Getting your Kraken CSV
Kraken keeps a complete record of every account movement in its Ledger export. To get accurate cost basis calculations, you need your full history going back to your first deposit - not just the current financial year.
- Log in to kraken.com.
- Click your profile icon (top right) and select Documents.
- Click Create Export.
- Select Ledger as the export type.
- Set the date range to cover your full history.
- Ensure the format is CSV, then click Generate.
- Download when ready - the file arrives as a .zip.
- Upload the .zip directly, or extract ledgers.csv first.
Both the Ledger and Trades export formats work with our calculator - the format is auto-detected on upload. However, the Ledger format is preferred because it captures staking rewards, deposits, and withdrawals alongside your trades. The Trades format only includes completed orders and misses staking income entirely.
India's 30% VDA tax on crypto
India treats all crypto assets as Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs). Under Section 115BBH of the Income Tax Act, any gain from the transfer of a VDA is taxed at a flat 30%, plus applicable surcharge and 4% health and education cess. There is no distinction between short-term and long-term holdings. The only deduction permitted is the cost of acquisition of that specific asset.
Losses on one VDA cannot be set off against gains on another. If you sold DOT at a loss and ETH at a gain on Kraken, you owe 30% on the ETH gain with zero offset for the DOT loss. VDA losses cannot be carried forward to future years either.
- Taxable events: Sells, crypto-to-crypto swaps, spending crypto, gifting crypto above ₹50,000 in aggregate.
- Non-taxable: Buying crypto with INR, transferring between your own wallets, receiving crypto you purchased.
- Cost basis method: FIFO (First In, First Out) - each disposal is matched to your earliest acquisition of that asset.
- Tax forms: ITR-2 or ITR-3 with Schedule VDA. Staking income reported under "Income from Other Sources."
- Filing deadline: 31 July of the assessment year (e.g., FY 2025-26 files by 31 July 2026).
Indian exchanges like WazirX and CoinDCX generally deduct 1% TDS under Section 194S. Foreign exchanges such as Kraken typically do not deduct TDS, which means Indian Kraken users should verify their 194S obligations and may need to self-assess and pay advance tax if their annual VDA tax liability exceeds ₹10,000.
From ledger entries to Schedule VDA
Kraken's Ledger export is structured differently from most exchanges. Instead of one row per trade, each transaction is split into separate debit and credit entries linked by a reference ID (refid). A single BTC/USDT trade produces at least two rows - one debiting USDT from your balance and one crediting BTC. Our parser reconstructs complete transactions by grouping all entries that share the same refid.
If you upload a Trades-format file instead, the parser detects the different column structure and switches to direct order parsing. Either way, the output is the same: a normalized transaction timeline ready for FIFO matching.
Kraken CSVs frequently lack USD spot prices for many entries, particularly for crypto-to-crypto pairs and older transactions. Our engine automatically enriches every transaction with historical daily prices from multiple data providers, then converts all values to INR using ECB exchange rates.
Staking rewards are identified from the Ledger's "staking" type entries and separated as crypto income, valued at fair market value in INR on the day received. When you later sell those staked tokens, the capital gain is calculated from that receipt value as the cost of acquisition.
The final report includes a VDA gains table with per-transaction detail (date of transfer, date of acquisition, cost, and sale consideration), crypto income summary, surcharge tier calculation, top assets by P&L, end-of-year holdings with cost basis, and a complete audit trail - everything Schedule VDA and your ITR filing require.
What Indian Kraken users should know
- No TDS deduction from Kraken: Unlike WazirX, CoinDCX, and other domestic platforms, Kraken does not deduct 1% TDS on your trades. You must account for the full 30% VDA tax yourself. If your total VDA liability exceeds ₹10,000 in a financial year, you are expected to pay advance tax in quarterly installments.
- Kraken staking is still active for Indian users: Kraken shut down its staking program for US users in February 2023 following an SEC settlement, but staking remains fully available for non-US users including those in India. Staking rewards are generally taxed as "Income from Other Sources" at your applicable slab rates when received.
- Refid pairing catches all split entries: Kraken's Ledger format splits each trade, withdrawal, and deposit into multiple rows. The refid-based reconstruction ensures no transaction is missed or double-counted, even for complex multi-leg swaps.
- INR conversion from Kraken's native currencies: Kraken reports values in the trading pair's quote currency (USD, EUR, GBP, etc.), not INR. Every transaction is converted to Indian rupees using historical daily ECB rates so your report is ready for Indian tax filing.
- No tax forms from Kraken for Indian users: Kraken does not issue any tax documentation for Indian residents. There is no equivalent of Form 16 or a TDS certificate. You are responsible for calculating and reporting all VDA gains and income in your ITR.
Related calculators and guides
Kraken calculator: Kraken Tax Calculator (all countries)
India calculator: India Crypto Tax Calculator (all exchanges)
Other exchanges in India:
Coinbase India ·
Binance India