Alexander Franklin, CPA

the new crypto tax process with these 1099 DA forms was so annoying i may never trade crypto again

The IRS just created a new crypto audit form designed to make you incriminate yourself. They're sending a new "Historical Digital Asset Form" that lists 100+ exchanges and self-custody wallets: Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, FTX, Mt. Gox, MetaMask, Ledger, Trezor, and demands you check YES or NO for every single one. Then sign it under penalty of perjury. This isn't a tax form. It's a mapping exercise. They don't just want to know what you traded last year. They want a complete picture of everywhere your crypto has ever touched going back years. The catch: there's no right way to fill it out. Forget a platform you used once in 2017? That's perjury. Disclose everything? You just gave them a roadmap for new lines of inquiry. Don't respond? They'll issue a summons. This is coming alongside Form 1099-DA, which means exchanges are now reporting directly to the IRS. They're cross-referencing what they already know with what you tell them, and looking for gaps. If you get this form, do not fill it out without a tax attorney. This is exactly the kind of overreach that pushes people toward self-custody and privacy-preserving tools like Bitcoin. The government doesn't send forms like this to help you. They send them to build a case.