Staking and taxes: how rewards are taxed in France
Updated on 25 October 2026
Staking earns tokens, every day or every epoch. The Code général des impôts (French tax code) does not cover this case and the tax authorities have not published detailed guidance. Two readings exist; what matters most is to choose the same one every year and to be able to produce the history of your rewards.
Majority reading: tax on the sale for euros
Rewards received enter the portfolio at a zero acquisition cost. Nothing is declared when they arrive; they increase the overall value of the portfolio, and therefore the capital gain on the day of a sale for euros, taxed at the flat tax (PFU, article 150 VH bis of the CGI). This is the most widespread position among practitioners for an individual who delegates or stakes without a professional set-up.
Other reading: income on receipt
Some advisers tax rewards on receipt, as non-commercial profits (BNC, bénéfices non commerciaux), at their euro value on the day they are received. This value is then added to the acquisition cost, so it is not taxed a second time on sale. This reading mainly holds for an organised validation activity (node, hardware, time spent).
Case by case
| Operation | Usual treatment |
|---|---|
| Delegated staking (ETH, SOL, ATOM, DOT…) | Rewards at zero acquisition cost, tax on the sale for euros |
| Liquid staking (stETH, JitoSOL, mSOL…) | Depositing in exchange for the liquid staking token is a crypto-to-crypto swap, with no tax; the token's rise in value shows up in the portfolio value |
| Staking or "Earn" on an exchange (Binance, Coinbase, Crypto.com…) | Same logic for the rewards; the account must be declared on form 3916-bis |
| Lending interest (Aave, Morpho, Kamino…) | Same logic as staking |
| Regular, organised validation | Risk of requalification as BNC |
Example
Vous stakez 10 ETH achetés €20,000. En un an, vous recevez 0.35 ETH de récompenses. Dans la lecture majoritaire, rien à déclarer cette année-là si vous ne vendez rien en euros : votre prix total d'acquisition reste de €20,000, et les 0.35 ETH viendront, le jour d'une vente, gonfler la valeur du portefeuille et donc la plus-value (voir the step-by-step calculation).
Keeping evidence
In a tax audit, you must be able to show each reward, its date and its value. Bilan DeFi finds the rewards collected position by position, from the blockchain, and values them in euros on their date of receipt.
See also: crypto taxation in France, declaring your crypto (form 2086), DeFi taxation.
Frequently asked questions
Are staking rewards taxable on receipt?
There is no detailed official doctrine. Most practitioners tax nothing on receipt: the rewards come in at zero acquisition cost and are taxed on a sale for euros. A minority reading taxes them as BNC on receipt.
Is liquid staking (stETH) a disposal?
According to the common reading, no: swapping ETH for a liquid staking token remains a crypto-to-crypto exchange, with no immediate tax.
Do you have to declare staking on Binance or Coinbase?
The rewards follow the same logic as in DeFi, and the account opened on a foreign exchange must appear on form 3916-bis.
General information, not tax advice. The rules change with every finance act and depend on your situation. For a complex case (regular activity, large amounts, a tax audit), have it checked by a chartered accountant or a tax lawyer.
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