Crypto Taxation in Türkiye

In March 2026, the Turkish government approved a bill proposed by the ruling party AK Parti with the aim of strengthening tax justice. In accordance with this legislation, the domestic platforms face withholding tax, and investors who utilize foreign platforms are subject to higher tax rates.

In Türkiye, crypto assets are treated as capital gains (Değer Artış Kazancı). They are regulated under Article 80 of the Income Tax Code. Staking and airdrops, however, are treated as occasional income (Arızi Kazanç).

Below is a breakdown of the two-tier crypto taxation framework, followed by compliance measures and penalties for non-compliance.   

Crypto Taxation Framework for 2026 

 In 2026, there is a two-tier structure of crypto taxation. The first tier deals with trading transactions conducted through the Capital Markets Board (CMB)-licensed crypto asset service providers (such as BtcTurk, Paribu, among others) that are Türkiye-based. Such transactions are subject to a 10% income tax withholding and a 0.03% transaction tax on each transaction.

President Erdogan has the right to adjust the rate of withholding tax between 0 and 20%, which can vary for different types of tokens and holding periods. This tier is regulated under the bill submitted to the Grand National Assembly in 2026. The second tier covers transactions executed through foreign exchanges or DeFi protocols, governed by existing Income Tax Code provisions. No withholding or transaction tax applies. 

Personal Income Tax on Crypto in Türkiye 

Personal income tax in Türkiye is progressive, varying between 15% and 40%, and expense deductions are very limited. For foreign crypto transactions, the taxpayer is individually obliged to keep records of all the transactions and report them through the annual tax return using the FIFO method.

When the total crypto trading profit exceeds 120,000 TL (approximately 2,265 EUR), traders are obliged to report their crypto income to the Revenue Administration (GİB). Those individuals who receive their employment income in cryptocurrency from foreign companies are obliged to report it as employment income, not as capital gains. 

Corporate Tax on Crypto Trading in Türkiye 

The companies which provide services for foreign clients and receive crypto payments fall under Corporate Tax Code Article 10/1-ğ. Under this provision, companies are allowed to exempt 80% of their service export income from corporate tax.

The legal entities that trade crypto are required to report their gains under commercial income provisions as corporate income. Since mining and staking are not classified as capital gains, they are reported when the total amount of profits exceeds 280,000 TL (approximately 5,289 EUR). The numbers are for the tax year of 2025.

There is a flat rate corporate tax in Türkiye, which is 25% for 2025, and firms that carry out crypto trading as a commercial activity (Ltd. Şti. or A.Ş.) are subject to corporate tax on these gains as commercial income. There are no exceptions as there are in the personal income tax. Here, the companies are also required to follow the FIFO accounting method when declaring. Additionally, the business expenses are deductible. 

Who Must Pay Crypto Tax in Türkiye: Residents vs Non-Residents 

Residents of Türkiye or individuals staying in the country for more than 6 months must declare all the income coming from crypto trading to the Revenue Administration (GİB). Non-residents, those residing for less than 6 months, are required to declare only the Türkiye-sourced crypto income. 

CARF, Exchange Reporting & Crypto Compliance in Türkiye (2026) 

The enforcement of CARF in 2026 eases the compliance and regulatory framework of crypto transactions for the tax authorities in Türkiye, as they can automatically exchange information related to transactions with more than 100 countries. Exchanges such as Binance, Coinbase, OKX, and Kraken have the obligation to report account information and transaction histories of the resident taxpayers to the Revenue Administration (GİB). 

As also mentioned above, the domestic crypto service providers also have the obligation to report the transactions to the authorities, and they do so by deducting a 10% withholding tax on the net gain from the sale of crypto assets. Transactions executed through CMB-licensed exchanges report them to the authorities, and this way the taxpayers do not have to file these in the annual tax returns.

In order to better maintain compliance, the tax authorities cross-check the exchange and bank data against tax returns filed by the taxpayers. In case of discrepancies, the rights for exceptions might be lost. 

Penalties for Crypto Tax Non-Compliance in Türkiye 

Individuals or legal entities who file tax returns incorrectly are subject to penalties. If a taxpayer does not declare their income at all, then they are subject to paying the tax owed plus an equal amount as a  penalty (owed amount of 100,000 TL plus an equal amount as a penalty, 100,000 TL; the total amount due is 200,000 TL).

When the taxpayer does not register the activities, then the penalty goes up to 1.5 times the owed amount (100,000 TL plus 1.5 times the initial amount - 150,000 - total amount due of 250,000 TL). 

The penalty triples when tax authorities detect that the taxpayer deliberately falsified records, presented fake documents, or engaged in tax fraud (owed amount 100,000 TL plus 3 times the owed amount, which amounts to 400,000 TL in total) that is regulated under TPC Art. 359. 

Taxpayers who do not pay on time are subject to unpaid principal tax from the due date until the date of payment. There is a one-time penalty of 35,000 TL for those who do not file their electronic tax returns on time and are late, which is applicable to first-class merchants for 2026. 

Tax authorities offer a penalty reduction of 50% for those who agree to pay their due taxes in 30 days after the day they receive the notice. For individuals who go to tax authorities before receiving the penalty notice, there is an option to eliminate the penalty. In this case, the taxpayer pays only the due amount. 

Conclusion

For traders in Türkiye, the new framework makes one thing clear: the platform you trade on now determines both your tax rate and your compliance burden. With the majority of crypto transactions still running through foreign exchanges, most traders are looking at higher rates and more paperwork. Whether that shifts behavior toward CMB-licensed domestic platforms remains to be seen.

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