What is the difference between FIFO, LIFO, and HIFO?

FIFO sells your oldest lots first, LIFO sells your newest first, and HIFO sells your highest-cost lots first. HIFO usually minimises taxable gains, but the IRS requires you to specifically identify lots to use it. FIFO is the default if no method is documented.

How is short-term versus long-term decided?

In the US, a holding period of more than one year (more than 365 days) is long-term and taxed at a lower rate; one year or less is short-term. This tool flags each matched lot using the days between acquisition and disposal.

Does this handle partial lot disposals?

Yes. If a disposal is smaller than the matched lot, only the proportional cost basis is consumed and the remainder of the lot stays open for the next disposal. The tool tracks remaining quantities across all events.

Is my data sent anywhere?

No. All matching and gain calculation happens in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, stored on a server, or shared. Close the tab and the data is gone.

Can I use this for a real tax return?

It is a planning and estimation aid, not tax advice. The matching logic follows standard FIFO/LIFO/HIFO rules, but wash-sale treatment, fees, and jurisdiction-specific rules vary. Confirm figures with a qualified tax professional before filing.

Crypto Tax Lot Calculator (FIFO / LIFO / HIFO)

Selling crypto creates a taxable disposal, and the gain depends entirely on which acquisition lot you match it against. This calculator lets you enter your buys and sells, pick an accounting method, and see the matched cost basis, gain or loss, and holding period for every disposal.

How it works

Each disposal is filled by drawing down open lots in an order set by the method:

FIFO  → consume oldest lots first (sort lots by date ascending)
LIFO  → consume newest lots first (sort lots by date descending)
HIFO  → consume highest unit-cost lots first (sort by cost/qty descending)

unit cost basis = lot total cost / lot quantity
matched basis   = unit cost basis × quantity taken from that lot
gain            = proceeds share − matched basis
holding period  = disposal date − acquisition date  (long-term if > 365 days)

Proceeds for a disposal are split across the lots it touches in proportion to the quantity taken from each, so a single sell can produce both a short-term and a long-term component.

Example and tips

If you bought 1 BTC for 20,000 in January and 1 BTC for 40,000 in June, then sold 1 BTC for 50,000 in December, FIFO matches the January lot for a 30,000 gain, LIFO matches the June lot for a 10,000 gain, and HIFO also matches the June (highest-cost) lot for a 10,000 gain. The same trade, three very different tax bills. Keep every lot’s date and cost accurate — errors compound across chained disposals, and the holding-period flag depends on exact dates.