Start with a map of your activity
Make a list of every exchange and wallet involved in the tax year. Gather original transaction exports, broker tax statements, acquisition documents, and records of transfers between your accounts. If you sold an asset bought earlier, include the records of that earlier acquisition.
The IRS says taxpayers must maintain sufficient records to establish positions taken on a federal return. A complete collection of source documents gives the preparer a way to investigate missing history and compare reports.
1. List accounts and the history each one covers
Include accounts you closed, exchanges you stopped using, and wallets used only for an intermediate transfer. Record the platform name, the period covered by the export, and any known gap.
A file labeled with a tax year may omit a purchase from a previous year. Keep that distinction visible rather than assuming one export contains the full history of every asset.
- Exchange or wallet name
- Relevant tax year and earlier acquisition periods
- Available export dates and file names
- Closed accounts or unavailable history
- Transactions or balances you already know need attention
2. Preserve the original files
Keep the original transaction CSVs, statements, trade confirmations, and wallet transaction references. Retain the software report too, but identify it as a report generated from imported data.
Avoid overwriting an original export when you label or correct entries. Keep a separate working copy and a note explaining the change. That makes it easier to compare an import with its source.
3. Connect earlier purchases and later transfers
If an asset was purchased on one platform, moved through your wallet, and sold on another platform, collect records for each stage. The receiving platform may show the deposit without the original acquisition information.
Use transaction references, dates, asset quantities, and account records to explain the path. A matching transfer is a connection between records; it is not evidence of the original purchase price by itself.
4. Keep broker statements and other activity together
Keep Form 1099-DA and any corrected copy with the corresponding broker export. Also include records from other platforms and activity outside the statement's coverage.
Flag rewards, payments, or other receipts separately so their circumstances can be reviewed. Do not assume that a broker sale statement describes every kind of digital-asset activity.
Common questions
Do I need records from a year before the return?
You may need earlier acquisition documents when an asset sold in the current year was acquired earlier. Identify those records and any gaps for the preparer.
Is a crypto tax software report enough?
It is useful, but original source records are also needed to investigate missing imports, duplicate activity, or unexplained acquisition values.
What if an exchange has closed?
List the missing source and preserve whatever evidence remains, such as saved exports, confirmations, statements, or wallet references. Ask about a review rather than inventing the missing entries.
Primary sources
This guide explains records and general reporting questions. Your tax year and circumstances need an individual review before advice or return preparation.