Guides
Practical guides to crypto cost basis: what breaks it, what the warnings in your tax tool actually mean, and what the new IRS digital asset reporting forms do about it. Sourced from IRS instructions and vendor documentation, linked so you can check them — here's how we research these. None of it is tax advice.
Missing Purchase History in Koinly: What It Actually Means and How to Fix It
Koinly's "missing purchase history" warning means a $0 cost basis and inflated gains. Here's what causes it, how to fix it, and when the fix isn't in the app.
Phantom Gains: Why Your Crypto Tax Tool Shows Profits You Never Made
Crypto phantom gains happen when a transfer erases your cost basis and the whole sale gets taxed as profit. The five causes, and how to check your own report.
Crypto's Per-Wallet Cost Basis Switch: What Rev. Proc. 2024-28 Means for Your 2025 Taxes
On Jan 1, 2025 crypto cost basis went universal to per-wallet under Rev. Proc. 2024-28. What the safe harbor snapshot allocates, how to do it, and what breaks.
Form 1099-DA Box 1g: Why Your Crypto Cost Basis Will Be Blank, Wrong, or Read as Zero
Form 1099-DA reports crypto cost basis in Box 1g — but for self-custody, DeFi, and transferred-in coins it's often blank or wrong. How to fix it.
Form 8949 Boxes G–L and Code B: How to Report a Wrong 1099-DA Cost Basis
Form 8949 now has digital asset boxes G, H, I, J, K, and L. Which one your crypto sale goes in, and how code B corrects a 1099-DA cost basis that's wrong.
CoinTracker Cost Basis Wrong or Missing: What Each Flag Means and How to Fix It
CoinTracker's review-suggested flags mean a guessed or $0 cost basis and inflated gains. What each flag assumes, how to fix it, and when the app can't.