German tax knowledge

Are transfers between your own wallets taxable?

Last reviewed: August 15, 2026

No. A transfer between your own wallets or exchange accounts is not a disposal if you remain the beneficial owner. Holding period and cost basis travel with the coins. If the counterpart is missing, the software often treats the withdrawal as a sale and the later deposit as an inflow with no origin. That creates a phantom gain and a broken balance.

The facts in brief
Own-wallet move	Not a disposal
Condition	Both sides imported
Bridge	A chain change is not a swap

When is a transfer an internal movement?

Both sides belong to you, asset and amount match, the time gap is plausible, the fee explains the difference. A chain change (bridge) remains an internal movement if you do not swap into a different asset. A swap on the destination chain is a second event.

Why do tools fail to match transfers?

Different timestamps, a wallet that is not connected, a CSV without internal withdrawals, a fee in another asset. CoinTracking warnings and Blockpit balances appear exactly here: one side is present, the other is not.

How do you close the gap?

First reload the missing wallet or the older CSV. Only then match manually. In chain.report unmatched withdrawals and deposits show up as a balance gap. CleanUp shows which asset and which period is missing.

Sources

German Ministry of Finance letter of 10 May 2022 — virtual currencies

Frequently asked questions

Is a bridge taxable?

A pure chain change of your own coins is generally not a sale. Swapping into a different token on the destination chain is.

Is a withdrawal to someone else’s address a transfer?

No. That can be a gift, a payment or a sale. Without a counterpart wallet you must not book it as an internal transfer.

Why does the balance stay negative even though I transferred?

The receiving wallet is not imported or is stored under another name. Then the deposit is missing and the outflow stands alone.