Form 2086 Crypto: How to Fill In the French Crypto Capital Gains Return

Form 2086 is used to calculate the gain or loss made on your disposals of crypto-assets during the year. You enter each taxable disposal on it, line by line, then carry the overall result to box 3AN or 3BN of return 2042 C. The calculation is not made asset by asset: it relies on the value of your whole portfolio on the day of each disposal. For an overview of the rules, see our guide to crypto taxation.

Who must fill in Form 2086 for crypto?

Article 150 VH bis of the French Tax Code (Code général des impôts, CGI) covers individuals who are tax-resident in France. It applies to gains made on a disposal for consideration of crypto-assets, directly or through an intermediary. Since 1 July 2026, the Code has used the term “crypto-actifs” (crypto-assets) within the meaning of the European MiCA Regulation. The form and its notice still use the former expression “actifs numériques” (digital assets).

Several transactions count as a taxable disposal. The “Brochure pratique de l’impôt sur le revenu 2026” (practical income tax guide) cites a sale for legal tender, such as the euro. It also covers an exchange for goods, for a service, or an exchange with a balancing payment. Paying for a purchase in bitcoins therefore amounts to disposing of crypto-assets.

Exchanges between crypto-assets without a balancing payment follow a different logic. Article 150 VH bis places them under a tax deferral (sursis d’imposition) in the year of the exchange. According to the 2026 guide, they do not have to be declared. This is a postponement, not an exemption: the latent gain will be taxed on the next taxable disposal.

This regime concerns the occasional management of private wealth. If your transactions resemble those of a professional, Article 92 of the CGI classifies them as non-commercial profits (BNC), outside Form 2086.

The €305 threshold and the obligation to attach Form 2086

Article 150 VH bis exempts disposals where the sum of the year’s disposal prices does not exceed €305. Exchanges without a balancing payment are not included in that total. The 2026 guide states that the threshold is assessed at the level of the tax household. Above €305, all disposals become taxable, from the first euro of gain.

Below this threshold, the return is still due. Paragraph V of Article 150 VH bis requires you to attach an appendix that complies with the tax authority’s template. The guide confirms this: Form 2086 accompanies the income tax return even if the amount of disposals is below €305. You then state the price of each disposal on it.

The crypto capital gains formula

Paragraph III of Article 150 VH bis sets a single formula. The disposal price is reduced by a share of the total acquisition price, proportional to the weight of the disposal in the portfolio.

Gain = disposal price − (total acquisition price × disposal price ÷ overall portfolio value)

Each term has a precise definition. The disposal price is the actual price received or the value of the consideration obtained. It is reduced, on supporting evidence, by the costs borne by the seller. The total acquisition price adds up the sums paid in legal tender for all your previous acquisitions. It excludes exchanges placed under deferral.

The overall portfolio value adds up the value of all crypto-assets held at the time of the disposal. The form’s notice states that the storage medium does not matter. Foreign platforms, personal servers and offline devices all count in the calculation.

One detail often changes the result. According to the notice, costs reduce the disposal price in the first term of the formula. They are not deducted in the quotient “disposal price ÷ overall value”. The form therefore distinguishes two net prices.

How to fill in Form 2086 line by line

The template published in 2026 for 2025 income (cerfa no. 16043*07) provides five columns, one per disposal. Lines 211 to 224 concern filer 1. The same headings exist for filer 2 (lines 251 to 264) and for a dependant (lines 311 to 324).

Lines 211 and 212: date and portfolio value

Enter the date of the disposal on line 211. On line 212, enter the overall value of the portfolio at that precise moment. This valuation is redone at each taxable disposal, using the prices of the day.

Lines 213 to 218: the disposal price

Line 213 takes the disposal price and line 214 the disposal costs. Line 215 gives the price net of costs. Line 216 states any balancing payment received or paid. Line 217 gives the price net of balancing payments, which will be used in the quotient. Line 218 gives the price net of costs and balancing payments.

Lines 220 to 223: the total acquisition price

Line 220 shows the total acquisition price of the portfolio. Line 221 deducts the “fractions de capital initial” (fractions of initial capital) already used in previous disposals. Line 222 deducts balancing payments received in earlier exchanges. Line 223 gives the net total acquisition price.

Line 224, then lines 51 and 52: the result

For each disposal, the form applies the following calculation: line 218 − [line 223 × (line 217 ÷ line 212)]. Line 224 adds up the filer’s results. Line 51 totals the household’s disposal prices to test the €305 threshold. Line 52 gives the household’s net result, to be carried to Form 2042 C.

Worked example: two disposals in the same year

Take an example. Before March 2026, you bought crypto-assets for €8,000 in total, paid in euros. On 15 March 2026, your portfolio is worth €20,000. You sell for €5,000 against euros, with €50 of costs. In June, you buy crypto-assets again for €2,000. On 10 October, the portfolio is worth €16,000 and you sell for €4,000, with €40 of costs.

The June purchase brings the total acquisition price to €10,000. The first disposal has already used €2,000 of initial capital (8,000 × 5,000 ÷ 20,000). This amount goes on line 221 and the net price falls back to €8,000.

Without opting for the progressive scale, the gain of €4,910 bears 31.4%, i.e. €1,541.74. This total breaks down into €628.48 of income tax at 12.8% and €913.26 of social levies at 18.6%.

Carrying over the result: boxes 3AN, 3BN and 3CN

A net gain is carried to box 3AN of Form 2042 C. A net loss goes in box 3BN. If you file online, impots.gouv.fr states that appendix 2086 is completed at step 3 and feeds these boxes automatically.

Offsetting applies between the disposals of all members of the tax household made in the same year. A net loss cannot be set against gains on other assets and cannot be carried forward to later years.

Box 3CN is used to opt for the progressive income tax scale. Article 200 C provides for an express, irrevocable and global option, exercised when the return is filed. It covers all of the household’s crypto gains for the year. It is independent of the option provided for investment income. Compare both scenarios before ticking the box: every situation is different.

Mistakes that distort Form 2086

• Calculating the crypto gain crypto by crypto, instead of applying the whole-portfolio formula.
• Leaving wallets out of the overall value, in particular those held on a foreign platform or offline.
• Declaring exchanges between crypto-assets without a balancing payment, which do not have to appear on the form.
• Omitting a payment made in crypto-assets, even though an exchange for goods or a service is a disposal.
• Deducting costs in the quotient, even though they only reduce the first term of the calculation.
• Not attaching Form 2086 because disposals remain below €305.

An account opened abroad also calls for a separate declaration. Our article on Form 3916-bis details this obligation. Finally, keep your statements and evidence of costs: Article 150 VH bis only allows costs to be deducted on supporting evidence. These documents become decisive in a crypto tax audit.

When should you consult a lawyer?

Form 2086 quickly becomes complex with repurchases, balancing payments or several platforms. A crypto tax lawyer checks the classification of each transaction and the consistency of the amounts declared. Maître Arnaud Touati and the firm’s team assist you in this process.

FAQ on Form 2086

Do I need to fill in Form 2086 if I have only bought crypto-assets?
No. A purchase in euros is not a disposal for consideration, and Form 2086 only lists disposals. If your account is held by a platform established abroad, Form 3916-3916 bis is still due.

Do exchanges of bitcoin for another crypto have to be declared on Form 2086?
No, if they take place without a balancing payment. They benefit from a tax deferral and the 2026 guide states that they do not have to be declared. The gain will be taxed on a later taxable disposal.

Does a crypto loss reduce tax in later years?
No. The year’s net loss is declared in box 3BN. It cannot be carried forward to later years and cannot be set against other categories of capital gains.

How do I determine the overall value of my portfolio?
Add up the value of all your crypto-assets at the exact time of the disposal, whatever their storage medium. Keep a record of the prices used for each asset and for each disposal date.

Official sources

• Article 150 VH bis of the French Tax Code (Code général des impôts), regime for gains on crypto-assets – Légifrance (in French)
• Article 200 C of the French Tax Code (Code général des impôts), 12.8% rate and option for the progressive scale – Légifrance (in French)
• Form no. 2086 (cerfa 16043*07) and its notice, gains or losses made in 2025 – impots.gouv.fr (in French)
• “Brochure pratique de l’impôt sur le revenu 2026” (practical income tax guide), gains on disposals of digital assets, pp. 147-148 – impots.gouv.fr (in French)
• BOI-RPPM-PVBMC-30-10, scope and taxable transactions – BOFiP-Impôts (in French)
• “Comment déclarer les plus ou moins-values sur cessions d’actifs numériques ?” (How do I declare gains or losses on disposals of digital assets?), page updated on 17/07/2026 – impots.gouv.fr (in French)
• Fact sheet F2329, social levies on investment and property income – service-public.gouv.fr (in French)

This article sets out the law verified as at 5 October 2026 for general information purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Every situation is different and deserves a dedicated analysis.