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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.

Basic Setup Template​

Account Structure Template​

; =============================================================================
; CRYPTOCURRENCY ACCOUNT SETUP TEMPLATE
; =============================================================================

; 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 USD

Cryptocurrency 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 - 30

Crypto-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 USD

Transfer 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 USD

DeFi 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 USD

Mining 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 USD

Airdrop 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 USD

Advanced 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] USD

Cross-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 USD

Long-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 USD

Reconciliation 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 BTC

Price 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 USD

Usage Instructions​

  1. Copy the relevant template for your transaction type
  2. Replace placeholders (shown in [BRACKETS]) with actual values
  3. Adjust account names to match your account structure
  4. Add metadata as needed for tax reporting or tracking
  5. 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.

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