Overview
Crypto Trader Example — beancount.io
A comprehensive Beancount ledger demonstrating every major cryptocurrency accounting scenario: purchases, trading, staking, mining, DeFi, NFTs, and tax planning. Ledger notes
Financial position
Net worth and the accounts that make it up
Money movement
Monthly income and spending by account category
September 2026
Recent activity
Posting-aware activity from the journal
Transactions
Newest transactions matching the current dashboard filters
Income vs Expenses
Income vs Expenses
Bar chart comparing total income and expenses for each interval in the selected period.
Balance Sheet
Assets Distribution
Visual representation of Crypto Trader Example — beancount.io assets composition
Liabilities Distribution
Visual representation of Crypto Trader Example — beancount.io liabilities composition
No Data Available
Cash Flow
Cash Flow
Money flow from income sources to expenses and investments
Loading account roles…
README.md
Crypto Accounting Example — beancount.io
A comprehensive Beancount ledger demonstrating every major cryptocurrency accounting scenario: purchases, trading, staking, mining, DeFi, NFTs, and tax planning.
Companion blog post: Complete Guide to Cryptocurrency Accounting with Beancount
Quick Start
bash
make install # Install beancount + fava via uv
make check # Verify the ledger has zero errors
make serve # Open Fava at http://localhost:4739File Guide
| File | What it demonstrates |
|---|---|
main.bean | Entry point — options, plugins, and include directives |
accounts.bean | All commodity definitions and account chart |
prices/2024.bean | Monthly price directives for BTC, ETH, SOL, ADA, and DeFi tokens |
transactions/purchases.bean | Buying crypto: simple buys, DCA strategy, stablecoins |
transactions/trading.bean | Sales with short/long-term gains, crypto-to-crypto swaps, margin trading |
transactions/staking.bean | ETH 2.0 staking, monthly rewards, Lido liquid staking (stETH) |
transactions/mining.bean | BTC mining rewards, electricity costs, equipment depreciation |
transactions/defi-lending.bean | Compound supply/yield, COMP rewards, Aave deposit/borrow/repay |
transactions/defi-liquidity.bean | Uniswap LP provision, fee income, impermanent loss |
transactions/transfers.bean | Exchange-to-wallet transfers, cross-chain bridging |
transactions/airdrops.bean | UNI and SOL airdrop income |
transactions/nfts.bean | NFT purchase with ETH, NFT sale with capital gain |
transactions/tax-planning.bean | Tax loss harvesting, wash sale awareness, year-end balance assertions |
Key Concepts Demonstrated
- Cost basis tracking — every purchase creates a lot with date and price
- FIFO & specific lot identification — choosing which lot to dispose of
- Taxable dispositions — selling for fiat, crypto-to-crypto swaps, spending crypto
- Ordinary income — mining rewards, staking rewards, airdrops (all at FMV)
- DeFi receipt tokens — cUSDC, aETH, stETH, LP tokens as accounting proxies
- Gas fees — tracked as expenses, deducted from proceeds where appropriate
- Balance assertions — year-end reconciliation checks
- Short-term vs long-term — separate income accounts for tax reporting
Useful Commands
bash
make balances # Show all account balances
make holdings # Show holdings with market values
make income # Show income statement
make check # Verify ledger integrity