Crypto taxes can be complex, but staying compliant doesn’t have to be overwhelming. As part of our partnership with Summ, a leading crypto tax platform, we hosted a webinar for CoinRabbit users to explore strategies, tools, and best practices for 2026. Here’s a recap of the key insights.
Expert perspective from Summ experts:
Justin Zanardi is a Certified Public Accountant and Product & GTM Lead at Summ, with extensive background at Count On Sheep and Ernst & Young (EY). His passion and personal mission is to bridge the gap between the crypto-space and the professional service industry in order to provide the support and infrastructure necessary for blockchain mass adoption.
David Chapman is Senior Director, EMEA at SUMM, previously Crypto Tax Calculator. He leads partnerships and account management, and drives the development of a leading platform that helps taxpayers worldwide accurately and efficiently complete their crypto taxes.
There’s a lot of confusion about what to expect this year. Could you explain some of the recent changes in the US and globally?
Justin: Here in the US, there’s a new crypto tax form called the 1099-DA. For anyone familiar with other 1099 forms like 1099-B for stocks or 1099-INT for interest, this form is similar. It’s provided by exchanges like Coinbase to both the taxpayer and the IRS. It doesn’t replace your obligation to report your own transactions, it’s informational. The IRS uses it to check that taxpayers report the same transactions on their 8949 forms.
In short, the IRS is definitely looking at crypto now. They’re extending typical reporting requirements that exist for stocks and other financial assets to crypto.
What small daily habits can help avoid big reporting problems later?
Justin: One of the biggest challenges for taxpayers is tracking all transactions over the year (or even multiple years) and making sure nothing is missing.
A good habit is to check your transactions frequently. High-frequency traders might review weekly, lighter traders monthly or every two months. Make sure the software you use is categorizing everything correctly so that tax season isn’t overwhelming.
Can you tell us more about Summ? What’s the platform’s mission and what does it do?
Justin: Summ is a data aggregator, more than just a tax calculator. It tracks all your crypto activity across exchanges, wallets, and DeFi protocols. Summ calculates cost basis, taxable events, and handles transactions like lending, collateral deposits, and withdrawals. It prepares ready-to-file 8949 forms for US taxes, and supports forms in 180 countries.
We focus on integrations, so whatever platforms users are on, we can support them. Importantly, we’re not just engineers—we’re also accountants. Having CPAs on the team ensures every transaction is correctly accounted for, which is crucial for compliance. The mission of Summ is to bring clarity to on-chain transactions—accurate accounting is critical for businesses, countries, and individual taxpayers.
How did the rebranding from Crypto Tax Calculator to Summ come about?
Justin: The company started in 2018 by our founder Shane as a personal project because he was frustrated with his own crypto taxes. Initially, it was named Crypto Tax Calculator because that’s exactly what the software did.
As the company grew, we expanded beyond crypto taxes—offering accounting features for businesses and portfolio tracking. We wanted a brand that represented everything we do, so we chose “Summ.” It reflects aggregation, calculations, and accounting processes.
Justin, could you share a bit about your personal journey and what excites you about crypto tax field?
Justin: I started with crypto in 2017, experimenting with trading bots and DeFi. My career at Ernst & Young was intense, leaving little time for personal crypto activity. Later, I helped build a crypto accounting firm from scratch, learning everything about crypto tax, developing SOPs, and training the team.
Once I had that experience, I wanted to create amazing software, leveraging what I learned across hundreds of clients. My forensic mindset from auditing helps me identify missing data, which is often the biggest problem for users trying to calculate crypto taxes.
Is there an ideal time to start using crypto tax software?
Justin: Ideally, from day one. The first import can be challenging if you’re consolidating years of accounts, but once it’s done, it’s easy. New accounts can be added via API, and the software handles the heavy lifting. Review transactions periodically—monthly or weekly for active traders—to ensure everything is correctly captured.
Can you touch on security when connecting accounts to Summ?
Justin: For wallets, we only use public addresses, never private keys. API connections are read-only, so we cannot trade on your behalf. Users can also import CSV files if they prefer not to use APIs. We maintain privacy compliance certifications like ISO and SOC 2.
David, what do you see shaping the global crypto tax landscape in 2026 and beyond?
David: Just by way of background, I’ve worked with tax authorities around the world for the last 25–26 years. You mentioned earlier, how tax authorities are now using solutions like Palantir. Back in 2004–2005, I was selling the equivalent of Palantir to tax authorities for counter-fraud purposes. That work continued up to 2020, so I have an understanding of how their systems work, how intelligent they are, and the kinds of things they can detect.
Before moving to Summ last year, I worked at TRM Labs, which is a blockchain intelligence company. Many tax authorities now use tools like TRM, Chainalysis, and other blockchain analytics platforms to conduct in-depth investigations into blockchain transactions. Because I focus on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, I won’t comment on the US side but at a high level, the regulatory landscape in Europe, including MiCA and other frameworks, is evolving rapidly.
Governments have realized that crypto represents a huge asset class. At its peak last year, the total crypto market was around $4.2 trillion. Today, it’s closer to $3.5 trillion. Many governments now recognize that these are taxable assets that have been largely ignored in the past. Almost every government, except in places like Monaco, Singapore, or Dubai, is focusing heavily on crypto to ensure regulations are in place to tax it fairly.
We regularly consult with tax authorities worldwide to advise on what regulations are technically possible and how compliance can be monitored. Crypto has become a major focus. For example, a European Central Bank report showed that between 2022 and 2024, the number of people holding, transacting, or investing in crypto doubled across EU member states. This is probably the largest and fastest-growing potential tax revenue source any government has ever seen.
The US is implementing the 1099-DA, the UK is implementing similar reporting next tax year, and other governments are likely to follow suit. Exchanges will provide detailed reports, which can then be cross-checked against taxpayer filings to ensure accurate reporting. Capabilities vary by region, but overall, governments’ ability to monitor crypto is improving rapidly.
Is it still possible to manage taxes anonymously in DeFi?
David: We conducted a survey about 18 months ago, and 83% of respondents with crypto assets believed that tax applied only to exchange transactions and that DeFi was exempt. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. DeFi represents about 50% of all crypto trades, and governments are aware of this. The US, in particular, is quite advanced, but no jurisdiction is truly a “safe space” anymore.
Justin: To add to that, to put it simply, the same way Summ can analyze your transaction history to detect missing accounts, governments can do the same using public blockchain data. It’s a public ledger—you can see every movement and asset, and you can map interconnected wallets.
With the new US 1099-DA regulations, wallet addresses won’t appear on the form itself, but exchanges are required to retain sender and receiver wallet addresses for seven years. If the IRS requests them, exchanges must provide this data. This allows them to construct a web of wallets likely belonging to a taxpayer.
What strategies are commonly used for crypto tax optimization?
David: The core idea is simple: people want to comply without overpaying or making mistakes. That’s exactly what Summ solves. We ingest the 1099-DA, ensure our data aligns with the IRS reporting, and fill in cost basis gaps. All DeFi activity is consolidated into a ready-to-file 8949 report, which can be uploaded to TurboTax or provided to a tax preparer.
One strategy I always recommend, especially near the end of the year, is tax loss harvesting. This involves selling assets that have declined in value to realize losses, which can offset gains or reduce ordinary income by up to $3,000 per year. Many crypto users overlook this, holding onto depreciated assets that could be used to reduce taxes.
Another strategy is using crypto as collateral rather than selling it to avoid triggering capital gains. Platforms like CoinRabbit allow users to borrow against their crypto without realizing a taxable event. This is widely used with traditional assets and is applicable for crypto as well.
Our partnership aims to simplify this experience. The crypto space evolves rapidly, with new blockchains and exchanges emerging. We focus on ensuring users’ transactions—loans, trades, and other activity—are properly tracked within Summ so taxable events are accurately reported.
Can you share practical tips for users to simplify taxes this year?
Justin: Beyond using Summ, the key advice is to gather your data. Collect all wallet addresses and exchange histories, even if you’re not ready to start tax filing immediately. Aggregate everything—jot down your wallets and exchanges. Once you’re on software, develop a habit of checking it regularly, maybe weekly or monthly, to ensure transactions are accurately captured.
About CoinRabbit
CoinRabbit is a crypto asset management platform that helps you make the most of your digital portfolio. Built on the principles of sound money and long-term value, it lets you borrow against crypto, earn yields, trade hundreds of assets, and preserve your capital. Since 2020, we have supported users in growing and managing their digital assets with flexibility and security. Our partnership with Summ strengthens this mission by providing robust tax reporting capabilities.
About Summ
Summ simplifies crypto tax reporting across 3,500+ wallets, exchanges, and blockchains. It generates precise, accountant-endorsed reports for a wide range of crypto activity, including DeFi and on-chain transactions, helping users stay fully compliant.
Last Updated on March 2, 2026 by Dan Marsh
