Senior Member 2,012
9,234
Jan 2024
Minneapolis, MN
Sep 25, 2024 at 1:58 AM#5 I'm going to answer this very carefully because I'm a CPA and I have to give the correct answer:
Legally, you are required to report ALL crypto transactions regardless of the coin's privacy features. The IRS doesn't care if it's BTC, ETH, or XMR. Taxable event is a taxable event.
Practically — you're right that Monero transactions are much harder (arguably impossible currently) for the IRS to trace. But:
1. The on-ramp is usually traceable (buying XMR on an exchange)
2. The IRS is getting better at blockchain analytics every year
3. Tax evasion penalties are way worse than just paying the (probably small) tax
My professional advice: report it. For a $200 supplement purchase, the actual tax owed is probably under $5. Not worth the risk. Keep a simple spreadsheet: date, amount, cost basis, value at time of spend. Takes 30 seconds per transaction.
This is not legal advice, just one CPA's perspective 📊