House Crypto Tax Bill Skips Deferral For Mining And Staking Rewards

A 114-page crypto tax package set for a House committee vote Wednesday leaves out a provision that would have let miners and stakers delay paying taxes on rewards until those tokens are actually sold.

What The Bill Leaves Out

The Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act, published Monday alongside the House Ways and Means Committee’s markup notice, does not include the reward timing option found in a separate bill introduced in June. That earlier proposal would have let taxpayers choose between reporting new tokens as income upon receipt or treating them like self created property, taxed only when sold. Without that option, mining and staking rewards stay taxable as soon as they’re received or come under the recipient’s control, even before being converted to cash.

What The Package Does Include

The bill still classifies validator income as ordinary income and determines whether it’s sourced inside or outside the U.S., while letting qualifying investment trusts stake digital assets without losing their tax status. It would also exempt small transaction fees under $10 from triggering gains or losses, offer special treatment for qualifying dollar-backed stablecoins, and allow certain crypto loans without treating them as taxable sales. Additional provisions cover simplified accounting for widely traded assets, extended wash sale rules, and a voluntary disclosure program for past tax errors.

Industry groups had previously pushed Congress to pass the mining and staking deferral bill without changes, warning that taxing rewards before they can be sold creates cash-flow problems for miners and stakers.