Hungary Crypto Tax Guide

Hungary cryptocurrency taxation for 2026. The guide covers: the 15% SZJA on crypto gains — the crypto gains are taxed as "other income" (the "egyéb jövedelem" — the "other income") at the flat rate of 15%; the no EHO/szocho on crypto — the crypto gains are NOT subject to the social contribution tax (the "szocho" or the "EHO" — the "egészségügyi hozzájárulás" — the "health contribution") since 2023; the no VAT on crypto — the crypto transactions are VAT-exempt following the EU Court of Justice ruling in the "Hedqvist" case (C-264/14); the NAV guidance — the official guidance published by the NAV on the crypto classification, the valuation, and the reporting; the MNB licensing — the crypto exchanges and the custodians must register with the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (the "MNB" — the "Hungarian National Bank") under the Act LIII of 2017; the crypto as other income since 2022 — the legislative amendment effective from 2022 clarified the crypto tax treatment.

Crypto Gains — 15% SZJA (Egyéb jövedelem)

Taxed as other income (egyéb jövedelem): Since the 2022 legislative amendment to the "Szja törvény" (the "Personal Income Tax Act" — Act CXVII of 1995), the crypto gains are classified as the "egyéb jövedelem" (the "other income") under the Section 28(37) of the Act. The gains are taxed at the standard flat rate of 15% SZJA.
Calculation of the gain: The taxable gain is the difference between the "bevétel" (the "proceeds" from the disposal of the crypto) and the "költség" (the "cost" — the acquisition cost of the crypto). The cost includes the purchase price plus the transaction fees. The gain is calculated per transaction — each disposal of the crypto triggers the taxable event.
Loss offset: The crypto losses (the "veszteség" — the "losses") may be offset against the crypto gains within the same tax year. The net loss may be carried forward for up to 5 years against the future crypto gains. The loss offset is available only for the losses realised in the same tax year as the gains (the current-year netting) or the losses carried forward from the previous years.
No tax-free threshold: Unlike the some other countries, Hungary does NOT provide the tax-free allowance for the crypto gains. The entire gain is subject to the 15% SZJA from the first forint. The "adómentes" (the "tax-free") threshold does NOT apply to the crypto income.

No EHO or Szocho on Crypto Gains

EHO exemption: The "egészségügyi hozzájárulás" (the "EHO" — the "health contribution") was previously applicable to the crypto gains at the rate of 13%. However, the legislative amendment effective from January 1, 2023 exempted the crypto gains from the EHO. The crypto gains are NOT subject to the EHO or the szocho.
No social contribution burden: The crypto investors enjoy the "clean" 15% tax rate with NO additional social contribution charge. This is the significant advantage compared to the other categories of the income (the "employment income", the "self-employment income") which are subject to the combined social contribution burden of 20% (the employee) plus 13% (the employer szocho) — the total effective rate of 33% on top of the 15% SZJA.
No VAT on crypto transactions: Following the EU Court of Justice ruling in the "Hedqvist" case (C-264/14), the exchange of the crypto for the fiat currency and the exchange between the different crypto assets are VAT-exempt under Article 135(1)(e) of the EU VAT Directive. The crypto mining services and the staking services are also VAT-exempt. However, the crypto-related services (the advisory, the wallet services, the ATM services) are subject to the standard 27% ÁFA.

NAV Guidance on Crypto Taxation

Official NAV guidance: The NAV has published the comprehensive guidance on the "virtuális pénznem" (the "virtual currency") taxation — the "NAV tájékoztató a virtuális pénznemek adózásáról" (the "NAV guidance on the taxation of the virtual currencies"). The guidance covers: (a) the classification of the crypto as the "other income", (b) the valuation methods (the "FIFO or the specific identification"), (c) the reporting requirements, (d) the documentation requirements.
Valuation — FIFO or specific identification: The taxpayer may use the "FIFO" (the "First In, First Out" method) or the "specific identification" method for the calculation of the cost base. The "average cost" method is NOT permitted for the crypto transactions. The valuation method must be applied consistently.
Fair market value in HUF: The proceeds from the crypto disposal must be converted to HUF at the "fair market value" at the time of the transaction. The NAV accepts the exchange rates from the "MNB árfolyam" (the "Hungarian National Bank exchange rate"), the "BLX" (the "Budapest Liquidity Index" — the "Budapest Liquidity Index"), or the major exchange rates (the "Binance, the Coinbase, the Kraken").

MNB Licensing for Crypto Exchanges

Registration with the MNB: The crypto exchanges and the crypto custodians (the "virtuális pénztárca-szolgáltatók" — the "virtual wallet service providers") must register with the MNB under the Act LIII of 2017 on the "Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing" (the "Pénzmosás és Terrorizmus Finanszírozása Elleni Törvény").
Regulatory requirements: The registered crypto service providers must comply with: (a) the AML/KYC requirements — the customer due diligence, the transaction monitoring, the suspicious transaction reporting; (b) the capital requirements — the minimum capital of HUF 50 million; (c) the IT security requirements — the secure custody of the client assets, the cyber insurance, the incident reporting; (d) the reporting — the quarterly reports to the MNB.
Tax reporting by the exchanges: The Hungarian crypto exchanges are required to report the client transaction data to the NAV on the annual basis. The exchanges must provide the "adatszolgáltatás" (the "data provision") including: the name, the address, the tax ID, the transaction volume, and the realised gains/losses of the clients.

Reporting Obligations

Annual SZJA return: The crypto gains must be reported on the annual "SZJA bevallás" (the "personal income tax return") under the "egyéb jövedelem" (the "other income") category on the "65-ös sor" (the "line 65") of the "SZJA nyomtatvány" (the "SZJA form").
Documentation requirements: The taxpayer must maintain the detailed records of: (a) each transaction (the date, the amount, the type, the counterparty), (b) the cost basis records (the purchase receipts, the exchange records, the transfer records), (c) the fair market value sources (the exchange rate screenshots, the MNB rates). The records must be retained for 5 years from the end of the tax year.
No separate crypto form: Unlike the some other countries, Hungary does NOT require the separate crypto tax form. The crypto gains are reported on the standard SZJA return. However, the NAV may request the detailed transaction records during the tax audit (the "adóellenőrzés" — the "tax audit").