Most crypto investors think taxes are a once-a-year event. The IRS disagrees. If you sold crypto at a gain in the first half of 2026, the IRS expected an estimated tax payment by June 15 — the Q2 deadline. No exchange withholds taxes for you, so unless you sent a payment yourself, nothing was sent. That's how investors rack up underpayment penalties without ever missing "Tax Day." As an EA, this is one of the most common — and most avoidable — penalty triggers I see on crypto returns. The safe harbor rule most investors miss: → Pay in at least 100% of last year's total tax (110% if your AGI was over $150K), spread across the year, and you're penalty-proof — no matter how big this year's gains are. → Or pay at least 90% of what you'll actually owe for 2026. → Next checkpoint: the Q3 estimated payment is due September 15. If you took profits in H1 and haven't made an estimated payment yet, you still have time to limit the damage before September. Drop your question below 👇 — or book a free 15-min call if this applies to you: calendly.com/samuel-empowercapital/15min — Samuel Oduro, EA | Empower Capital | empowercapital.co

Most crypto investors only think about taxes in April. The ones who build real wealth think about them in May. Here's the move almost no one talks about: mid-year tax-loss harvesting. You don't have to wait until December. Right now — May — is one of the best times to audit your portfolio for positions sitting at a loss. You have 7+ months to reallocate before year-end, and markets have already moved significantly since January. As an EA, I see clients leave tens of thousands on the table every year simply because they didn't review their unrealized losses mid-year. Here's what to look for right now: → Any position worth less than what you paid? That's a harvestable tax loss. → Losses offset gains dollar-for-dollar before the IRS gets a cent. → No wash sale rule on crypto (for now) — you can sell and immediately rebuy the same coin. Tax Day just passed. That makes this the single best window to start planning for next April — before most people even think about it. What coin or position are you currently sitting on a loss in? Drop it below 👇 — Samuel Oduro, EA | Empower Capital | empowercapital.co

Cost basis. Every time. When the IRS reviews a crypto return, they go straight to one question: "Can you prove what you paid for this asset?" If you can't, they default to $0 — which means your entire sale proceeds become taxable gain. Here's what I see constantly as an EA: → Investor buys 1 ETH for $2,000 in 2023. Sells for $3,500 in 2025. → Actual gain: $1,500. Tax owed: $225 (at 15% LTCG rate). → Missing records? IRS assumes cost basis = $0. Tax owed: $525. → That's $300 extra in taxes — on a single trade. Multiply that across 50, 100, or 500 transactions and you see the problem. The fix is simple but most investors skip it: ✅ Export your full transaction history from every exchange you've used ✅ Choose your cost basis method (FIFO, HIFO, or specific ID) and stick to it ✅ Document it — not just in your head, but on paper the IRS can see After Big Four tax work at EY and PwC, this is still the #1 fixable mistake I see on crypto returns. Drop your question below 👇 — what exchange or wallet is giving you the most headaches with records? — Samuel Oduro, EA | Empower Capital | empowercapital.co