Declaring cryptocurrencies held on Kraken requires mastering several distinct tax forms, each linked to a specific type of transaction. The difficulty does not come from the calculation itself, but from the classification of income: capital gains from sales, staking income, foreign account declaration obligations. This guide details the tax mechanisms specific to French users of Kraken and the points of vigilance related to the DAC8 directive, applicable since January 2026.
DAC8 and automatic reporting: what Kraken transmits to the tax authorities since 2026
The European directive DAC8 (Directive 2023/2226 of the Council of October 17, 2023) imposes on crypto platforms an automatic reporting of transactions to the tax administrations of the European Union. Since January 1, 2026, Kraken directly communicates transaction data of its French users to the DGFiP.
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This mechanism changes the game for investors. Before DAC8, the DGFiP largely relied on individual declarations and occasional audits. Now, information flows without taxpayer intervention.
For users who wish to declare their taxes with Kraken in compliance, the fact that the platform transmits this data means that an omission will be detected through automatic cross-checking. The margin of error tolerated by the administration is mechanically reduced.
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Form 3916-bis: declaring the Kraken account as a foreign account
Kraken operates in France through Kraken FRANCE SAS, registered with the AMF as a Digital Asset Service Provider (PSAN). Form 3916-bis remains mandatory to declare the holding of an account on a digital asset platform.
Required information to fill out 3916-bis
The form requests the designation of the platform, the account number, and the country of establishment. On Kraken, the account number can be found in the user profile settings.
A point of vigilance concerns Kraken accounts linked to non-European entities. Derivative or leveraged products may pass through non-EU subsidiaries (e.g., Kraken US). In this case, each distinct entity requires a separate 3916-bis form.
| Situation | Required Form | Particularity |
|---|---|---|
| Kraken FRANCE SAS account (spot) | 3916-bis (one only) | AMF registered PSAN entity |
| Kraken account entity outside EU (derivatives) | Additional 3916-bis | One form per distinct entity |
| Crypto sales to euros | 2086 + 2042 C | Mandatory capital gains calculation |
| Staking/earn income | 2042 C (BNC) | Micro-BNC if income is modest |
Crypto capital gains on Kraken: form 2086 and sale calculation
The taxable capital gain is triggered upon a sale of digital assets for a currency with legal tender (euros, dollars). Crypto-to-crypto exchanges do not constitute a taxable event in France.
Applicable calculation method
The calculation is based on the following formula: sale price, minus the fraction of the total acquisition price of the portfolio corresponding to the proportion sold. The taxable base takes into account the overall value of the portfolio at the time of each sale, not just the sold asset.
- The sale price corresponds to the amount in euros received during the sale on Kraken
- The total acquisition price includes all purchases made since the account was opened, across all cryptocurrencies
- The overall value of the portfolio is calculated at the precise moment of the sale, by adding the market value of all digital assets held
This method, known as the “weighted average price of the overall portfolio,” complicates matters for active investors. Each sale requires recalculating the total value of the portfolio at the moment, which necessitates rigorous tracking of all positions.
Data export from Kraken
Kraken offers a complete ledger CSV export covering the entire history. This file lists trades, deposits, and withdrawals with timestamps. A read-only API connection is also available for third-party tax calculation tools.
Staking and earn products on Kraken: the trap of tax qualification
Income from staking or Kraken’s “earn” programs poses a classification problem. The French tax administration increasingly equates them to non-commercial profits (BNC), distinct from capital gains from sales.
In practice, the micro-BNC regime applies as long as the receipts remain modest and the activity is not considered professional. This tolerance is based on administrative doctrine (BOI-BNC-CHAMP-10-10) and on a response from the Ministry of Economy to a written question from the Senate in 2024 regarding the qualification of staking income.
The distinction is significant: staking gains are declared on form 2042 C in the BNC category, not on form 2086 reserved for capital gains from sales. Mixing the two is a common mistake.
- Staking generates taxable income at the time of receiving rewards, not at the time of resale
- The subsequent resale of tokens received from staking triggers a classic capital gains calculation (form 2086)
- The “earn” products that do not explicitly involve crypto-asset loans follow the same BNC regime
Crypto declaration errors and tax audits: concrete risks
The 2025 annual report of the DGFiP dedicates a section to the control of digital assets abroad. The cross-referencing of DAC8 data and individual declarations allows for the automatic detection of omissions of accounts or undeclared sales.
Forgetting form 3916-bis exposes one to a fine per undeclared account. Failing to declare capital gains on form 2086 leads to a reassessment accompanied by late penalties and, in some cases, increases for deliberate non-compliance.
The reliability of data exported from Kraken (ledger CSV or API) reduces the risk of calculation errors, provided that operations conducted on other platforms or non-custodial wallets are not omitted. The overall portfolio to declare encompasses all digital assets held, not just those on Kraken.
With the automatic DAC8 reporting in place since 2026, crypto declaration is no longer an optional exercise. The granularity of data transmitted by platforms to the DGFiP makes each form verifiable line by line, placing the rigor of accounting tracking at the center of tax compliance.