Tax holding clock
Crypto tax holding period in United Kingdom
Bought on September 5, 2026 in the United Kingdom: holding time does not change the treatment, and the gain is taxed as a capital gain.
Verified How we verify
- The United Kingdom publishes an annual tax-free amount of £3,000.
- The next tax year in the United Kingdom begins on April 6, 2027.
Key facts
| Regime | Capital gains |
|---|---|
| Holding period | No threshold |
| Treatment today | Capital gains |
| Days to threshold | No threshold |
| Annual allowance | £3,000 |
| Next tax year begins | April 6, 2027 |
| Authority | HM Revenue & Customs |
What applies, and when
- On any disposal
- Capital Gains Tax is payable only on overall gains above the tax-free allowance, called the Annual Exempt Amount, which is £3,000 for individuals and £1,500 for trusts. Deducting losses or claiming reliefs may reduce the amount charged, depending on the asset.
- Caveat
- The Annual Exempt Amount is a single allowance covering all chargeable assets disposed of in the tax year, not a separate allowance for cryptoassets.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs · checked . The threshold is counted as whole days from the purchase, which is how the rule is stored.
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Bought on September 5, 2026 in the United Kingdom: holding time does not change the treatment, and the gain is taxed as a capital gain.
- Treatment today
- Capital gains
- Days to threshold
- No threshold
- Annual allowance
- £3,000
This is an explanation of how the rules work, not tax advice, and your own position depends on facts this page cannot see.
This is an explanation of how the rules work, not tax advice, and your own position depends on facts this page cannot see.
Guides
- How to Buy Crypto With a Bank Transfer (ACH, SEPA, Faster Payments, Wire)
Buying crypto with a bank transfer means moving currency from your bank into your exchange account over a domestic payment rail and then placing the order from the cash balance, which is normally the cheapest way to fund an account and differs from card funding mainly in speed and in the withdrawal holds that follow.
- Crypto Tax in the United Kingdom: Capital Gains, Income, and Reporting
In the United Kingdom you pay Capital Gains Tax when you dispose of cryptoassets by selling them, exchanging them for a different cryptoasset, spending them, or giving them away, and you pay Income Tax on tokens you receive from activities such as staking, with gains above the annual tax-free allowance reported through Self Assessment.
- Where Stablecoin Yield Comes From, and What Can Go Wrong
Stablecoin yield is paid by borrowers who want leverage, by issuers sharing the interest earned on their reserves, or by trading strategies, so the rate you are quoted is compensation for credit, contract, and platform risk rather than interest on a deposit.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does how long the coin was held change the tax in United Kingdom?
- No. In the United Kingdom the treatment of a disposal is the same however long the coin was held.
- Is there an annual tax-free amount in United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom publishes an annual tax-free amount of £3,000, according to HM Revenue & Customs.
- When does the United Kingdom tax year start?
- The next one begins on April 6, 2027.
See also
- United Kingdom regulation
Who regulates crypto there, and what is restricted
- Crypto tax basics
Disposals, cost basis and records
- All tax holding periods
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