Some 240 people declared more than £1 million each in capital gains from cryptoassets in the 2024 to 2025 tax year, according to figures published by HM Revenue and Customs, with the group reporting £717 million in gains between them.
In total, 17,600 individuals made disposals of cryptoassets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dogecoin that were liable to Capital Gains Tax during the year. Between them they reported disposal proceeds of £13.8 billion and gains of £1.38 billion, an average gain of £78,000 per person. Around 87 per cent of those reporting cryptoasset gains were male and around 13 per cent were female.
The figures, published as part of HMRC’s annual Capital Gains Tax statistics, are the first of their kind. HMRC has been able to isolate crypto gains following the introduction of a dedicated part of the Self Assessment return for cryptoasset capital gains, giving the tax authority, and the wider public, a first clear view of how much money is being made from digital assets in the UK.
Exchanges will hand over customer data from 2027
The disclosure comes as HMRC prepares for a step up in its visibility of crypto trading. From January 2026, the UK began implementing the Cryptoasset Reporting Framework, an international standard developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Under the framework, cryptoasset service providers will be required to report customer information to tax authorities, and HMRC will start receiving that data from 2027, helping it to identify cryptoasset gains and income that have not been declared. Service providers that fail to comply may face penalties of up to £300 per user, under data sharing rules for crypto platforms that mirror the information banks already pass to the taxman.
James Murray MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General, said: “Taxes are due on cryptoasset gains just like any other gains, and we want to make sure people making gains from crypto know about what taxes they owe.
“This important work is supporting the Government’s efforts to close the tax gap, so that everyone pays their fair share towards our vital public services.”
What business owners need to check
For company directors and the self-employed who hold or accept crypto, the tax treatment reaches further than many assume. Capital Gains Tax may apply when an individual disposes of cryptoassets, and that includes exchanging one type of cryptoasset for another, not just cashing out into pounds. Income Tax and National Insurance may apply to cryptoassets received through employment, self-employment, mining, staking or lending.
The new figures arrive at a time when capital gains tax receipts have been falling overall, sharpening the Treasury’s interest in gains that currently go unreported.
John-Paul Marks, HMRC’s Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive, said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to understand and meet their tax obligations when it comes to cryptoassets.
“As new international reporting rules come into force, it’s more important than ever for people to check they are paying any tax owed.”
Anyone with undeclared income or gains from cryptoassets can put their affairs in order through the Crypto Disclosure Service on GOV.UK. Gains above the tax free allowance for the 2025 to 2026 tax year must be declared, and any tax paid, through Self Assessment by the deadline of 31 January 2027.
