Crypto in box 3 in the Netherlands: the 1 January reference date, which price, and the rebuttal rule

"Crypto belongs to your assets in box 3. You declare the market value of your crypto on 1 January (reference date)." That is what the Belastingdienst, the Dutch tax office, writes, and it answers the three questions everyone asks in one sentence: which box (3), which date (1 January) and which value (what it was worth that day). This article is about what sits behind it: which price to take, what to do with a wallet you can no longer access, when mining becomes box 1, and how the rebuttal rule works if your actual return was lower than the deemed return. It applies only to people who pay tax in the Netherlands. Other countries have different rules, and tax rules change regularly; always consult the tax authority or official register of your own country for the current position.

Which price on 1 January

The Belastingdienst refers to the price of the exchange you use, on the reference date. In practice: log in to your exchange on 1 January, or use the annual statement most authorised providers make available in January, and note the euro value of your balance. If you hold coins on several platforms or in your own wallet, you add everything up; for your own wallet you use the price of the platform where you would sell those coins. Keep a dated screenshot or export. That is not a legal requirement, but it is the evidence you will need if the tax office asks.

Which exchange you use makes little difference to the price, but a lot to the annual statement: our comparison shows which providers offer a reporting export.

A wallet you can no longer access

The Belastingdienst knowledge group published a position on 8 May 2026 on crypto you have lost access to, for instance through a lost key. The answer: that crypto remains a box 3 asset, because you are still the owner. The value is what a market party would pay for it, and "where no party is willing to take over the crypto-assets for a price, the value may be set at nil". The burden of proving the loss of access lies with you. If you regain access later, that does not work back to earlier reference dates, unless it turns out you had access at the time as well.

When mining or trading becomes box 1

For private individuals: mining income does not have to be declared unless it exceeds the costs; then it is income from work or business in box 1. The same test applies to trading: box 1 comes into play with "extra labour, so on top of your investment activities" that produces regular income. If you buy and sell occasionally, you stay in box 3. What a home miner actually keeps (in our case: less than the electricity cost) is in Mining bitcoin at home in 2026.

Staking is not treated separately by the Belastingdienst. The rewards you received simply sit in your balance on 1 January and count in box 3 that way; whether they are also income depends on the same question as for mining: is there extra labour beyond investing? For automatic staking through an exchange that is hard to argue, but it is a case-by-case assessment, not a position of ours.

The actual-return rebuttal rule

Box 3 works with a deemed return. The Belastingdienst writes: "according to rulings of the Supreme Court we must tax your actual return if it is lower than the deemed return". That is the rebuttal rule, and it applies until new legislation replaces it, "probably from 1 January 2028".

For crypto one detail is decisive: in the actual return, "the increase or decrease in value of your assets" counts, with "the increase in value of your crypto-assets" as an example, even if you have not sold. A bad crypto year can therefore bring your actual return below the deemed one, and you then pay on the lower amount, but only if you demonstrate it, with the value on 1 January and on 31 December of that same year. A good crypto year changes nothing: the deemed return simply applies. Do the sum before filling in the form; it only pays if your total box 3 return, savings and investments included, was below the deemed return.

What to have ready for the return

The euro value per platform and wallet on 1 January, with screenshot. For the rebuttal rule also the value on 31 December of the previous year and of the tax year. An export of your transactions, so you can show deposits and withdrawals if the tax office asks where the balance came from. And for mining: your electricity costs, because they decide whether you end up in box 1.

For the Belgian and French rules, which differ fundamentally, see Crypto and tax in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. The overview of the whole system is on our tax page.

Frequently asked questions

Which box does crypto fall into? Box 3, as an asset, valued on 1 January. Only extra labour (professional trading, profitable mining) turns it into box 1.

Which price do I use on the reference date? The price of the exchange you use, on 1 January. Keep a screenshot or the annual statement.

Do I have to declare crypto I can no longer access? Yes, it remains your asset. If nobody would pay anything for it, the knowledge group says the value may be set at nil; the burden of proof is on you.

Does an unrealised price drop count in the rebuttal rule? Yes. The Belastingdienst explicitly names the increase or decrease in value of crypto-assets as part of the actual return.

Sources

• Belastingdienst, "Cryptobezittingen (zoals bitcoins)", quote "Crypto's horen tot uw bezittingen in box 3...", last checked 7 September 2026.
• Belastingdienst Kennisgroepen, KG:202:2026:5 "Niet-toegankelijke cryptovaluta en box 3", 8 May 2026, last checked 7 September 2026.
• Belastingdienst, "Wat is mijn werkelijk rendement?", quotes on the rebuttal rule, last checked 7 September 2026.

This article is informational and not tax advice; rules change and your situation may differ. Consult a tax adviser if in doubt. Crypto is high-risk; you can lose your deposit.