouv.fr guidance, combining 12.8% income tax with social levies.
Taxpayers can irrevocably opt for progressive income-tax rates on these gains by ticking box 3CN where that beats the flat levy, and each taxable disposal is declared on annex 2086.
Intensive professional-style trading, commercial activity, and mining or staking rewards fall outside the flat regime into BNC or BIC treatment at progressive rates, while crypto-to-crypto exchanges without boot benefit from a tax deferral.
Tax rates at a glance
- Private gains flat levy
- 31.4%
- Progressive alternative
- 0% - 45%
- Professional trading
- Progressive
- Mining and staking
- Progressive
- Crypto-to-crypto swap
- Deferred
- Foreign exchange accounts
- Declared
Who benefits most
These profiles tend to benefit most when the rules match their real residence, payroll and business setup.
Long-term holdersExpatsFreelancers paid in cryptoFoundersCross-border investors
Watch out for
- The 31.4% figure reflects current impots.gouv.fr guidance and is higher than the historic 30% most articles still quote, so older explainers understate the bill.
- Professional-style frequency, tooling, and sophistication can push gains into BNC at progressive rates with no flat-levy shelter, which is a facts-and-circumstances test rather than a safe threshold.
- Foreign digital-asset accounts must be reported alongside the gains themselves, and the portfolio-wide cost method makes partial-sale math unforgiving without records.
- Gifts, payments for goods, and withdrawals with boot each have their own triggering logic, so spending crypto is not a neutral alternative to selling it.
Frequently asked questions
How is crypto taxed in France?
Private-wealth disposals into fiat face a flat levy stated at 31.4% in current guidance, with an option for progressive rates. Professional-style trading, mining, and staking rewards are taxed as business or non-commercial profits instead.
Are crypto-to-crypto swaps taxed in France?
Exchanges without boot benefit from a deferral: no immediate tax, with the acquisition value carried into the new asset until a later taxable disposal into fiat, goods, or services.
Can I choose progressive rates instead of the flat levy?
Yes, by ticking box 3CN on the return. The option is annual and independent of the choice made for dividends and securities gains, so low-bracket taxpayers should model both paths.