Mapping out your crypto assets: why you cannot wait until your next tax return

What the Senate will discuss on Tuesday

The expert hearing in the Dutch Senate revolves around three core points. First: how will actual return be determined for asset categories such as cryptocurrencies? In addition: how will the tax authority deal with sharp price fluctuations within a single year? Furthermore, there is the discussion about capital growth versus capital gains: taxing unrealised value increases, or only on sale?

For investors in bitcoin, ether and other cryptocurrencies, this difference is enormous. Under capital growth taxation, you pay 36% tax on a paper profit you have not yet realised. In addition, this means: if the price drops the following year, you have lost that money to the tax office while your portfolio has already shrunk. Therefore, various parties are pushing for a variant based on actually realised results.

What this means for the average investor

Imagine: over the past few years, you have built up a position in bitcoin and a number of altcoins. Part of it sits on a Dutch exchange. In addition, a part is on a foreign platform. Furthermore, you manage a hardware wallet yourself. For the tax authority, this is one whole: your crypto assets on the reference date.

Under the Box 3 Actual Return Act, you will not only have to declare these assets, but also substantiate them. In addition, you must be able to trace transactions, deposits, swaps and staking rewards. Furthermore, you must be able to prove the origin of funds. That sounds straightforward, but in practice it falls apart on scattered platforms, old email addresses and exchanges that no longer exist.

In short: those who do not start administering now will fall behind. Therefore, more and more investors are choosing to have their crypto assets mapped out by a specialised firm. Not at the next tax return, but this month.

DAC8: why your portfolio is already under scrutiny

The DAC8 directive fundamentally changes the playing field. Since 1 January 2026, crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) are required to collect your customer data, transactions and balances. In addition, this obligation also applies to many foreign platforms as soon as they serve European customers. Furthermore, EU tax authorities work together to automatically exchange this data among themselves.

Concretely, this means: every purchase, swap and transfer you make on an exchange today is recorded by that platform for the tax authority. In addition, the Dutch tax authority receives this information in a structured manner. Therefore, this is the moment to have your own overview. Those who can show their assets with a substantiated report stand stronger in any conversation with the tax authority.

What an asset investigation by Paucitas delivers

As a specialist firm for blockchain investigation, we map crypto assets in full. We combine on-chain analysis with the administration of wallets, exchanges and previous tax returns. In addition, we reconstruct the history of a portfolio: purchases, swaps, transfers between wallets and staking rewards. Furthermore, we deliver a report suitable for the tax authority, an accountant or a lawyer.

This report has three functions. First, it provides peace of mind: today you know what you have, where it is and how it came about. In addition, it offers a fiscal basis for Box 3, regardless of the form in which the new act eventually enters into force. Furthermore, it serves as evidence when the tax authority asks questions based on DAC8 data.

For entrepreneurs with crypto assets on the business balance sheet, there is an additional element. A substantiated report supports the annual accounts and the valuation. In addition, it helps in conversations with the bank and during due diligence. Therefore, we increasingly see that an asset investigation becomes part of standard year-end work.

When is it sensible to take action?

Postponing until the Senate is finished is understandable but unwise. The act will come in one form or another regardless. In addition, DAC8 is already active and your transaction history is being recorded by crypto service providers right now. Furthermore, a thorough asset investigation across multiple wallets and exchanges easily takes several weeks. Waiting is no longer an option: those who start this week will have their portfolio in order next month.

Are you unsure whether your situation is complex enough for an investigation? A short intake will provide clarity. We will discuss which platforms you have used, how your portfolio is structured and what documentation is available. Afterwards, you will know whether a full blockchain investigation adds value, or whether a brief overview will suffice.

Mapping out your crypto assets with Paucitas

Box 3 and crypto assets are inseparably linked from today. DAC8 accelerates this process. Therefore, we advise investors not to wait for the next tax return, but to begin now. An asset investigation by Paucitas delivers a substantiated report that holds up both fiscally and legally.

Would you like to know what such a process involves for your portfolio? Get in touch for a no-obligation intake. You can also read more about our approach and methodology on the page about our services for blockchain investigation and asset investigation.