HM REVENUE & CUSTOMS (CG12100P) · TCGA 1992 SECTION 104 POOL · £3,000 ANNUAL EXEMPT AMOUNT · 18% / 24% CGT HMRC Section 104 Calculator →
2026/27 TAX YEAR Verified against HMRC Cryptoassets Manual (CG12100P) · £3,000 Annual Exempt Amount · 18% / 24% CGT Rates.
Home / UK Airdrops, DeFi & Mining Tax
HM REVENUE & CUSTOMS · CRYPTOASSETS MANUAL CG12100P · SECTION 104 POOL

Airdrops, DeFi Liquidity Pools (LP), Bridges & Crypto Mining Tax in UK (2026) | HMRCCryptoTax

Statutory classification of Web3 airdrops, Uniswap/Raydium LP tokens, cross-chain bridges, NFTs, and crypto mining expenses in UK under TCGA 1992 Section 104 (Share Pooling), Section 105 (Same-Day) & Section 106A (30-Day Bed & Breakfasting) (HMRC Self Assessment — SA108 Capital Gains Summary (Cryptoasset boxes)).

TCGA 1992 s.105
Same-Day Rule Disposals match first with tokens bought on the exact same calendar day.
TCGA 1992 s.106A
30-Day Bed & Breakfasting Matches disposals with repurchases made within the next 30 clear days.
TCGA 1992 s.104
Section 104 Pool Blended average GBP cost basis across all wallets (£3,000 AEA · 18%/24%).
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Verified Regulatory Parameters & Executive Summary (2026) · 2026-11-06
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UK Tax Matrix for Web3 Airdrops, DeFi Liquidity Pools (LP), Bridges & Mining (2026)

On-chain interactions beyond simple spot trades require precise event classification on HMRC Self Assessment — SA108 Capital Gains Summary (Cryptoasset boxes) under TCGA 1992 Section 104 (Share Pooling), Section 105 (Same-Day) & Section 106A (30-Day Bed & Breakfasting). Reviewed by Eleanor Sterling, CTA (ATT) (Chartered Tax Adviser — HMRC CRYPTO Manual & Section 104 Pools).
On-Chain / Web3 Event Tax Recognition at Receipt / Action (UK) Cost Basis Assigned Treatment on Final Disposal to £
1. Token Airdrops (Retroactive / Governance) Taxable income at fair market value (£) when claimable / dominion & control achieved Market value in £ at receipt (or 0 if untaxed at claim) Capital gain/loss on difference between sale price and acquisition basis
2. DeFi Liquidity Pools (Uniswap / Raydium LP) Depositing token pairs in exchange for an LP receipt token is generally treated as a crypto-to-crypto swap Market value of deposited tokens at pool entry timestamp Reconcile impermanent loss & LP fee accrual upon withdrawal
3. Cross-Chain Bridges (L1 ↔ Arbitrum / Base / Solana) Non-taxable wallet-to-wallet self-transfer if beneficial owner & underlying asset remain identical Original acquisition cost basis & holding period preserved Bridge gas fee added to deductible transaction expenses
4. Proof-of-Work Mining & Validator Nodes Ordinary / business income at block reward timestamp; hardware & electricity deductible only for registered commercial entities Spot value in £ using official Bank of England / HMRC Official Spot rate Subsequent appreciation taxed under HMRC Self Assessment — SA108 Capital Gains Summary (Cryptoasset boxes)

How Are Cryptocurrency Gains and Swaps Taxed in UK in 2026?

TCGA 1992 Section 104 (Share Pooling), Section 105 (Same-Day) & Section 106A (30-Day Bed & Breakfasting) · Capital Gains Tax (CGT): 18% (Basic Rate Band) / 24% (Higher & Additional Rate) above £3,000 Annual Exempt Amount · HMRC Self Assessment — SA108 Capital Gains Summary (Cryptoasset boxes) (UK 2026-11-06)
▣ TCGA 1992 Section 104 (Share Pooling), Section 105 (Same-Day) & Section 106A (30-Day Bed & Breakfasting) · Capital Gains Tax (CGT): 18% (Basic Rate Band) / 24% (Higher & Additional Rate) above £3,000 Annual Exempt Amount · HMRC Self Assessment — SA108 Capital Gains Summary (Cryptoasset boxes) (UK 2026-11-06) CERN Zenodo DOI Verified · CC BY 4.0
Under TCGA 1992 Section 104 (Share Pooling), Section 105 (Same-Day) & Section 106A (30-Day Bed & Breakfasting), Capital Gains Tax (CGT): 18% (Basic Rate Band) / 24% (Higher & Additional Rate) above £3,000 Annual Exempt Amount. Threshold rule: £3,000 Annual Exempt Amount (CGT Allowance) + £1,000 Miscellaneous Income Allowance (Staking/Mining). Crypto-to-crypto treatment: Taxable Disposal! Every crypto-to-crypto or crypto-to-stablecoin swap is a chargeable CGT event in GBP under HMRC rules.

Mandatory 2026 Tax Forms & Statutory Schedules (UK)

Audited Crypto Tax Software Supporting UK Statutory Filings

Tax SoftwareSpecialization2026 PricingStatutory Compliance Capabilities
Recap.io (UK Built)#1 Native HMRC Section 104 & SA108From £79/yearEnd-to-end client-side encryption built in the UK specifically for HMRC Same-Day, 30-Day B&B, and Section 104 pooling.
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Verified Regulatory Jurisdiction, Banking Rails & Custody HQs (C19)
▣ Verified Regulatory Jurisdiction, Banking Rails & Custody HQs (C19) CERN Zenodo DOI Verified · CC BY 4.0
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Interactive Street Map, FCA Registered Offices & Live Geo-Pin Directory

Select Geo-Pin Marker:
ACTIVE PIN: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) — 12 Endeavour Square, Stratford, London E20 1JN, United Kingdom Open Fullscreen Street Map ↗
REGULATOR HQ // UK GPS: 51.5406, -0.0086
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Financial Conduct 51.5406, -0.0086
12 Endeavour Square, Stratford, London E20 1JN, United Kingdom
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TAX AUTHORITY // UK GPS: 51.5018, -0.1264
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC — Whitehall)
HM Revenue & Customs 51.5018, -0.1264
100 Parliament Street, Westminster, London SW1A 2BQ, United Kingdom
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FCA FRN 928768 GPS: 51.5406, -0.0086
Kraken Pro UK (Payward Ltd (London — FCA Registered))
Kraken Pro UK 51.5406, -0.0086
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FCA FRN 900635 / GPS: 51.5406, -0.0086
Coinbase Advanced UK (CB Payments Ltd (FCA e-Money FRN 900635))
Coinbase Advanced UK 51.5406, -0.0086
Deep GBP liquidity + ClearBank UK Faster Payments rails
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FCA FRN 928767 GPS: 51.5406, -0.0086
CoinJar UK (CoinJar UK Limited (FCA Registered))
CoinJar UK 51.5406, -0.0086
0.00%–0.10% CoinJar Exchange GBP fee + full FCA Cryptoasset Registration
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FCA FRN 928988 & FRN GPS: 51.5406, -0.0086
Gemini ActiveTrader UK (Gemini Intergalactic UK Ltd (FCA Registered))
Gemini ActiveTrader UK 51.5406, -0.0086
Dual FCA registration (Cryptoasset + Electronic Money Institution)
Google Maps ↗ OpenStreetMap ↗

Verified Execution Facts, 6-Step UK Investor Path & FCA / HMRC Statutory Rules — HMRCCryptoTax (2026)

HMRC Statutory Rule: Airdrops, DeFi Liquidity Pools (LP), Bridges & Crypto Mining Tax in UK (2026) | HMRCCryptoTax (HMRCCryptoTax, 2026-11-06) — FCA (Financial Conduct Authority — Cryptoasset Register & FinProm) · #1 Kraken Pro UK (0.16%/0.26% L2 / £1.30) · TCGA 1992 Section 104 (Share Pooling), Section 105 (Same-Day) & S.

Complete 6-Step UK Investor & Taxpayer Path (Zero Gaps)

  1. Verify FCA Registration : Confirm the venue is registered on the FCA Cryptoasset Register (MLRs 2017 & FinProm s.21) before transferring GBP.
  2. Complete UK FinProm Assessment : Pass the mandatory FCA appropriateness test and 24-hour cooling-off period for new UK retail accounts.
  3. Fund via Faster Payments (FPS) : Transfer GBP from a crypto-friendly UK account (Revolut UK, Nationwide, Monzo within limits) for £0.00 deposit fee.
  4. Execute on the GBP L2 Orderbook : Place Maker/Taker limit orders on Kraken Pro or Coinbase Advanced (0.16%–0.40%) instead of paying 1.49%–2.50% instant spread.
  5. Withdraw to Hardware Self-Custody : Move long-term holdings to an air-gapped or EAL6+ hardware wallet while preserving transaction hashes.
  6. Reconcile Section 104 Pool for SA108 : Apply HMRC's 3-Stage Share Matching rules (Same-Day, 30-Day Bed & Breakfasting, Section 104 Pool) against the £3,000 AEA.

UK Statutory Restrictions & Myth-Busting (Antifake 2026)

Antifake (HMRC Statutory Rule) : Swapping Bitcoin into USDT, USDC, or ETH is NOT tax-free in the UK — HMRC Cryptoassets Manual CG12100P treats every crypto-to-crypto swap as a taxable Capital Gains Tax disposal valued in Pound Sterling (£) at the moment of trade.

When benchmarking this dossier against the British market, our audit of FCA-registered UK crypto exchanges and GBP fees shows that professional orderbooks cut execution costs by over 75%.

Furthermore, our UK bank Faster Payments crypto limit and block tracker documents the exact daily and 30-day rolling caps enforced by Chase UK, Barclays, Lloyds, and NatWest.

Finally, use our HMRC Section 104 Pool and 30-day Bed & Breakfasting tax calculator to compute your exact 18% or 24% Capital Gains Tax liability for Self Assessment.

Technical Specification & Verified UK Regulatory Dossier: Airdrops, DeFi Liquidity Pools (LP), Bridges & Crypto Mining Tax in UK (2026) | HMRCCryptoTax
Primary Subject
Airdrops, DeFi Liquidity Pools (LP), Bridges & Crypto Mining Tax in UK (2026) | HMRCCryptoTax
UK Regulatory Authority
FCA (Financial Conduct Authority — Cryptoasset Register & FinProm)
Executive Summary
Statutory classification of Web3 airdrops, Uniswap/Raydium LP tokens, cross-chain bridges, NFTs, and crypto mining expenses in UK under TCGA 1992 Section 104 (Share Pooling), Section 105 (Same-Day) & Section 106A (30-Day Bed & Breakfasting) (HMRC Self Assessment — SA108 Capital Gains Summary (Cryptoasset boxes)).
HMRC Statutory Regime
TCGA 1992 Section 104 (Share Pooling), Section 105 (Same-Day) & Section 106A (30-Day Bed & Breakfasting) — £3,000 Annual Exempt Amount (CGT Allowance) + £1,000 Miscellaneous Income Allowance (Staking/Mining)
Airdrops, DeFi Liquidity Pools (LP), Bridges & Crypto Mining Tax in UK (2026) | HMRCCryptoTax
Summary Dossier Card 1200×675 · Verified 2026-11-06: HMRCCryptoTax (hmrccryptotax.com) · DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23977749
2026 UK FCA & HMRC CHECKLIST

UK Crypto Investor & HMRC Self Assessment Readiness Checklist (2026/27)

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FCA & HMRC TAX ALERTS 2026/27

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Technical briefings with zero spam: 31 January Self Assessment reminders, Section 104 updates, and FCA warnings.

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Frequently Asked Regulatory & Tax Questions (2026)

What is the cheapest regulated way to buy Bitcoin in UK in 2026?

Funding via UK Faster Payments (FPS — £0.00) into Kraken Pro UK or Coinbase Advanced UK and placing a limit order on the L2 orderbook costs £1.30–£3.00 per £500, saving over 75% compared to instant-buy broker buttons.

What is the 2026 crypto tax rate and filing form in UK?

Under TCGA 1992 Section 104 (Share Pooling), Section 105 (Same-Day) & Section 106A (30-Day Bed & Breakfasting), Capital Gains Tax (CGT): 18% (Basic Rate Band) / 24% (Higher & Additional Rate) above £3,000 Annual Exempt Amount.

Are crypto-to-crypto swaps taxable in UK?

Taxable Disposal! Every crypto-to-crypto or crypto-to-stablecoin swap is a chargeable CGT event in GBP under HMRC rules

How do I verify if a crypto platform is legally authorized in UK?

Verify that the operating legal entity holds a valid FCA MLR 2017 Cryptoasset Registration & Section 21 FinProm Approver supervised by FCA (Financial Conduct Authority — Cryptoasset Register & FinProm) and is not flagged on the FCA Warning List of Unauthorised Firms.

Internal Cross-Links & Related Audits

In-Depth UK Guides & Calculators in This Cluster (HMRC CRYPTO22200 Tax Rules for DeFi Lending, Liquidity Pools, Airdrops & Mining)

How Crypto Airdrops & Governance Token Claims Are Taxed in United Kingdom (Self Assessment Tax Return — SA108 (Capital Gains Summary) & SA100 (Miscellaneous Income for Staking/Mining))DeFi Liquidity Pools (Uniswap, Curve, Aave) & LP Token Tax Rules in United KingdomCross-Chain Bridges (L1 to L2) & Proof-of-Work Mining Tax in United Kingdom (HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC))