Since June 12, 2025, every crypto trade in Brazil - whether you sold Bitcoin for reais, swapped Ethereum for Solana, or earned staking rewards - is taxed at a flat 17.5%. No more exemptions. No more loopholes. If you made money, the Brazilian tax authority, Receita Federal do Brasil (RFB), wants its cut. This isn’t a suggestion. It’s the law.

What’s Actually Taxed Now?

The 17.5% rate applies to every single profit from cryptocurrency. That includes:

• Selling crypto for Brazilian reais (BRL)
• Trading one crypto for another (like BTC to ETH)
• Earning staking rewards or yield from DeFi protocols
• Receiving crypto as payment for goods or services
• Mining income, if you’re running your own node

There’s no difference between holding Bitcoin for a week or a year. No tax-free allowance. No lower rate for long-term investors. Even if you made BRL 500 from swapping tokens on a decentralized exchange, you owe tax on that gain - as long as your total monthly activity crossed BRL 5,000 in value.

When Do You Need to Report?

You must report every transaction if your total crypto activity in a calendar month exceeds BRL 5,000. That’s not the profit - it’s the total value of all buys, sells, and trades combined. So if you bought BRL 3,000 worth of Bitcoin and sold BRL 2,500 worth of Ethereum in the same month, you’re over the threshold. You report.

The tax year runs January 1 to December 31. All reports are due by the last business day of April the following year. For the 2025 tax year, that deadline was April 30, 2026. Missing it means penalties - and they’re steep. The RFB doesn’t send reminders. They track exchange data, wallet addresses, and bank transfers. If you didn’t report, they’ll find you.

How to Report: The eCac Portal

All crypto tax reporting happens through the eCac portal, Brazil’s official online tax system. You need a digital certificate (e-CPF) to log in. If you don’t have one, you can’t file - and that’s a problem for many retail investors who never needed one before.

The portal doesn’t have a built-in crypto calculator. You’re expected to track every transaction yourself. That means:

• Exporting trade history from every exchange (Binance, Mercado Bitcoin, Kraken, etc.)
• Recording wallet-to-wallet transfers
• Calculating cost basis for each asset
• Tracking fair market value in BRL at the time of each sale or trade

Many users report the system is confusing. It accepts CSV uploads, but doesn’t auto-calculate gains. You need third-party tools like Koinly or CoinTracker to do the math and then manually enter the totals into eCac.

Why 17.5%? The Government’s Logic

Brazil’s crypto market exploded in 2023 and 2024. Between January and September 2024 alone, over $43.5 billion in crypto transactions occurred. That’s billions in untaxed gains. The government saw a revenue opportunity - and decided to treat crypto like stocks or real estate.

Finance Minister Fernando Haddad called it “tax equity.” If you make money from stocks, you pay tax. If you make money from crypto, you pay the same. No special treatment. The 17.5% rate was chosen to be simple - no brackets, no deductions, no complexity. It’s easier to enforce.

But here’s the catch: it’s also one of the most aggressive flat rates in Latin America. Compare that to Argentina, where crypto gains under $10,000 are tax-free, or Colombia, which taxes crypto at just 10% for individuals. Brazil didn’t just close the door on tax avoidance - it welded it shut.

Who’s Getting Hurt? Who’s Getting Help?

Retail investors are feeling the squeeze. A Reddit user in São Paulo posted: “I used to trade $500 worth of crypto every week. Now I have to track every swap, pay a tax accountant, and risk fines if I miss one. Is it worth it?”

For small traders, the compliance cost might outweigh the profit. A BRL 1,000 gain becomes BRL 825 after tax. Add BRL 200 in accounting fees? You’re left with BRL 625. Many are stepping back.

Institutional traders and high-volume investors are more neutral. The flat rate gives them predictability. No more worrying about whether a 6-month hold gets a lower rate. No more guessing if DeFi rewards are taxable. Everything’s clear - even if it’s expensive.

What Happens If You Don’t Report?

The RFB isn’t bluffing. They’ve started cross-referencing data from major exchanges with bank deposits and tax filings. If you sold crypto and deposited BRL 20,000 into your checking account in 2025 - and didn’t report it - you’ll get a letter. First, a notice. Then, a fine of up to 75% of the unpaid tax. Then, interest. Then, legal action.

Even if you used a non-Brazilian exchange like Binance or Coinbase, the RFB can still get your data. Brazil signed tax information exchange agreements with over 70 countries. If your exchange reports to the U.S. or EU, they’re legally required to share data with Brazil.

How This Compares to Other Countries

Brazil’s 17.5% rate sits in the middle globally:

Comparison of Crypto Capital Gains Tax Rates (2026)

Country	Tax Rate	Exemptions	Holding Period Benefit
Brazil	17.5%	None (BRL 5,000/month reporting threshold)	No
Germany	0% (after 1 year)	€600 annual tax-free allowance	Yes
Portugal	28% (under 1 year)	None for residents	No
United Kingdom	10-20%	£3,000 annual allowance	Yes
United States	10-37%	$0 for individuals	Yes (long-term rates)

Brazil is stricter than Germany and the UK, but less punitive than Portugal. The big difference? Brazil has no holding period benefit. A 1-day trade and a 5-year hold are taxed the same. That’s unique among major economies.

What’s Next for Brazil’s Crypto Scene?

While the tax law tightened, the government also launched pilot programs for Drex - its own central bank digital currency. That’s no accident. Brazil isn’t trying to kill crypto. It’s trying to control it.

Expect more clarity soon. The RFB is working with exchanges to automate reporting. Some platforms now offer tax reports in Portuguese. The Central Bank is also drafting rules for DeFi lending and NFT trading - both still gray areas under current law.

The message is clear: if you want to trade crypto in Brazil, you play by the government’s rules. No exceptions. No grace period. No more hiding.

What Should You Do Right Now?

If you traded crypto in Brazil in 2025:

1. Export all transaction history from every exchange and wallet you used.
2. Use a crypto tax tool (Koinly, CoinTracker, or TaxBit) to calculate your gains in BRL.
3. Log into eCac with your e-CPF certificate.
4. Manually enter your totals under “Rendimentos de Capital” (Capital Income).
5. Pay the tax by April 30, 2026, or risk penalties.

If you’re just starting out:

• Track every trade from day one.
• Use a single exchange if possible - fewer records to manage.
• Never ignore a BRL 5,000 monthly threshold. Even small traders get caught.

The days of free crypto trading in Brazil are over. The tax is here. The system is live. The question isn’t whether you owe - it’s whether you’ve paid.