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Is this crypto airdrop taxable in the UK?

Paste a claim transaction hash. We'll identify the receipt, show its available GBP value, and explain which service, condition and trade facts determine the UK tax treatment.

For informational purposes only. Not tax advice. Verify with a qualified tax adviser.

We check the transaction against ChainTax's supported airdrop evidence rules. Result is informational, so verify with a qualified tax adviser.

Check a receipt in three steps

  1. Find the public transaction hash for the claim or receipt in your wallet or block explorer.
  2. Select Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base or Polygon, or let the checker try to find the network.
  3. Review the token, available GBP price and what you did to qualify. The transaction cannot establish those off-chain facts by itself.

No account or wallet connection needed. Only a public transaction hash; never enter a seed phrase or private key.

Don't have a transaction hash? Start with the UK airdrop tax guide to understand which facts determine income and later gains.

How HMRC assesses airdrops

The claim transaction is evidence of receipt. The Income Tax result still depends on the facts around it.

1

Confirm what was done in return

HMRC says Income Tax does not always apply. Ask whether the tokens were provided for a service or condition, or as part of a trade (CRYPTO21250).

2

If the receipt is income

The receipt-date GBP value is used for the income working and normally enters the Section 104 pool as cost, so a later sale can be matched for Capital Gains Tax.

3

Consider the later disposal separately

A later disposal can create a chargeable gain even if Income Tax did not apply on receipt. HMRC says the tokens enter their Section 104 pool (CRYPTO22350).

Illustrative income scenario: 400 tokens valued at £457

  • Facts assumed: the receipt was in return for a service, so £457 is miscellaneous income. This is an invented example, not a conclusion about any named airdrop.
  • Later sale: sell all 400 tokens at £0.80 → £320 proceeds. With no other holdings, no fees and no same-day or following-30-day purchases, the £457 pool cost gives a £137 capital loss.
  • Net effect: income tax on £457 plus a CGT loss of £137 available against other gains. If the original facts differ, this scenario and its pool cost must be reviewed.

What to save with your airdrop tax records

  • The receipt date, network, token quantity and transaction reference.
  • The eligibility terms and evidence of any work, service or conditions involved.
  • The receipt-date GBP value and its source, or a clear note that the price is missing.
  • Any later sales and other purchases of the same token across all your accounts.

Once the receipt facts are checked, the UK crypto tax calculator can bring supported income and disposal history together. A single claim check is not a complete tax calculation.

Source: HMRC Cryptoassets Manual CRYPTO21250 and CRYPTO22350. Further reading: full airdrop tax guide and how income classification works.

UK airdrop tax: the rules in plain English

What HMRC treats as taxable, how to report it, and where the traps are.

Are crypto airdrops taxable in the UK?
It depends on the facts. HMRC says Income Tax does not always apply to airdrops received in a personal capacity. Tokens received in return for, or in expectation of, a service are taxable as miscellaneous income or trade receipts. Income Tax may not apply when nothing was done in return and the receipt was not part of a cryptoasset trade or business. A later disposal can still create a chargeable gain. Source: HMRC Cryptoassets Manual, CRYPTO21250.
When is a "free" airdrop NOT taxable as income?
Income Tax may not apply if tokens were received without doing anything in return, were not related to a service or other conditions, and were not part of a cryptoasset trade or business. Whether you clicked a claim contract is evidence of receipt, but it does not by itself answer what, if anything, you did in return. Keep the eligibility terms and review the facts under HMRC CRYPTO21250. Capital Gains Tax can still apply on a later disposal.
How do I report an airdrop on Self Assessment?
If the airdrop is taxable as miscellaneous income, the receipt-date GBP value is reported on SA100 (the main return) under "Other income"; trade receipts follow the relevant trade rules. SA108 is for a later chargeable disposal, not the income receipt. ChainTax currently uses a conservative income treatment and keeps the facts review visible before positive review.
What's the difference between an airdrop and a hard fork?
A hard fork (e.g. ETH/ETC, BTC/BCH) splits an existing chain into two. HMRC CRYPTO22300 applies section 43 and splits the original holding cost between the resulting Section 104 pools on a just and reasonable basis; the fork itself is not new income. An airdrop is a distribution from an existing project, and its income treatment depends on whether it was received in return for an activity or as part of a trade. The mechanism and facts matter.
How is the GBP value at receipt date worked out?
When the receipt is taxable as income, the GBP market value on the receipt date is required. ChainTax uses the claim timestamp to select that date and looks up a supported daily GBP price through PriceCache → Kraken → DefiLlama → CoinGecko, with ECB FX conversion where needed. If no supported price is available, the valuation remains visibly missing rather than being guessed.
What if I later sell my airdropped tokens at a loss?
If the receipt was taxable as income, a later fall in value does not undo that receipt-date income. The later disposal is a separate Capital Gains Tax computation and may create an allowable loss. If Income Tax did not apply on receipt, the acquisition cost used for the later pool calculation may differ, so confirm the original facts first.
Which airdrops does this checker recognise?
The checker identifies the receipt mechanism for UNI, ENS, 1INCH, OP, ARB, and Mint Club distributor contracts. A recognised contract can identify a claim and its asset flows, but cannot establish the service, condition or trade facts that determine Income Tax. Other one-sided receipts may use a heuristic and require additional review. Hard forks, faucets and token migrations use different mechanisms.

Bring supported airdrops, swaps, and LP activity into one report

This tool checks one transaction at a time. ChainTax identifies supported airdrop receipts, records available receipt-date GBP evidence, keeps the service/condition/trade facts visible, and carries the confirmed treatment into the Section 104 working.

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