The 2026 rates and an important date distinction
For gains and other proceeds within the ordinary non-business crypto category realised from 1 January 2026, the substitute-tax rate is 33%. A 26% exception applies to specified euro-denominated e-money tokens meeting the legislative reserve and EU-authorisation conditions. It is not a blanket 26% rate for every stablecoin.
The earlier EUR 2,000 de minimis threshold was removed from 2025. Some 2026 tax-return pages still show 26% because those returns concern income realised through 31 December 2025. A return’s filing year must not be confused with the year in which a gain arose.
Costs, losses and ongoing holding obligations
Acquisition costs need reliable evidence; the Revenue Agency states that an undocumented cost can be treated as zero. Qualifying excess crypto losses generally have a four-year carry-forward limit if reported in the return. Proceeds from holding cryptoassets have their own treatment, while business or employment receipts require separate classification.
Crypto reporting and an annual stamp/value levy can apply independently of a realised gain. The published framework provides a 2-per-mille annual levy; applicable new-resident exemptions and the exact holding arrangement need checking rather than assuming the headline disposal rate is the full cost.
The new-resident foreign-income election
For people moving their civil-law residence to Italy from 1 January 2026 who qualify for Article 24-bis, the annual foreign-income substitute amount is EUR 300,000, with EUR 50,000 for each family member included. The regime has a maximum fifteen-year duration and generally requires non-residence in Italy for at least nine of the preceding ten tax periods.
The election concerns qualifying foreign-source income. Before treating a crypto gain or staking receipt as covered, obtain advice on its source, custody and contractual facts and the applicable ruling/procedure. No generic promise that a foreign exchange account makes every crypto return foreign-source is supported by this research.
Seven per cent is not seven years
Italy also has a 7% election for qualifying recipients of foreign pensions who relocate to eligible municipalities. Its maximum duration is ten tax years, not seven. It concerns qualifying foreign-source income and has residence-history and location conditions. The 2026 statutory text expanded the relevant population ceiling to 30,000; older official summaries still show 20,000. A crypto holder without the pension and other conditions cannot simply select this rate.
A 2027 code transition
The government explains that the new income-tax code enacted in 2026 applies from 1 January 2027, while the previous TUIR remains applicable until then. A future transaction should be checked against the rules and numbering applicable to that year; the recodification is not evidence that the 2026 crypto rate has simply disappeared.