Bloomberg: Only 6.5% of U.S. Taxpayers Reported Crypto Sales Despite 12-21% Ownership Rate

Gate News message, April 15 — A new report cited by Bloomberg reveals that many U.S. crypto investors may have failed to disclose their digital asset holdings to the IRS. Texas Christian University assistant professor Tyler Menzer and co-authors analyzed anonymized IRS tax data from 2013 to 2021, finding that only 6.5% of taxpayers reported cryptocurrency sales, while surveys indicated 12% to 21% of U.S. adults held crypto during the same period. The gap suggests potential underreporting of crypto-related income and transactions.

The study found that crypto holders tend to be younger, have lower incomes, and show a preference for meme tokens, with trading behaviors differing significantly from traditional stock investors.

According to CoinTracker data, crypto investors filing for the 2025 tax year reported an average of 836 transactions, with short-term positions averaging a $636 loss and long-term positions averaging a $2,692 gain.