How to calculate your crypto portfolio return
Crypto portfolio return is current value plus withdrawals minus deposits, divided by deposits. Record every fee and reward before you value holdings.
Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief
Updated Oct 6, 20263 min readFact-checked
On this page
You will gather your transaction history, choose one valuation date, and run the numbers, using a money-weighted or time-weighted return if cash moved at different times.
What you need before you start
A return calculation is only as good as the records behind it.
How to calculate crypto portfolio return
Use one currency and one date for every holding.
- 1Pick currency and dateChoose one currency, such as US dollars, and one date and time. Value every coin and balance at that moment.
- 2Separate rewards from depositsStaking rewards, airdrops, and mining income count as portfolio inflows. They are not deposits, so do not add them to your deposit total.
- 3Add up net depositsAdd the dollars you actually put in. If a fee came out of a deposit, use the net amount and do not add it again. Do not use today's value for an old buy.
- 4Add up withdrawalsAdd cash or crypto you took out. Subtract any fee you paid to sell or send, because that cost lowers what you received.
- 5Choose the right formulaFor one deposit, return is current value minus net deposits, divided by net deposits. With several cash flows, a simple version adds withdrawals and subtracts net deposits, but it ignores timing, so use a money-weighted or time-weighted return.
- 6Run and cross-checkEnter your numbers and compare the result with any gain your exchange shows. Exchange screens often ignore outside deposits and withdrawals.
What to do after you calculate
The IRS treats crypto as property, and selling, trading, or paying with it usually is taxable, while buying with US dollars is not.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Fees reduce your return. If a fee came out of a deposit, use the net amount and do not add it again.
Add each purchase's actual dollar cost at the time you bought. A money-weighted return handles several buys better than a simple average.
Realized return comes from crypto you sold, traded, or paid out. Unrealized return is the gain or loss on what you still hold.
Yes. Use columns for date, type, asset, amount, price, and fee, then check the app against your records.
