Cryptocurrency Templates and Examples
This guide provides practical Beancount templates and real-world examples for common cryptocurrency scenarios. Copy and adapt these templates for your own crypto accounting needs.
Explore a live cryptocurrency example ledger:
Basic Setup Template
Account Structure Template
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; CRYPTOCURRENCY ACCOUNT SETUP TEMPLATE
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; Exchange Accounts
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:USD
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:BTC
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:ETH
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Binance:USD
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Binance:BTC
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Binance:ETH
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Binance:BNB
; Wallet Accounts
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Wallet:Ledger:BTC
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Wallet:Ledger:ETH
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH
1970-01-01 open Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:USDC
; DeFi Protocol Accounts
1970-01-01 open Assets:DeFi:Uniswap:ETH-USDC-LP
1970-01-01 open Assets:DeFi:Compound:cUSDC
1970-01-01 open Assets:Staking:Ethereum:ETH
; Income Accounts
1970-01-01 open Income:Crypto:Staking:ETH
1970-01-01 open Income:Crypto:Mining:BTC
1970-01-01 open Income:Crypto:Airdrops
1970-01-01 open Income:Crypto:DeFi:Yield
1970-01-01 open Income:CapitalGains:Crypto
; Expense Accounts
1970-01-01 open Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading
1970-01-01 open Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Network
1970-01-01 open Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Withdrawal
; Commodity Definitions
1970-01-01 commodity BTC
name: "Bitcoin"
asset-class: "cryptocurrency"
1970-01-01 commodity ETH
name: "Ethereum"
asset-class: "cryptocurrency"
1970-01-01 commodity USDC
name: "USD Coin"
asset-class: "stablecoin"Trading Templates
Basic Cryptocurrency Purchase
; Template: Buy cryptocurrency on exchange
YYYY-MM-DD * "Buy [AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] on [EXCHANGE]"
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:[CRYPTO] [AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[PRICE] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:USD -[TOTAL_COST] USD
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading [FEE] USD
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:USD -[FEE] USD
; Example: Buy 1 BTC on Coinbase
2024-01-15 * "Buy 1 BTC on Coinbase"
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:BTC 1.0 BTC {45000.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:USD -45000.00 USD
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading 50.00 USD
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:USD -50.00 USDCryptocurrency Sale
; Template: Sell cryptocurrency on exchange
YYYY-MM-DD * "Sell [AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] on [EXCHANGE]"
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:[CRYPTO] -[AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:USD [PROCEEDS] USD
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading [FEE] USD
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:USD -[FEE] USD
Income:CapitalGains:Crypto [GAIN] USD ; or Expenses:CapitalLoss:Crypto
; Example: Sell 0.5 BTC with gain
2024-03-20 * "Sell 0.5 BTC on Coinbase"
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:BTC -0.5 BTC {45000.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:USD 24000.00 USD
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading 30.00 USD
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:USD -30.00 USD
Income:CapitalGains:Crypto 1470.00 USD ; 24000 - 22500 - 30Crypto-to-Crypto Trade
; Template: Trade one crypto for another
YYYY-MM-DD * "Trade [AMOUNT1] [CRYPTO1] for [AMOUNT2] [CRYPTO2]"
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:[CRYPTO1] -[AMOUNT1] [CRYPTO1] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:[CRYPTO2] [AMOUNT2] [CRYPTO2] {[NEW_PRICE] USD}
Income:CapitalGains:Crypto [GAIN] USD ; Taxable event
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading [FEE] USD
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:USD -[FEE] USD
; Example: Trade BTC for ETH
2024-02-10 * "Trade 1 BTC for 20 ETH on Binance"
Assets:Crypto:Binance:BTC -1.0 BTC {46000.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Binance:ETH 20 ETH {2400.00 USD}
Income:CapitalGains:Crypto 2000.00 USD ; 48000 - 46000
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading 40.00 USD
Assets:Crypto:Binance:USD -40.00 USDTransfer Templates
Exchange to Wallet Transfer
; Template: Transfer crypto from exchange to wallet
YYYY-MM-DD * "Transfer [AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] from [EXCHANGE] to [WALLET]"
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:[CRYPTO] -[AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:[WALLET]:[CRYPTO] [AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Withdrawal [FEE] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:[CRYPTO] -[FEE] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
; Example: Transfer BTC to Ledger
2024-01-20 * "Transfer 1 BTC from Coinbase to Ledger"
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:BTC -1.0 BTC {45000.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:Ledger:BTC 1.0 BTC {45000.00 USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Withdrawal 0.0005 BTC {45000.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:BTC -0.0005 BTC {45000.00 USD}Cross-Exchange Transfer
; Template: Transfer between exchanges
YYYY-MM-DD * "Transfer [AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] from [EXCHANGE1] to [EXCHANGE2]"
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE1]:[CRYPTO] -[AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE2]:[CRYPTO] [AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Network [FEE] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE1]:[CRYPTO] -[FEE] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
; Example: Transfer ETH from Coinbase to Binance
2024-02-05 * "Transfer 10 ETH from Coinbase to Binance"
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:ETH -10 ETH {2500.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Binance:ETH 10 ETH {2500.00 USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Network 0.01 ETH {2500.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:ETH -0.01 ETH {2500.00 USD}Staking Templates
Ethereum Staking
; Template: Stake ETH
YYYY-MM-DD * "Stake [AMOUNT] ETH"
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH -[AMOUNT] ETH {[PRICE] USD}
Assets:Staking:Ethereum:ETH [AMOUNT] ETH {[PRICE] USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Network [FEE] ETH {[PRICE] USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH -[FEE] ETH {[PRICE] USD}
; Example: Stake 32 ETH
2024-01-10 * "Stake 32 ETH on Ethereum 2.0"
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH -32 ETH {2500.00 USD}
Assets:Staking:Ethereum:ETH 32 ETH {2500.00 USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Network 0.01 ETH {2500.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH -0.01 ETH {2500.00 USD}Staking Rewards
; Template: Receive staking rewards
YYYY-MM-DD * "[CRYPTO] Staking Rewards - [PERIOD]"
Assets:Staking:[PROTOCOL]:[CRYPTO] [AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[PRICE] USD}
Income:Crypto:Staking:[CRYPTO] [VALUE] USD
; Example: ETH staking rewards
2024-02-01 * "ETH Staking Rewards - January"
Assets:Staking:Ethereum:ETH 0.08 ETH {2600.00 USD}
Income:Crypto:Staking:ETH 208.00 USDDeFi Templates
Uniswap Liquidity Provision
; Template: Add liquidity to Uniswap pool
YYYY-MM-DD * "Add liquidity to [TOKEN1]-[TOKEN2] pool"
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:[TOKEN1] -[AMOUNT1] [TOKEN1] {[PRICE1] USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:[TOKEN2] -[AMOUNT2] [TOKEN2] {[PRICE2] USD}
Assets:DeFi:Uniswap:[TOKEN1]-[TOKEN2]-LP [LP_AMOUNT] [LP_TOKEN] {[LP_PRICE] USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Network [FEE] ETH {[ETH_PRICE] USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH -[FEE] ETH {[ETH_PRICE] USD}
; Example: Add ETH-USDC liquidity
2024-01-15 * "Add liquidity to ETH-USDC pool"
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH -10 ETH {2500.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:USDC -25000 USDC
Assets:DeFi:Uniswap:ETH-USDC-LP 100 UNI-V3-ETH-USDC {500.00 USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Network 0.02 ETH {2500.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH -0.02 ETH {2500.00 USD}Compound Lending
; Template: Supply assets to Compound
YYYY-MM-DD * "Supply [AMOUNT] [TOKEN] to Compound"
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:[TOKEN] -[AMOUNT] [TOKEN]
Assets:DeFi:Compound:c[TOKEN] [C_AMOUNT] c[TOKEN] {[C_PRICE] USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Network [FEE] ETH {[ETH_PRICE] USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH -[FEE] ETH {[ETH_PRICE] USD}
; Example: Supply USDC to Compound
2024-01-20 * "Supply 10000 USDC to Compound"
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:USDC -10000 USDC
Assets:DeFi:Compound:cUSDC 500 cUSDC {20.00 USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Network 0.008 ETH {2500.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:ETH -0.008 ETH {2500.00 USD}Mining Templates
Mining Rewards
; Template: Receive mining rewards
YYYY-MM-DD * "[CRYPTO] Mining Reward - [POOL/SOLO]"
Assets:Crypto:Mining:[CRYPTO] [AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[PRICE] USD}
Income:Crypto:Mining:[CRYPTO] [VALUE] USD
; Example: Bitcoin mining reward
2024-01-15 * "BTC Mining Reward - Slush Pool"
Assets:Crypto:Mining:BTC 0.01 BTC {45000.00 USD}
Income:Crypto:Mining:BTC 450.00 USDMining Expenses
; Template: Mining operational expenses
YYYY-MM-DD * "Mining [EXPENSE_TYPE] - [PERIOD]"
Expenses:Crypto:Mining:[EXPENSE_TYPE] [AMOUNT] USD
Assets:Checking -[AMOUNT] USD
; Example: Mining electricity costs
2024-01-31 * "Mining Electricity - January"
Expenses:Crypto:Mining:Electricity 800.00 USD
Assets:Checking -800.00 USDAirdrop Templates
Token Airdrops
; Template: Receive token airdrop
YYYY-MM-DD * "[TOKEN] Airdrop from [PROJECT]"
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:[WALLET]:[TOKEN] [AMOUNT] [TOKEN] {[PRICE] USD}
Income:Crypto:Airdrops [VALUE] USD
; Example: UNI token airdrop
2024-03-01 * "UNI Airdrop from Uniswap"
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:MetaMask:UNI 400 UNI {8.00 USD}
Income:Crypto:Airdrops 3200.00 USDAdvanced Templates
Flash Loan Arbitrage
; Template: Flash loan arbitrage
YYYY-MM-DD * "Flash loan arbitrage - [STRATEGY]"
; Flash loan
Assets:Crypto:Temp:FlashLoan [LOAN_AMOUNT] [TOKEN]
Liabilities:DeFi:[PROTOCOL]:Flash -[LOAN_AMOUNT] [TOKEN]
; Arbitrage execution
Assets:Crypto:Temp:FlashLoan -[LOAN_AMOUNT] [TOKEN]
Assets:Crypto:Temp:Arbitrage [RETURN_AMOUNT] [TOKEN]
; Repay flash loan
Liabilities:DeFi:[PROTOCOL]:Flash [LOAN_AMOUNT] [TOKEN]
Assets:Crypto:Temp:Arbitrage -[LOAN_PLUS_FEE] [TOKEN]
; Profit
Assets:Crypto:Wallet:[WALLET]:[TOKEN] [PROFIT] [TOKEN]
Income:Crypto:Arbitrage [PROFIT_USD] USDCross-Chain Bridge
; Template: Bridge assets across chains
YYYY-MM-DD * "Bridge [AMOUNT] [TOKEN] from [CHAIN1] to [CHAIN2]"
Assets:Crypto:[CHAIN1]:[TOKEN] -[AMOUNT] [TOKEN] {[PRICE] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[CHAIN2]:[TOKEN] [AMOUNT] [TOKEN] {[PRICE] USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Bridge:Fees [FEE] [TOKEN] {[PRICE] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[CHAIN1]:[TOKEN] -[FEE] [TOKEN] {[PRICE] USD}
; Example: Bridge ETH to Polygon
2024-02-05 * "Bridge 5 ETH from Ethereum to Polygon"
Assets:Crypto:Ethereum:ETH -5 ETH {2600.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Polygon:ETH 5 ETH {2600.00 USD}
Expenses:Crypto:Bridge:Fees 0.01 ETH {2600.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Ethereum:ETH -0.01 ETH {2600.00 USD}Tax-Optimized Templates
Tax Loss Harvesting
; Template: Tax loss harvesting
YYYY-MM-DD * "Tax loss harvesting - Sell [CRYPTO] at loss"
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:[CRYPTO] -[AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[HIGH_COST_BASIS] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:USD [PROCEEDS] USD
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading [FEE] USD
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:USD -[FEE] USD
Expenses:CapitalLoss:Crypto [LOSS] USD
; Example: Harvest ADA loss
2024-12-15 * "Tax loss harvesting - Sell ADA at loss"
Assets:Crypto:Binance:ADA -1000 ADA {0.60 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Binance:USD 445.00 USD
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading 5.00 USD
Assets:Crypto:Binance:USD -5.00 USD
Expenses:CapitalLoss:Crypto 150.00 USDLong-term Capital Gains
; Template: Long-term capital gains sale
YYYY-MM-DD * "Long-term sale - [CRYPTO] held > 1 year"
date-acquired: "[PURCHASE_DATE]"
holding-period: "[DAYS] days"
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:[CRYPTO] -[AMOUNT] [CRYPTO] {[COST_BASIS] USD}
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:USD [PROCEEDS] USD
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading [FEE] USD
Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:USD -[FEE] USD
Income:CapitalGains:LongTerm [GAIN] USD
; Example: Long-term BTC sale
2025-02-01 * "Long-term sale - BTC held 382 days"
date-acquired: "2024-01-15"
holding-period: "382 days"
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:BTC -1.0 BTC {45000.00 USD}
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:USD 55000.00 USD
Expenses:Crypto:Fees:Trading 50.00 USD
Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:USD -50.00 USD
Income:CapitalGains:LongTerm 9950.00 USDReconciliation Templates
Monthly Balance Verification
; Template: Monthly balance assertions
YYYY-MM-DD balance Assets:Crypto:[EXCHANGE]:[CRYPTO] [EXPECTED_BALANCE] [CRYPTO]
YYYY-MM-DD balance Assets:Crypto:Wallet:[WALLET]:[CRYPTO] [EXPECTED_BALANCE] [CRYPTO]
; Example: January balance verification
2024-01-31 balance Assets:Crypto:Coinbase:BTC 2.5 BTC
2024-01-31 balance Assets:Crypto:Binance:ETH 15.0 ETH
2024-01-31 balance Assets:Crypto:Wallet:Ledger:BTC 1.0 BTCPrice Updates
; Template: Daily price updates
YYYY-MM-DD price [CRYPTO] [PRICE] USD
; Example: Daily prices
2024-01-15 price BTC 45000.00 USD
2024-01-15 price ETH 2500.00 USD
2024-01-15 price ADA 0.50 USDUsage Instructions
- Copy the relevant template for your transaction type
- Replace placeholders (shown in [BRACKETS]) with actual values
- Adjust account names to match your account structure
- Add metadata as needed for tax reporting or tracking
- Verify calculations before finalizing entries
Best Practices
- Use consistent naming conventions
- Include transaction IDs in metadata
- Document complex transactions thoroughly
- Verify exchange rates and prices
- Maintain regular backups of your files
These templates provide a solid foundation for cryptocurrency accounting in Beancount.io. Customize them based on your specific needs and trading patterns.