--- title: "Kraken" description: "The easiest way to calculate your Kraken crypto taxes with Recap. Connect your account in seconds for a secure, read-only sync." --- # Automated Kraken Crypto Tax Calculator The easiest way to calculate your Kraken crypto taxes with Recap. Connect your account in seconds for a secure, read-only sync. A year of Kraken trading rarely looks like a year of Kraken trading by the time you export it. Spot fills sit alongside margin settlements, staking rewards land daily in amounts too small to notice, and dust conversions turn a hundred leftover balances into one line. Recap reads all of it, classifies each transaction by default treatment, and gives you a figure you can file or hand to your accountant. This page covers how Recap classifies Kraken activity and how to get your history in. > **Disclaimer** > > The information provided in this content does not endorse Kraken. Furthermore, it does not constitute tax advice. If anything financial or tax-related is unclear, speak to a qualified tax professional. You can also share your Recap account with your accountant or tax adviser directly. ## Why Kraken tax is difficult to work out by hand A Kraken account often starts with a handful of spot trades and grows from there. Add margin positions, daily staking rewards, dust conversions and a separate Futures account, and the history becomes hard to piece together by hand. Recap treats crypto-to-crypto trades as disposals by default, even when no ordinary money is involved. That's easy to miss when you're working from a raw export. Margin trading realises a gain or loss each time a position settles. Rollover fees stack on top, so both need separating from your spot activity. Staking and Earn rewards land as a stream of small income events. Each one needs a value in your local currency on the day it arrives. Moving assets into or out of staking does not change who owns them. Recap does not treat that movement as a disposal, but a raw export does not make that obvious. Kraken Futures history also lives on a separate platform. Transfers between your spot and Futures balances need matching up, so they are not miscounted as deposits or withdrawals. ## How to get your Kraken history into Recap For most people, the API connection is the best way to bring Kraken data into Recap. ### API connection and Kraken Futures Connect your Kraken account with a read-only API key. Recap syncs your transactions automatically and keeps your tax position current as you trade. Our help guide on connecting your Kraken account walks through the steps. Connect your Kraken Futures account separately so your derivatives activity is included too. Our help guide on connecting your Kraken Futures account covers the setup. ### Recap CSV If you would rather not connect via API, you can import transactions manually using Recap's CSV template. Recap needs your full Kraken history, including older trades and any Kraken Futures activity, to calculate accurate gains. If you have traded on Kraken for years, make sure your import covers every year you have been active, not just the latest one. [Connect Kraken](https://recap.io/integrations/[object%20Object]) ## How are Kraken transactions taxed? Recap classifies each Kraken transaction type by default and applies the rules for your jurisdiction in your report. Where your circumstances differ, you can recategorise any transaction. ### Spot trades and crypto-to-crypto swaps Recap treats selling or spending crypto as a disposal by default. Swapping one asset for another, including instant buy, sell and convert, is treated as disposing of what you part with and acquiring what you receive. This applies even when no ordinary money changes hands. ### Margin trading and rollover fees Recap treats each margin position as realising a gain or loss when it settles. Rollover fees are paid in crypto, so Recap treats paying one as a disposal in its own right. Recap also adds the fee to the position's cost basis. The UK has no dedicated guidance for crypto derivatives and points to its general rules instead. The US usually treats individual traders' margin gains as capital gains. Our [tax guides](https://recap.io/guides/crypto-tax-uk-a-comprehensive-guide) cover both in more detail, and it's worth an adviser's view if margin makes up a meaningful part of your trading. ### Staking and Earn rewards Recap treats staking and Earn rewards as income by default, valued at the point you receive them. That same value becomes the cost basis when you later dispose of the tokens. Moving assets into or out of staking is not treated as a disposal, because ownership does not change. A raw export can still make it look like a withdrawal. ### Dust conversions, KrakenPay and parachain transfers Dust is the small leftover balance an asset leaves behind after trading. Recap treats converting it into another asset as a crypto-to-crypto trade, so each conversion is a small disposal by default. KrakenPay transfers are treated the same way as any other transfer of value. An incoming payment is an acquisition, and an outgoing one is a disposal. Parachain transfers carry no disposal of their own by default, only a fee where Kraken charges one. This table shows Recap's default classification for common Kraken transactions. It is not an exhaustive schedule or a ruling. Treatment depends on your circumstances and jurisdiction, and you can recategorise any transaction where yours differ. Confirm your position with a qualified tax adviser. Refer to our [tax guides](https://recap.io/guides/crypto-tax-uk-a-comprehensive-guide) for a more detailed look at crypto tax rules. ## What we handle that the raw Kraken export does not Recap decodes 29 different Kraken ledger and transaction types, from simple buys to delisting conversions and subscription purchases. A Kraken ledger export is a raw dump though, and a few of its rows need extra work before the numbers are right. Recap does that automatically. When a delisted asset's swap shows only one side, Recap completes it as an acquisition or disposal instead of leaving a gap. Kraken does not always generate a trade row for OTC and synthetic pair trades. Recap rebuilds them from the ledger entries instead of dropping them. Cancelled ledger entries are recognised and ignored, rather than showing up as a phantom deposit and withdrawal. Transfers into and out of staking are matched as a non-taxable movement, so they are not double-counted or read as a withdrawal. Where Kraken credits a fee back to you, Recap records it as a rebate rather than a negative fee that skews your balance. ## What's in your Kraken tax report Recap turns your full Kraken history into a single tax report. Capital gains, losses and income are worked out under the rules for your jurisdiction, and margin activity is aggregated into its own net figure. Everything is ready to review before you file. Your report includes capital gains and losses on every disposal, using the cost basis rules for your jurisdiction. It also includes income from staking and Earn rewards, valued at the time of receipt. You also get a net margin gains and losses figure, separated from your spot activity. A transaction log lets you spot any issues before you file. And there's a downloadable summary to submit with your tax return or share with your accountant. ### Kraken Futures in your report Kraken Futures imports through its own connection and its own account. It flows into the same tax report as your spot trading. Realised futures profit and loss sits alongside your other gains, losses and income, so you get one position rather than two. ### Multiple accounts and staying current You can add multiple Kraken accounts, plus Kraken Futures, under the same Recap login, and each one imports independently into your overall position. Sharing tools let your [accountant or tax adviser](https://recap.io/blog/an-accountants-guide-to-crypto) view the same numbers you do. You can check your Kraken tax position at any point in the year, not just at filing season. Connect your Kraken account and Recap calculates your gains, losses, staking income and margin activity in one filing-ready report. Whether Kraken shares account data with HMRC is a separate question, and we answer it in [does Kraken report to HMRC](https://recap.io/blog/does-kraken-report-to-hmrc). [Connect Kraken](https://recap.io/integrations/[object%20Object]) ## FAQs ### Do I need to pay tax on my Kraken transactions? Tax rules vary by country, but most jurisdictions tax disposals, such as selling crypto, swapping one asset for another, and realised margin trading gains, as capital gains, while staking and Earn rewards are typically taxed as income when received. Our [tax guides](https://recap.io/guides/crypto-tax-uk-a-comprehensive-guide) cover the detail for your jurisdiction. Check the rules that apply to you or speak to a qualified tax adviser if you're not sure. ### How do I get my Kraken tax report? Connect your Kraken account to Recap via API, let your transactions sync, then download your tax report. It covers gains, losses, and income across your Kraken activity and is ready to file or share with your accountant. ### What is the benefit of using a crypto tax calculator? It saves you from doing the maths. Recap calculates gains, losses, and income on every transaction and produces a filing-ready report, instead of you spending a weekend in spreadsheets. ### Does Recap support Kraken Futures? Yes. Kraken Futures connects to Recap separately from your main Kraken account; our [Kraken Futures help guide](https://help.recap.io/en/articles/4801942-connecting-your-kraken-futures-account) walks through the setup. Futures activity flows into the same Recap tax report as your spot trading. ### How is Kraken staking taxed? In most jurisdictions, staking rewards are treated as income, valued in your local currency when received, and a later disposal of those tokens can also create a capital gain or loss. Moving assets into or out of staking usually isn't taxable because ownership doesn't change. Recap values each reward on the day it arrives and classifies staking transfers correctly. ### Is moving crypto off Kraken taxable? Generally no. Transferring crypto to a public address you control isn't usually a disposal because beneficial ownership doesn't change. Recap matches transfers between your own accounts so they aren't taxed by mistake. Rules vary by jurisdiction, so check yours if you're unsure. ### Does swapping crypto on Kraken trigger tax? In most jurisdictions, yes. Swapping one cryptocurrency for another is treated as a disposal of the first asset, even though no regular money is involved. Recap calculates the gain or loss on every swap automatically. ### How are Kraken margin trades taxed? Margin trading typically realises a capital gain or loss each time a position settles. Rollover fees are paid in crypto, so paying one is itself a disposal, and the fee is also an allowable cost of the position it relates to. The treatment varies by jurisdiction and is one of the trickier areas of crypto tax. Recap separates and values your margin activity automatically. ### Can I import multiple Kraken accounts into Recap? Yes. You can add multiple Kraken accounts, plus Kraken Futures, under the same Recap account. Each one imports independently and is included in your overall tax position. ### What are dust conversions on Kraken? Dust is the small leftover balance an asset leaves behind after trading, often too small to sell normally. Converting dust into another asset is still a crypto-to-crypto trade, so in most jurisdictions each conversion is a small taxable disposal. Recap captures and values every dust conversion automatically so they don't slip through your records. --- Canonical HTML: https://recap.io/integrations/kraken Site map: https://recap.io/sitemap.xml ยท AI manifest: https://recap.io/llms.txt Any page listed above is available as Markdown by appending `.md`, or by sending `Accept: text/markdown`.