Kraken’s 56M Filings Reveal Flaws in Crypto Tax Reporting System

This article was first published on Deythere.

There has been growing controversy surrounding crypto tax reporting since Kraken announced it had filed more than 56 million Form 1099-DA submissions with the Internal Revenue Service covering the 2025 tax year.

As the exchange stated, each form refers to a single reportable transaction, identifying the often chaotic regulatory structure where nearly every crypto activity prompts tax paperwork.

This is one of the first large-scale uses of Form 1099-DA, a standard reporting requirement newly introduced to improve digital asset disclosures. It aims to keep a record of transaction proceeds and enhance compliance across the crypto market.

Kraken’s recent data shows that while transparency is increasing, the system is creating an unseen amount of reporting volume, prompting potential questions about efficiency and practicality.

Micropayments Drive Majority of Crypto Tax Reporting

Looking deeper into Kraken’s filings, the crypto tax reporting is driven by low-value transactions, not large trades.

Of the approximate 18.5 million filings, about a third were linked to transactions under $1; more than half were under $10 and about 74% were below $50.

These figures reveal that most of the reporting obligations are generated by everyday blockchain activity such as staking rewards, small transfers and micro-purchases.

This result breaks a long-held assumption that tax reporting only matters for heavy traders. As a result, it is average users who are best affected by this development, given that even tiny transactions will need to be traced, recorded and reconciled all on their own.

This creates a differing view between real-world crypto usage patterns and old tax frameworks, at least from a regulatory stand point.

New Form 1099-DA Complicates Compliance

One of the biggest reasons why crypto tax reporting is still an ongoing issue these days lies in the structure of Form 1099-DA.

The form mentions gross proceeds but no cost basis information for many transactions especially in its early-stage rollout.

This creates a situation where taxpayers have to compute their own gains and losses, often using outside tools or historical transaction data.

According to experts, this could lead to risks of over-reporting or confusion among users who own assets across wallets and exchanges.

Beyond all its complexity, the financial burden is growing too. It is estimated that Americans already spend approximately $146 billion every year ensuring compliance with their tax codes, and crypto reporting adds yet another burden of time and cost.

Kraken Points to Tax Burden

Kraken noted that a standard tax software doesn’t handle crypto, so many turn to dedicated tools costing anywhere from $49 to $599 per year. Users generally have to rely on specialized software in order to monitor activity, with both compliance and requirement costs increasing as a result.

“A typical active holder can spend $250 to $500 annually just to stay compliant, before counting the hours spent reconciling transactions across exchanges and wallets.”

According to Kraken, the main problem is that Form 8949 requires a separate line for every transaction.

“Imagine you walk into a Steak ’n Shake and pay for a $7.99 meal with Bitcoin through a payment app. You have triggered a taxable event. You are technically required to look up the cost basis of the specific Bitcoin you spent, calculate whether you had a gain or loss on that fraction of a coin, and report it on Form 8949. All for a hamburger and some tallow fries.”

Calls for Tax Reform and De Minimis Rule

The findings have renewed calls over the need for reform in crypto tax reporting, especially surrounding a lack of de minimis exemptions.

Under current U.S. crypto rules, every single trade is potentially taxable, even the smallest of sized trades. This implies that even small purchases or incentives can create reporting requirements.

Kraken has urged lawmakers to introduce an inflation-adjusted threshold that would exempt small transactions from reporting, arguing that the current system creates unnecessary issues for users.  

The exchange also pointed to issues with staking taxation, where rewards may be taxed upon receipt rather than when sold, leading to what some industry participants describe as “phantom income.”

These are growing into matters of more concern as regulators refine digital asset laws, seeking to balance transparency with usability.

Conclusion

The latest data from Kraken, exposes a new reality that crypto tax reporting is outpacing the systems that support it .

Even if Form 1099-DA is a giant step forward toward transparency, its current form reveals critical problems and these are: 

Micro-transactions can drive high reporting volume; Incomplete data structures that need to be reconciled manually; Higher compliance costs for average users

Meanwhile, regulators are still looking to address reporting gaps and better supervision of the digital asset market.

The system could be made more practical if something like de minimis thresholds were introduced. In the absence of that, compliance burdens may continue to grow alongside adoption.

Glossary

Cryptocurrency tax reporting: The practice of providing tax authorities with records of your cryptocurrency transactions.

Form 1099–DA: IRS Form to report digital asset transactions.

Cost basis: The value of an asset which a profit or loss is calculated against.

De minimis rule: A threshold below which transactions are not required to be reported.

Staking rewards: Income from the involvement in blockchain validation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kraken Crypto Tax Reporting

What is Form 1099-DA?

It is a tax form which was implemented to report transactions of digital assets including exchanges and sales.

What led Kraken to submit 56 million forms?

This is because the authorities require that every individual crypto transaction need to be reported each time separately.

Why are most transactions small?

Large amounts of filings come from staking rewards, micropayments, and the normal use of crypto in everyday life.

Does 1099-DA include profit calculations?

No. It reports gross proceeds and the user needs to perform their own gain or loss calculations.

What is a de minimis exemption?

This is a proposed rule that would exempt small transactions from the reporting requirements of the tax.

References

Kraken

Coindesk

Thestreet

MEXC

Awaken