House Committee Advances Crypto Tax Bill With $10 Fee…

Published: September 16, 2026 – 17:50 UTC

What Would the $10 Crypto Fee Exemption Change?

The House Ways and Means Committee has advanced a broad cryptocurrency tax bill that would remove some of the smallest blockchain fees from federal tax calculations while introducing new rules for mining, staking and other digital asset activity.The committee voted 38-5 on Wednesday to advance the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act, H.R. 10357, moving the legislation closer to a possible House vote. The bill was introduced on September 14 and would amend the federal tax code across a range of digital asset transactions. The committee's September 16 markup formally considered H.R. 10357.For individual crypto users, one of the most immediate changes is a de minimis exemption covering qualifying network and transaction fees of $10 or less. Using crypto to pay a blockchain fee can currently create a taxable disposition because digital assets are generally treated as property for federal tax purposes.Under the proposal, eligible taxpayers would no longer recognize a gain or loss when disposing of digital assets to pay qualifying fees within the $10 threshold. The exemption would generally exclude taxpayers who made more than 5,000 digital asset transfers during the previous year and would not extend broadly to service providers conducting transactions for others.If enacted in its current form, the small-fee provision would apply to qualifying dispositions after December 31, 2027.

How Would Mining and Staking Be Taxed?

The legislation would also establish ordinary-income treatment for mining and staking rewards, but it leaves unresolved one of the industry's biggest tax questions: exactly when that income should be recognized.An earlier proposal would have allowed certain taxpayers to defer recognition of mining and staking income, but that option was removed from the consolidated legislation. Rep. Steven Horsford, who worked on the tax package, said the remaining timing issue still needs congressional attention."This bill is not as comprehensive as I would have liked, but I continue to believe that Congress needs to address when mining and staking rewards are recognized as income," Horsford said. "This package establishes ordinary income treatment, but leaves that timing question unresolved."The bill would separately allow certain investment trusts to stake digital assets without that activity alone changing their tax status. Joint Committee on Taxation materials prepared for the September 16 markup provide the official description and revenue estimates for H.R. 10357.

Investor Takeaway

The bill offers targeted relief for ordinary crypto users by eliminating some tax consequences from small transaction fees, but it does not settle every digital asset tax dispute. Mining and staking income recognition remains unresolved, while more active traders would still face separate restrictions and reporting requirements.

What Else Is Included in the Crypto Tax Package?

The legislation reaches well beyond network fees. It would establish a Digital Asset Voluntary Disclosure Program at the Treasury Department within 12 months of enactment, giving qualifying taxpayers a mechanism to amend earlier returns and pay outstanding tax, interest and applicable penalties.The broader package also addresses digital asset lending, stablecoins and tax accounting. It would extend wash-sale restrictions to traded digital assets, reducing the ability of crypto investors to sell an asset at a loss, quickly repurchase substantially the same exposure and still claim the loss for tax purposes.That creates a trade-off for investors. Smaller blockchain transactions would become easier to manage from a tax-reporting perspective, while some tax strategies historically available to crypto traders would become more closely aligned with rules already applied to traditional securities.

Can the Bill Get Through Congress in 2026?

Committee approval is only one step. H.R. 10357 would still need approval from the full House and Senate before reaching the president, and the congressional calendar leaves limited time before the November elections.Attention could therefore move toward the Senate Finance Committee, which has previously examined digital asset taxation and the unresolved treatment of transactions including payments, lending, mining and staking. The committee held a dedicated hearing on digital asset taxation in October 2025, with members from both parties discussing the need for clearer rules.The tax vote also arrived one day after the Senate failed to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Senators voted 49-50 against invoking cloture on the motion to proceed, short of the three-fifths threshold required to advance the measure.The two bills address different problems, but their timing shows that crypto policy remains active even as the broader market-structure legislation faces another delay. For taxpayers, the more immediate question is whether lawmakers can turn the committee's bipartisan tax vote into legislation before the current Congress runs out of time.

Source: FinanceFeeds