Your SMSF can hold cryptocurrency when it is bought through an Australian-based exchange, in the fund’s name, and kept apart from anything you own personally.
ESUPERFUND’s current service lets an SMSF hold cryptocurrency when all three are in place. There is no obligation to invest, and we don’t recommend crypto or any exchange.
01 Condition
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The fund can use any Australian-based exchange. Overseas exchanges aren’t supported, as they often don’t recognise SMSF investors.
ESUPERFUND guidance
02 Condition
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03 Condition
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The fund’s crypto never shares an account or wallet with personal holdings.
Hardware wallet guidanceWho sets what
Where the fund’s crypto sits at each step, and who acts. The trustees take every step; ESUPERFUND’s part is the annual administration.
With an Australian-based exchange, registered in the SMSF’s name. You choose which one.
Crypto sitsNot yet held Trustee actionCrypto is first bought on that account. Crypto you own personally can’t be moved into the fund.
Crypto sitsSMSF exchange account Trustee actionA hardware wallet that holds only the fund’s crypto. Personal crypto stays on another wallet.
Crypto sitsSMSF hardware wallet Trustee actionStatements and wallet evidence for the year, or a read-only data feed from some exchanges.
Records go toESUPERFUND Annual Checklist Trustee providesESUPERFUND requestsWho operates what. The exchange account and any wallet are opened and operated by the trustees. ESUPERFUND administers the fund: it does not place trades for you or hold the fund’s crypto.
See the records you might need ↓Clear ownership is what lets the fund’s crypto be identified, valued and audited as the SMSF’s asset. In practice it comes down to a few plain rules.
Each year the fund’s crypto is evidenced from 1 July, or the account’s opening date, to 30 June. Answer two questions to build your year-end pack, then tick records off as you gather them.
Exchange account Issued by the exchange
A read-only key from the exchange, so ESUPERFUND can collect the fund’s data.
Account name and number, and every trade in the year, such as buys, sells, coin swaps and staking.
Account name and number, and all Australian dollar deposits and withdrawals in the year.
Each cryptocurrency held, the number of units and the unit price or market value on 30 June.
Each trade added individually through the Annual Checklist, so the fund’s records can be prepared.
If your exchange’s data feed doesn’t include the year-end statements (trading history, cash and holdings at 30 June), you’ll need to upload them in the Annual Checklist.
SMSF wallet Where a wallet is used
Print-outs, screenshots or other wallet records of each unit moving in or out, including any staking rewards.
Which cryptocurrencies the wallet held, the number of units and their value on 30 June.
Confirms the wallet belongs to the SMSF and how much it holds. Generated by the Annual Checklist for trustees to sign.
Some exchanges can share the fund’s data with ESUPERFUND through read-only access that you set up. Depending on the exchange, a feed may cover both the transaction data and the year-end statements, or only the transaction data, in which case you still provide the statements. ESUPERFUND does not recommend any exchange; ask us which arrangement applies to yours.
Buys, sells and swaps appear in the exchange’s trading history.
Holdings don’t change, but each movement must still be traceable.
Summarised from the EOFY documents checklist; check the current checklist before year end. Ticks are for your own reference on this page and are not saved or sent to ESUPERFUND. Reports from third-party crypto tools on their own are generally not sufficient for audit. Tax treatment is outside the scope of this page.
Crypto prices can move sharply, and most cryptocurrencies are not regulated as financial products, so protections are limited. Access lost with a password or wallet key is usually permanent. The ATO and ASIC have both noted an increase in crypto scams and losses.
Not under ESUPERFUND’s current service. Only Australian-based exchanges are supported, because overseas exchanges often do not recognise SMSF investors and may push the account into a trustee’s personal name.
No. ESUPERFUND’s guidance is that crypto owned by a trustee personally cannot be transferred to the SMSF. The fund’s crypto is first purchased through its own Australian-based exchange account.
No. ESUPERFUND does not provide investment advice or recommend cryptocurrency investments. Any Australian-based exchange may be used. For advice on your circumstances, speak with a licensed adviser.
Check the allowed investments list and the disallowed investments list before you invest. Anything not listed as allowed is not supported.
