Belgium DAC8 and CARF: What Crypto Providers Report from 2026
Belgium implemented the EU DAC8 crypto-reporting rules through the Law of 16 March 2026, published on 1 April 2026. Reporting crypto-asset service providers must perform due diligence, collect prescribed user data and report to SPF Finance. This is an information-reporting system: it does not create a new crypto tax or calculate the Belgian taxpayer’s taxable profit.
What changed in Belgium in 2026?
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Start for free →The first DAC8 reporting period started on 1 January 2026. Belgium's Law of 16 March 2026 transposed the EU directive and adapted the national administrative-cooperation framework. SPF Finance launched its dedicated CARF-DAC8 information section in August 2026 for reporting crypto-asset service providers, commonly described as RCASPs.
The rules require an in-scope provider to carry out due diligence, collect information for users who are not excluded persons and report the prescribed data to SPF Finance. SPF Finance then automatically exchanges relevant information with the competent authority of a partner jurisdiction where the reportable user is resident.
CARF is not the Common Reporting Standard
| Framework | Purpose | Role in Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| OECD CARF | international standard for due diligence, crypto reporting and automatic exchange | provides the global model and data categories |
| DAC8 | EU directive extending administrative cooperation to crypto-assets | requires EU-wide implementation and exchange |
| Belgian Law of 16 March 2026 | national transposition and administrative framework | creates duties for reporting providers and SPF Finance |
| CRS | separate OECD standard focused on financial-account information | related transparency framework, but not another name for CARF |
CARF means Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework. CARF and the Common Reporting Standard are designed to interact and reduce duplicate reporting, but they remain distinct standards.
Belgian implementation and timeline
- 1 January 2026: first EU reference period begins.
- 16 March 2026: Belgian transposition law is dated.
- 1 April 2026: the law is published in the Belgian Official Gazette.
- During 2026: providers collect self-certifications and transaction information under the applicable due-diligence rules.
- By 30 June 2027: in-scope providers submit 2026 information under Article 326/15(4). By 30 September 2027: the first EU authority-to-authority exchange is due.
The 30 September date is an exchange deadline for tax authorities, not the filing deadline for a Belgian individual's income tax return. The Belgian provider submission deadline is 30 June of the following year; check the current SPF Finance portal for the secure submission procedure and technical specifications.
What information can a crypto provider report?
The reporting set combines tax identity with aggregated activity for each relevant crypto-asset. Depending on the user and transaction type, it can include:
- name, address, jurisdiction of tax residence, tax identification number and date or place of birth where required;
- for entities, identifying information and potentially controlling persons;
- the provider's identifying details;
- aggregate gross amounts, units and transaction counts for acquisitions and disposals against fiat currency;
- crypto-to-crypto exchanges, reportable retail payments and transfers;
- transfers to distributed-ledger addresses not known to be associated with another provider, where the framework requires that information.
This is not necessarily a perfect transaction-by-transaction copy of the user's economic history. Aggregated gross proceeds do not prove net profit. A provider may know that assets left its platform but not know whether they went to the user's own hardware wallet, another owner or a DeFi protocol. It may also lack the acquisition cost from an earlier platform.
Are self-custody, DeFi and foreign exchanges outside the system?
A self-custody wallet is not automatically a reporting provider. However, the provider sending assets to it may report the outgoing transfer or address under the applicable rules. When assets later return to an exchange, the taxpayer needs an ownership trail to explain why the movement was not a disposal and where the historical cost came from.
Foreign providers can also fall within CARF or DAC8 through registration, residence, place of business or the users they serve. It is unsafe to publish a fixed list saying that every account at Binance, Coinbase or Kraken is always reported in exactly the same way. Scope depends on the contracting entity, service, jurisdiction and registration status.
Staking, lending, wrapped tokens, liquidity pools and NFT-like assets require a second analysis. A service or transaction can be reportable without having one automatic Belgian tax classification. The Belgium staking and DeFi guide explains why protocol mechanics still matter.
Does DAC8 decide the Belgian tax treatment?
No. Separate from DAC8, the Law of 6 April 2026 introduced financial-asset capital-gains taxation applicable from 1 January 2026, including covered crypto-assets. Normal private-wealth management is therefore no longer automatically an exempt 2026 gain: the general route uses 10 percent after the applicable annual exemptions. Speculative or abnormal private activity and professional activity require their own treatment. Reporting under DAC8 does not choose the category, calculate proven acquisition value or apply exemptions.
A gross sale reported by an exchange can therefore differ substantially from the amount relevant to the Belgian return. A transfer between own wallets can appear in provider data without being a sale. Conversely, a taxable on-chain swap can be absent from a centralised exchange's records. Use the Belgium crypto tax guide for the tax categories and keep the reporting layer separate.
How Belgian users should prepare
- Confirm that every provider has the correct legal name, tax residence and TIN.
- Download original CSV files, statements and annual reports before accounts are closed.
- Record own-wallet addresses, transaction hashes and evidence of ownership.
- Combine all exchanges and wallets in one chronological transaction history.
- Separate gross provider-reportable amounts from acquisition costs and calculated gains.
- Flag missing cost, unknown prices and unresolved DeFi positions instead of replacing them with zero.
- Compare the exchange totals with the multi-exchange Belgium report and document each difference.
The goal is not to force the tax calculation to equal a provider's gross aggregate. A defensible reconciliation explains each difference: own-wallet transfer, cost acquired elsewhere, fee, unsupported asset, timing difference or different aggregation rule.
Common misunderstandings
- “CARF creates a new crypto tax”: it creates an information-reporting framework, not a rate.
- “The authority receives a perfect profit figure”: reported gross values may omit external cost and context.
- “Only EU exchanges matter”: non-EU providers can be in scope under registration and nexus rules.
- “A reported transfer is automatically taxable”: reporting and tax character are different questions.
- “Self-custody is invisible”: an involved provider may know and report the transfer or address.
EUR 16,000 reported proceeds are not EUR 16,000 of taxable gain
Assume a fictional individual resident in Belgium throughout 2026, whose qualifying token transactions are confirmed as normal private-wealth management. The tokens were purchased after 1 January 2026 for a proven EUR 5,000 and sold in 2026 for EUR 16,000. There are no fees, other covered gains, losses or relevant adjustments. The provider may report EUR 16,000 gross sale proceeds; the separate gain calculation is EUR 16,000 − EUR 5,000 = EUR 11,000. Applying the EUR 10,000 annual basic exemption for income year 2026 gives EUR 1,000 at 10 percent, or EUR 100 under these assumptions.
The exemption belongs to the taxpayer’s covered annual total, not to each exchange account. A separate EUR 7,000 transfer to the person’s own wallet may appear in provider transfer data without becoming a second gain. Retain the purchase proof, sale confirmation and wallet ownership link instead of turning EUR 23,000 of movements into taxable income.
If the same tokens were already held before 2026, the law’s 31 December 2025 valuation and transitional rules require a different cost review; the EUR 5,000 above cannot simply be copied. If the activity is speculative or professional, this example’s general 10 percent route may not apply. CARF does not settle either question. The capital-gains law and SPF Finance circular reproduced in full, paragraphs 92 and 118–120 explain why crypto reporting and the individual declaration remain separate.
Frequently asked questions
Did Belgium implement DAC8?
Yes. SPF Finance identifies the Law of 16 March 2026, published on 1 April 2026, as the Belgian transposition framework.
Do users file a personal CARF form?
CARF/DAC8 reporting is generally performed by the in-scope provider. Users must supply accurate self-certification data and still file their own tax returns.
Are the first reports about 2025?
No. The first EU reference period starts in 2026. The first authority exchange for that period is due by 30 September 2027.
Does CARF show the taxable gain?
Not necessarily. It mainly reports identity and transaction aggregates; external acquisition costs, ownership transfers and Belgian classification still require reconciliation.
Is moving crypto to my own wallet taxable?
A genuine transfer retaining ownership is not a disposal merely because it moves, but the ownership chain and fees should be documented.
Can a non-EU exchange be reportable?
Yes. CARF/DAC8 contain nexus and registration rules for providers serving reportable users; the contracting entity and service must be checked.
Belgian Official Gazette: reporting law, Article 326/15(4) — first reference period from 1 January 2026, annual provider deadline 30 June.
Official sources
- SPF Finance Belgium: CARF-DAC8 and the Law of 16 March 2026
- European Commission: DAC8
- OECD: Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework
Legal and source review completed 9 October 2026.
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Start for free →Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute tax advice. For individual tax advice, consult a licensed tax professional.