Crypto futures tax calculator (India)
By BtcMedia Research · Updated
Platforms such as Delta Exchange India and CoinDCX say cash-settled crypto futures are not VDA trades, so neither the 30% tax nor the 1% TDS applies: profit is business income, taxed at your slab. But no CBDT circular or court ruling has confirmed it. This calculator works out your tax under both readings, so you can see what is at stake.
From real prices: A ₹1,00,000 bitcoin long, opened at one day's close and closed at the next, every day of tax year 2025-26 (365 trades, real daily prices), made just ₹395 in the year. The 30% VDA view would tax it ₹92,116, 233.2× the profit. The business-income view at the 30% slab: ₹123. Open this example in the calculator
Your futures year
Pre-filled with our guide’s example: ₹3 lakh of winning trades, ₹2 lakh of losing ones, 30% slab.
From your exchange P&L statement: add up only the trades that made money.
Add up only the losing trades, without a minus sign.
Deductible under the business-income view; ignored under the VDA view.
With USDT-margined futures, converting rupees to USDT and back is a VDA transfer: 31.2% under either view.
Result
You made ₹1,00,000 after costs. The 30% VDA view taxes ₹93,600, 93.6% of that. The exchanges’ business-income view at your 30% slab taxes ₹31,200. The gap: ₹62,400. Your losing trades are 66.7% of your winners. At 68.8%, the VDA view would take your whole profit.
| VDA view (30% rule) | Business-income view | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxable amount | ₹3,00,000 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Rate | 31.2% | 31.2% |
| Tax on futures | ₹93,600 | ₹31,200 |
| Tax on INR↔USDT gain | ₹0 | ₹0 |
| Left after tax | ₹6,400 | ₹68,800 |
| Loss you can carry forward | ₹0 | ₹0 |
| Tax as a share of what you made | 93.6% | 31.2% |
Turnover for a tax audit (profits + losses): ₹5,00,000 · under ₹1 crore
Income above ₹50 lakh: surcharge also applies and is not included here.
Assumptions: individual, resident. VDA view: 30% + 4% cess on every winning trade, no losses or costs deducted. Business-income view: net profit at your highest slab + 4% cess (your other income is assumed to already reach that slab; the 87A rebate and surcharge are not included).
A ₹1,00,000 daily long, tax year 2025-26
A 1x long of ₹1,00,000 opened at each day's close and closed at the next, from 1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026. Not advice or a strategy, just how far apart the two readings get in a busy trading year.
| Coin | Up / down days | Wins / losses | Net profit | VDA tax | Business tax (30%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTC | 183 / 182 | ₹2,95,243 / ₹2,94,848 | ₹395 | ₹92,116 | ₹123 |
| ETH | 189 / 176 | ₹5,17,360 / ₹4,65,283 | ₹52,077 | ₹1,61,416 | ₹16,248 |
ETH made ₹52,077 over the year; the 30% VDA view's tax is ₹1,61,416, 3.1× the profit. The more you trade, the wider the gap: the VDA rule counts every win and forgets every loss.
Prices: Bitstamp daily close (UTC) × ECB USD/INR. Spot closes stand in for futures prices; funding, fees and slippage are ignored. The stake is a flat ₹1 lakh each day (no compounding).
How the two readings work
The 30% rule (formerly section 115BBH) taxes income from the "transfer" of a VDA. In a cash-settled future no coin changes hands, only the difference is paid; that is the exchanges’ argument. If the tax office applied the VDA rule anyway, each winning trade would be taxed on its own and losses would count for nothing. Hence one number worth remembering: under the VDA view, once your losing trades reach 68.8% of your winning trades, the tax equals your entire profit.
Read more: Crypto futures tax in India: slab rate or 31.2%?
FAQ
How is crypto futures profit taxed in India?
It isn't settled. Exchanges treat it as business income: profit after losses and costs, at your slab rate plus 4% cess. The other reading is the 30% VDA rule: 31.2% on every winning trade, losses wasted. On ₹3 lakh of winning trades and ₹2 lakh of losing ones at the 30% slab, that is ₹31,200 against ₹93,600.
Is 1% TDS deducted on crypto futures?
Not according to Delta Exchange India and CoinDCX. TDS applies to spot crypto sales, not to their futures contracts.
Can crypto futures losses be set off?
Under the business-income view a loss can be carried forward. If it is treated as speculative, it can only offset speculative income, for 4 years; otherwise other business income, for 8 years. Under the 30% VDA view it can’t be used at all. This, too, is still open.
Which ITR form is used for crypto futures?
Filers treating futures as business income generally use ITR-3. Spot crypto and INR↔USDT conversion gains still go in Schedule VDA at 31.2%.
How is futures turnover counted?
Per the ICAI Guidance Note on Tax Audit, turnover for derivatives is the total of profits and losses (both as positive numbers), not the contract value. A tax audit applies above ₹1 crore, rising to ₹10 crore only when over 95% of transactions are digital.
Sources: Delta Exchange India: futures not VDA · CoinDCX: no TDS on futures · Income Tax Department: taxation of VDA · TaxGuru: crypto F&O analysis · Prices: Bitstamp daily close × ECB USD/INR. Exchange positions checked on 30 October 2026.
Not tax advice. This is an educational estimate and the law is not settled. With an active futures book, see a chartered accountant who handles derivatives before you file.
Related: Crypto tax calculator · Crypto loss set-off calculator · Crypto swap tax calculator · Advance tax calculator
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- Tool launched: crypto futures tax calculator. Works out futures and options P&L under both readings of the law, the 31.2% VDA rule on every winning trade and the exchanges’ business-income view at your slab, with the gap, the 68.8% loss line, INR-USDT conversion tax, loss carry-forward and tax-audit turnover. Real-price example: a ₹1 lakh daily BTC and ETH long through FY 2025-26.