The Wash-Sale Rule Is Coming to Crypto — Here's Why It Could Be a Compliance Nightmare

WHY IT MATTERS

Imagine you sell a stock at a loss to reduce your tax bill, but then immediately buy it back. The IRS says you can't claim that loss — that's the 'wash-sale rule.' Right now, crypto is exempt from this rule, so crypto traders can sell at a loss, get the tax benefit, and buy right back. Congress wants to change that, but crypto advocacy groups say it would be like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Crypto works very differently from stocks — you can earn tokens automatically through things like staking or airdrops, making it nearly impossible to track every purchase within the required timeframe. If this rule gets applied to crypto, it could make tax filing a headache for everyday investors and might even backfire by pushing people toward harder-to-track platforms.