The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee is preparing to consider two major cryptocurrency tax proposals on Sept. 16. The bills could reshape how miners, stakers and digital asset traders handle federal taxes.
The planned markup comes as lawmakers seek clearer tax rules for the growing digital asset industry. The proposals target two areas that have created uncertainty for taxpayers and crypto businesses.
Mining and Staking Tax Rules
The Tax Clarity for Mining and Staking Act, H.R. 9175, would allow qualifying miners and stakers to defer income recognition on newly generated tokens.
Under the proposal, taxpayers could wait until they dispose of the tokens before recognizing income. The income would generally remain subject to ordinary income treatment.
That change could address a key problem for miners and stakers. They can receive tokens without having enough cash from a sale to c over a tax bill. Therefore, deferring the taxable event could improve cash-flow management for participants who hold their rewards.
The bill forms part of a broader House effort to establish clearer digital asset tax rules.
Wash-Sale Rules Could Expand
The second measure, H.R. 9172, would apply existing wash-sale and constructive-sale rules to digital assets.
Current securities rules generally restrict investors from claiming certain losses when they sell and quickly repurchase substantially similar assets. Applying similar restrictions to crypto could reduce the tax advantages available to traders who harvest losses and then rapidly reacquire the same tokens.
The proposal could also affect federal tax revenue. Previous estimates have suggested that extending wash-sale rules to digital assets could generate significant revenue over time.
What Comes Next for Crypto Tax Policy
The Sept. 16 committee action would represent an important step, but it would not make either proposal law. Lawmakers could amend the bills before any committee vote, followed by further consideration in the House and Senate.
The debate also reflects a broader push to modernize U.S. cryptocurrency tax policy. Industry participants have argued that clearer rules could reduce uncertainty and make compliance easier, while lawmakers continue to weigh enforcement and revenue concerns.
