Who needs to declare acquisition costs?
Declaring acquisition costs is only required if you are a tax resident of Austria 🇦🇹.
After your Bitcoin deposit has been credited to your 21bitcoin account, you will be asked to provide the acquisition details – before you can sell or withdraw Bitcoin.
You will be notified via email and push notification about the next steps.
What information is required?
For each Bitcoin deposit, we need the following information:
Tax ID – if not already stored in your account
Acquisition date – exact date or date range
Acquisition cost – average price of the source wallet calculated using the moving average price method
Classification | Description |
Old stock | Acquired before 01.03.2021 |
New stock | Acquired on or after 01.03.2021 |
Unknown | Date and/or price not known |
Tax implications
The tax treatment depends on when you acquired your Bitcoin:
Before 01.03.2021 (old stock): No tax deduction – these Bitcoin are not taxable.
On or after 01.03.2021 (new stock): 27.5% capital gains tax (KESt) on realized gains.
Date/price unknown: 50% of the sale proceeds are considered taxable gain.
Lots & disposal order
Your Bitcoin are divided into three groups (lots):
Lot 1 – Old stock (before 01.03.2021)
Lot 2 – New stock (from 01.03.2021 or purchased on 21bitcoin)
Lot 3 – Unknown date/price
When selling
Selling order: Lot 1 → Lot 3 → Lot 2
This means: Tax-free legacy assets are sold first, then Bitcoin with unknown costs, and lastly new assets.
When withdrawing
Withdrawal order: Lot 3 → Lot 2 → Lot 1
Examples
Example 1 – Old stock
You deposit 1 BTC, acquired on 01.02.2021.
→ No taxes apply when selling.
Example 2 – New stock
You deposit 1 BTC, acquired on 01.03.2021 at €40,000.
→ The gain (sale price – €40,000) is taxed at 27.5%.
Example 3 – Mixed stock
You deposit 1 BTC: 0.4 BTC from 01.02.2021 (old) + 0.6 BTC from 01.03.2021 at €40,000 (new).
→ Only the 0.6 BTC of new assets are taxable.
Example 4 – No information provided
You deposit 1 BTC and do not provide any details.
→ When selling, 50% of the proceeds are treated as gain and taxed at 27.5%.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my details after submission?
No you cannot change your details after submission as the tax calculation is done in the moment when you have submitted the details.
What if my assets come from multiple purchases before 01.03.2021?
Averaged acquisition costs from multiple purchases are currently not supported for old stock. You can declare the total amount as a single unit with one date.
What happens if I change my tax residency to Austria?
If you move your tax residency to Austria and already have Bitcoin deposits in your account, you must provide acquisition costs before you can sell again. No tax calculations will be performed until then.
Notes
Declaring acquisition costs is a legal requirement so that 21bitcoin can perform accurate tax calculations on your behalf
Without this information, 50% of the sale proceeds will automatically be treated as taxable gain
Moving to Austria requires retroactive reporting of acquisition costs for Bitcoin "new holdings." Please consult a tax advisor to ensure these costs are correctly valued as of your official move-in date