House Ways and Means releases crypto tax bill ahead of September 16 markup

The House Ways and Means Committee released a 114-page Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act on September 14, setting the stage for formal committee markup on September 16. According to Crypto Briefing, the bill, filed as H.R. 10357, represents the first comprehensive legislative framework to codify crypto tax treatment across multiple categories: transaction fees, staking, mining, stablecoins, and wash-sales.

The framework proposes a $10 exemption for blockchain network and transaction fees below that threshold that would not trigger a taxable event, per Crypto Briefing. That exemption does not apply to users who executed more than 5,000 transfers in the prior year, limiting relief to retail participants only.

Mining and staking rewards would be classified as ordinary income upon receipt, Crypto Briefing reports. An earlier proposal that would have allowed miners and stakers to defer taxation on unique tokens was stripped from the final text. Validators face tax liability the moment rewards hit their wallets, regardless of whether they have sold anything, according to the outlet.

The bill codifies wash-sale rules for crypto, bringing crypto in line with traditional securities, Crypto Briefing states. Qualified US dollar stablecoins receive special treatment throughout the legislation, including exclusion from wash-sale and constructive-sale rules. The bill also establishes a framework for digital asset lending where loans involving crypto as collateral would not trigger taxable events, per Crypto Briefing.

Simplified accounting rules for widely traded digital assets are included, according to Crypto Briefing. Bipartisan negotiations shaped the final text, the outlet reports. The committee dedicated a hearing to crypto taxation on June 9, 2026, and a series of narrower proposals were introduced in June focusing on specific concerns such as wash-sale applicability and charitable donation appraisal relief.