Purpose of This Article
Between December 2017 and December 2025, the National Tax Agency published ten editions of its guidance on crypto-asset taxation, commonly called the Crypto-Asset FAQ. This article showswhen and what each edition changedin one overview.
One formal distinction matters. Each edition is issued as an administrative “Information” notice with an attached FAQ. Links on the NTA index end in “(Information),” while the attachment inside the PDF is titled “(FAQ).” This article uses the index link wording as the title.
Tracking editions matters for two reasons. Question numbers shift, so a reference to Question 30 means different things in different editions. Also, when reviewing past tax years, it helps to know what the NTA said at the time.
For an overview of crypto-asset taxation itself, see Crypto-Asset Taxes: What Should You Read? We are dealing with that.
Overview
| Publication Date | Title (Index Link Wording) | Number of Questions | Main Changes in This Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2017 | Calculating Income from Virtual Currencies, etc. (Information) | 9 | First edition: nine questions numbered 1–9, without tax-specific chapters. |
| November 21, 2018 | Tax Treatment of Virtual Currencies (Information) | 21 | Tax-specific chapters were introduced and numbering expanded to 1–21, adding inheritance and gift tax, withholding income tax, consumption tax, and statutory reporting. |
| December 20, 2019 | Tax Treatment of Virtual Currencies (Information) | 32 | Corporation tax became a separate chapter. Income tax questions increased from eight to thirteen. |
| December 18, 2020 | Tax Treatment of Crypto-Assets (Information) | 32 | Question count and structure remained unchanged, while “virtual currency” was replaced with “crypto-asset.” |
| June 30, 2021 | Tax Treatment of Crypto-Assets (Information) | 33 | Question 30, Fees for Lending Crypto-Assets, was added to consumption tax. This is the only midyear publication among the ten editions. |
| December 22, 2021 | Tax Treatment of Crypto-Assets (Information) | 33 | Headings for Questions 6 and 25 changed; the question count did not. |
| December 22, 2022 | Tax Treatment of Crypto-Assets (Information) | 34 | Sequential numbering changed to chapter-and-subnumber format. Question 1-7, Crypto-Asset Transactions by Nonresidents or Foreign Corporations, was added. |
| December 25, 2023 | Tax Treatment of Crypto-Assets (Information) | 45 | Corporation tax split into crypto-assets and electronic payment instruments, adding eleven questions. Update/addition notes appeared in the table of contents. |
| December 20, 2024 | Tax Treatment of Crypto-Assets (Information) | 47 | Questions 1-4, Donations Using Crypto-Assets, and 3-1-11, Crypto-Assets Qualifying as Specified Transfer-Restricted Crypto-Assets, were added, shifting subsequent numbers. |
| December 26, 2025 | Tax Treatment of Crypto-Assets, etc. (Information) (December 2025) | 47 | “Etc.” was added to the index link wording, though it already appeared in the 2023 and 2024 PDF titles. Only Question 2-2 carries a current-update note. |
How Did the Questions Grow Across Ten Editions?
In publication order, question counts were 9, 21, 32, 32, 33, 33, 34, 45, 47, and 47—more than fivefold growth from the first nine to the latest forty-seven.
Growth was uneven. Of nine revisions after the first edition, three added at least ten questions. Others added zero to two; December 2024 increased the count from 45 to 47.
| Editions with Major Increases | Change in Question Count | New Content |
|---|---|---|
| November 21, 2018 Edition | From 9 to 21 Questions | Chapters on inheritance and gift tax, withholding income tax, consumption tax, and statutory reporting expanded the taxes covered. |
| December 20, 2019 Edition | From 21 to 32 Questions | Corporation tax became a separate chapter with six questions. Income tax questions increased from eight to thirteen. |
| December 25, 2023 Edition | From 34 to 45 Questions | Corporation tax split into 3-1 Crypto-Assets and 3-2 Electronic Payment Instruments, adding seven and four questions respectively. |
Three editions left the question count unchanged: December 2020, December 2021, and December 2025. Yet each changed something: terminology in 2020, two headings in 2021, and an update note on one question in 2025.Question counts alone miss differences between editions.
How Did Chapters and Numbering Change?
The ten editions show two distinct changes: introduction of tax-specific chapters and replacement of sequential numbering with chapter-based numbering.
The first, December 2017 edition numbered questions 1–9. The second, November 2018 edition added chapters such as Matters Common to Income and Corporation Tax, while keeping sequential question numbers 1–21.
Sequential numbering changed toa combination of chapter and subnumberin the seventh edition, December 2022. Questions 1-1 to 1-7 covered common income/corporation tax matters; 2-1 to 2-13 income tax; 3-1 to 3-6 corporation tax; 4-1 and 4-2 inheritance/gift tax; 5-1 withholding; 6-1 and 6-2 consumption tax; and 7-1 to 7-3 statutory reporting.
The next year added another level. The December 2023 corporation-tax split introduced three-part numbers such as 3-1-1.
Consequently, questions with the same heading have different numbers across editions.
- Whether Reporting in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities Is Required was Question 19 in November 2018, 30 in December 2019 and 2020, 31 in both 2021 editions, and 7-1 in the latest edition.
- Fees for Lending Crypto-Assets was Question 30 when introduced in June 2021 and is now 6-2.
- Treatment of Transfers of Crypto-Assets at Low or No Consideration was Question 16 in June 2021 and is now 2-10.
If an older commentary cites only a question number, verify the edition or you may reach the wrong question.
The Terminology Changed Only Once
The title changed from “virtual currency” to “crypto-asset” beginning in December 2020. This happened once across the ten editions: the first three, through December 2019, used virtual currency; the remaining seven used crypto-asset.
The background lies in tax reform. “Crypto-asset” first appeared in the FY2020 Tax Reform Outline, approved by Cabinet on December 20, 2019, although “virtual currency” remained there too. Following Payment Services Act amendments, the Outline referred to miscellaneous income, etc. from crypto-asset derivatives.
The dates reveal the sequence. Cabinet approval of the FY2020 Outline on December 20, 2019 coincided with the third FAQ edition, whose title still read Tax Treatment of Virtual Currencies (Information).The FAQ terminology changed a year after the Outline’s wording.
The index link added “etc.” in December 2025, but the 2023 and 2024 PDF titles already included it. Keep index wording separate from PDF titles. For the statutory definition of crypto-assets, see How does the tax law define "cryptoassets"? We are dealing with that.
How Do Revisions Differ Between Tax-Reform and Other Years?
Some tax reform outlines mention virtual currencies or crypto-assets, while others do not. Neither term appears in the FY2018, FY2021, or FY2022 outlines. No mention was found in the reviewed portions of the FY2025 Outline—Chapter 1, Individual Income Taxation, and Chapter 7, Tax Administration Environment.
Editions following outlines that addressed the topic added corporation-tax questions.
- The FY2019 Outline prescribed fair-value measurement and recognition of gains or losses for virtual currencies with active markets held by corporations at year-end. Correspondingly, December 2019 introduced the corporation-tax chapter. This valuation framework is discussed in Are companies taxed just by having them? We are dealing with that.
- The FY2023 Outline excluded self-issued crypto-assets continuously held since issuance and subject to transfer restrictions from fair-value measurement. December 2023 added Question 3-1-9, Crypto-Assets Qualifying as Specified Self-Issued Crypto-Assets.
- The FY2024 Outline allowed selection between cost and fair-value methods for market crypto-assets subject to transfer restrictions and other conditions. December 2024 added Question 3-1-11, Crypto-Assets Qualifying as Specified Transfer-Restricted Crypto-Assets.
Editions in years without Outline references changed less: June 2021, December 2021, and December 2022 had 33, 33, and 34 questions. December 2022 nevertheless reorganized the numbering.In years without legislative change, revisions tend toward rewording headings and organizing structure rather than adding questions.
The latest December 2025 edition appeared on December 26, 2025, the same day Cabinet approved the FY2026 Outline. Only Question 2-2 carries an update note. This article has not checked whether the Outline’s content is reflected in that edition.
Points that require care in practice
- Three pairs have identical counts: 32 questions in December 2019 and 2020, 33 in June and December 2021, and 47 in December 2024 and 2025. Counts alone cannot distinguish them.
- The 32-question editions differ in terminology: “virtual currency” identifies December 2019.
- The 33-question editions differ in Question 6’s heading. Acquisition of Crypto-Assets through Mining, Staking, Lending, etc. identifies December 2021.
- Distinguish the 47-question editions by the publication date at the start of the PDF: December 20, 2024 or December 26, 2025. Both PDF titles contain “etc.”
- Only 2021 had two editions in one year. “The 2021 edition” does not identify whether June 30 or December 22 is intended.
- Since December 2023, table-of-contents entries carry Updated/Added in [year/month] notes. The latest contents show when each question changed at a glance. Earlier editions lack these notes.
- Older PDFs are on the archive page rather than the latest-edition index. Links appear in the sources below.
Individual articles address the editions’ substantive content. For income classification, see Which category of income do individual cryptoasset earnings fall under? Please see
Sources
- National Tax Agency: Tax Treatment of Crypto-Assets, etc. (Information) (December 2025), published December 26, 2025 PDF
- National Tax Agency: Archived Information on Crypto-Assets List
Additional Authorities and Sources
- National Tax Agency: Archived Information on Crypto-Assets
- December 1, 2017 Edition (Sequential Questions 1–9)
- November 21, 2018 Edition (21 Questions; Tax-Specific Chapters)
- December 25, 2023 Edition (45 Questions; “Etc.” in PDF Title)
- December 20, 2024 Edition (47 Questions; “Etc.” in PDF Title)
- National Tax Agency: Tax Treatment of Crypto-Assets, etc. (FAQ), December 26, 2025
Sources checked September 7, 2026.
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