DAC8: What EU Crypto Exchanges Now Report to Tax Authorities
Since 1 January 2026, crypto platforms operating in the EU must collect transaction and identity data on every EU-resident user. Here is what gets reported, who is affected, when your tax office gets the data, and what to do if you have unreported crypto income.
The short answer
First reports to tax authorities due by 30 September 2027
What gets reported, by whom, about whom
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Who must report | Reporting Crypto-Asset Service Providers (RCASPs): exchanges, custodial wallet providers, brokers, and certain platforms facilitating crypto-to-crypto or crypto-to-fiat transactions |
| Who is reported on | EU-tax-resident users, identified via mandatory self-certification collected by the platform |
| What is reported | Identity details, account balances, and transaction-level data: crypto-to-fiat exchanges, crypto-to-crypto exchanges, transfers, and certain retail payment transactions above set thresholds |
| Assets in scope | Cryptocurrencies, stablecoins (including e-money tokens), and certain NFTs used for payment or investment purposes |
| Where the data goes | Automatically exchanged between EU tax authorities, and with non-EU jurisdictions that have adopted CARF reciprocally |
DAC8 builds on the existing DAC/CRS automatic exchange infrastructure already used for bank account data — crypto reporting now flows through the same channel.
Who is actually affected
It is not limited to EU-licensed exchanges
The obligation attaches to the service provider based on where its users are tax resident, not only on where the platform is licensed:
EU-licensed exchanges and custodial wallets (MiCA-authorized or otherwise operating in the EU) must report on all EU-resident users.
Non-EU exchanges serving EU customers are expected to comply through CARF's reciprocal global rollout — many major jurisdictions (UK, Switzerland, UAE, Singapore, and others) have committed to CARF on similar timelines.
If a platform will not or cannot collect your self-certification, it must block you from further reportable transactions after two reminders within 60 days.
Purely non-custodial wallets and on-chain activity with no intermediary are outside DAC8's direct reporting scope, but any point where you interact with a custodial or exchange service re-enters the reporting net.
What data flows to your home tax office, and when
The reporting timeline
DAC8 required EU member states to transpose the directive into domestic law by 31 December 2025, with substantive obligations applying from 1 January 2026:
From 1 January 2026: RCASPs must begin collecting self-certifications and transaction data for all EU-resident users.
Reporting is due within 9 months of the end of the first covered fiscal year — for calendar-year 2026 data, that means a deadline of 30 September 2027.
Once filed, data is automatically exchanged between the tax authority where the platform reports and the tax authority of each user's country of residence, the same way bank interest and dividend data already flows under DAC/CRS.
Ongoing years follow the same 9-month cycle: 2027 activity reported by 30 September 2028, and so on.
If you have unreported crypto income
Check your tax residency before the data lands
Where you are tax resident determines which authority receives your crypto data under DAC8 — confirm your status before 2026 activity gets reported.
FAQ
What exactly is DAC8?
DAC8 is the eighth amendment to the EU's Directive on Administrative Cooperation, extending the automatic exchange of tax information to crypto-assets. It transposes the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) into binding EU law, requiring crypto-asset service providers to identify and report on EU-resident users starting with 2026 activity.
Does DAC8 apply to exchanges based outside the EU?
Indirectly, yes. DAC8 obligates EU-based and EU-licensed platforms directly, but CARF — the global framework DAC8 implements — has been adopted reciprocally by dozens of non-EU jurisdictions on similar timelines. Exchanges serving EU customers from outside the EU are expected to collect and report equivalent data through their home jurisdiction's CARF implementation, or restrict services to EU users who won't self-certify.
When will my tax authority actually receive my 2026 crypto data?
Platforms must report 2026 activity by 30 September 2027, after which the data is automatically exchanged between tax authorities. Realistically, expect your home tax office to have visibility into your 2026 crypto activity sometime in late 2027.
What should I do if I have unreported crypto gains from before 2026?
Talk to a tax advisor about a voluntary disclosure before the first DAC8 reports arrive. Most EU tax authorities apply materially lower penalties for self-reported corrections than for discrepancies discovered after automatic data exchange flags a mismatch.
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