Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are today’s hottest digital assets. They are also completely ignored by the Internal Revenue Service—to date, at least—even in the agency’s pronouncement on the taxation of cryptocurrencies.

In this series of articles, we’ll start cracking the NFT code: what they are, how they are created, bought and sold, how they might be taxed by the IRS, and the use of NFTs for charitable contributions and fundraising purposes.

1. Introduction to NFTs – As today’s hottest digital assets, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have taken the arts and investment worlds by storm. But what are they, exactly, and how are they to be treated for tax purposes? This article provides an overview of need-to-know information regarding these exciting—and potentially risky—assets. Read more.

2. Taxation of NFT Creators – NFTs offer artists, musicians, celebrities, influencers and other creators an opportunity to develop, market and control the future of many types of digital content that they produce. Less understood is how these assets will be categorized and taxed by the Internal Revenue Service. This article reviews how creators of NFTs will likely be treated by the IRS and what that means for them. Read more.

3. Taxation of the Purchase and Sale of NFTs – Given a lack of guidance on the tax treatment of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), taxpayers can be forgiven for experiencing a certain level of uncertainty with respect to how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will apply its tax rules to purchases and sales of these assets. IRS reasoning on other asset classes, however, sheds some light on this otherwise uncharted territory. This article reviews the various factors that are likely to play a role in determining the classification and treatment of NFT transactions for tax purposes. Read more.

4. NFTs and Charitable Fundraising: Navigating Tax Hurdles – As the creation of and transactions involving non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have increased dramatically, so has interest in using NFTs as donations to charitable organizations and for other charitable fundraising tools. Given the lack of guidance from the IRS on such gifts, donors and recipient charities face a number of tax uncertainties. This article examines the tax hurdles involved in using NFTs for charitable fundraising purposes and offers suggestions for compliance with recordkeeping and tax reporting requirements. Read more.

Andrea (Andie) Kramer is a recognized thought leader on tax related cryptocurrency matters. She was named the 2020 Go-To Thought Leader in Virtual Currency Tax by the National Law Review and a 2021 Readers’ Choice Top Author in cryptocurrency taxation by JD Supra for her article series on cryptocurrency tax.