RSUs and Crypto Gains in One Year: 4 Situations and Who Fits Each

RSUs and Crypto Gains in One Year: 4 Situations and Who Fits Each

RSUs and crypto gains can land in the same tax year, and when they do, the two are taxed differently but stack in the same return. The vest is generally ordinary wages with tax already withheld, while the crypto sale is generally a capital gain with nothing withheld at all. The bill arrives when the two meet in April.

This post sorts four situations by what you hold and what is worrying you. Two firms are matched to the situations their profiles describe, and where neither fits, it says so. The order is by situation, not by firm quality, and the firms are not ranked.

Two firms in our featured program are written up here. Doug Johnson CPA, a Los Angeles firm that lists Equity Compensation among its specialties, is one. Crypto Tax Made Easy, a New Jersey firm that lists Cryptocurrency Investors, is the other. Every firm named is a vetted Sam's List member. The firms written up below are paying members of our featured program, and payment does not buy the language we use or its reviews. How we picked is at the end.

Situation 1: RSUs and Crypto Gains Widen the RSU Withholding Gap

When restricted stock units vest, the value of the shares is generally taxed as wages. Your employer typically withholds federal income tax at a flat supplemental rate, generally 22% on supplemental wages up to $1 million, which may be below your actual marginal rate. That is the RSU withholding gap, and it exists before any crypto is involved.

Add a large crypto sale in the same year and the gap grows. The gain sits on top of your vest income, so it can be taxed at long-term capital gain rates if you held the coins more than a year, or at ordinary rates if not, and, if your income is high enough, bring the net investment income tax or the additional Medicare tax into play.

Doug Johnson CPA may fit this situation. Its live profile positions the firm for high earners with equity compensation and lists High Net Worth Individuals as a specialty. Ask whether it projects the year's total tax in the fall, when a change is still possible.

The limitation: the profile does not mention RSUs or crypto by name, so ask how many clients with both it serves. A projection is an estimate, and a price change after you run it can move the answer.

Situation 2: Crypto Cost Basis Records Spread Across Exchanges and Wallets

The vest is easy to document, since your employer and broker report it. The crypto side is harder. Gains are measured against cost basis, which is what you paid, and if your purchases are scattered across exchanges and wallets, the basis may be missing or wrong on the form you receive.

The rebuilding job comes first: export the full history from every exchange, list every wallet, and match transfers so a move between your own accounts is not mistaken for a sale. Only then can a gain be calculated, and the calculation depends on the lot method used.

Crypto Tax Made Easy may fit this situation. Its live profile lists Cryptocurrency Investors, Digital Nomads and High Net Worth Individuals as specialties. Ask how it handles records that are incomplete, and what it needs from you first.

The limitation: no firm can invent records that no longer exist. If an exchange history is gone, the options narrow, and the profile does not describe how the firm handles that case.

Situation 3: Estimated Tax Payments When RSUs and Crypto Gains Collide

Withholding covers your paycheck and your vests, at the rates described above. It does not cover a crypto gain. If you sell for a large gain, you may owe estimated tax payments during the year, and an underpayment can bring a penalty.

There are general safe harbors that can limit the penalty. They commonly include paying at least 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's tax through withholding and estimated payments, with the prior-year figure rising to 110% if last year's adjusted gross income was above $150,000. Check the current rules and your filing status, since the details vary.

Withholding can be adjusted. Some employees raise their withholding for the rest of the year after a large crypto sale, which the IRS treats as paid evenly through the year, unlike an estimated payment made late.

Doug Johnson CPA may fit this situation if the question is how much to pay and when. Crypto Tax Made Easy may fit if the open question is the size of the gain, since the payment depends on it. Many people need both answers in order.

The limitation: neither profile describes estimated payment planning by name. A safe harbor limits a penalty but does not reduce the tax you owe.

Situation 4: Crypto Losses Do Not Cancel Vest Income

A common hope is that a crypto loss will offset the RSU income. Capital losses generally offset capital gains first. If you have no gains, a limited amount, generally $3,000 a year, can offset ordinary income, and the rest carries forward.

So a large crypto loss and a large vest in the same year do not net against each other the way many people expect. The loss can still be valuable, since it can offset the crypto gains in a good year, but it will not erase the tax withheld on your vest.

This is the situation where the two specialties meet. Tracking and calculating the loss is a crypto record job. Deciding what to do about the vest income and the year's total is a planning job.

Both firms may be relevant, and neither profile describes loss carryforwards by name. Crypto Tax Made Easy lists Cryptocurrency Investors. Doug Johnson CPA lists Equity Compensation. Ask each how it would handle the loss and what it would coordinate with the other firm.

The limitation: the loss limit is lower for some filing statuses, and the carryforward depends on your whole return. Confirm how the rules apply to you.

Where Doug Johnson CPA Fits

Doug Johnson CPA is based in Los Angeles, founded in 2024, with three employees, serving clients nationwide. Its live profile positions the firm for growing businesses in the $250,000 to $10 million revenue range and for high earners with equity compensation. It lists SMB Owners, Equity Compensation, High Net Worth Individuals and Growing Companies as specialties.

Doug Johnson CPA has 15 verified client reviews on Sam's List. Each review is submitted by an individual who identifies as a client of the firm and rates it on communication, subject-matter knowledge, and overall satisfaction. Reviews reflect those individual experiences and do not represent an endorsement by Sam's List. Doug Johnson CPA is a paying member of our featured program, and payment does not buy its reviews. Ratings and rankings are not indicative of future performance or results.

The limitation, plainly: the profile lists minimums of $250,000 in income and $250,000 in revenue, so a smaller earner may fall outside them. The firm is young and small, so ask who would handle your account and how coverage works. The profile does not describe crypto work, so ask about it directly.

Where Crypto Tax Made Easy Fits

Crypto Tax Made Easy is a digital asset tax firm based in Little Silver, New Jersey, founded in 2021, with six employees, serving clients nationwide. Its live profile lists Cryptocurrency Investors, Digital Nomads and High Net Worth Individuals as specialties, and states no revenue or income minimums.

Crypto Tax Made Easy has 6 verified client reviews on Sam's List. Each review is submitted by an individual who identifies as a client of the firm and rates it on communication, subject-matter knowledge, and overall satisfaction. Reviews reflect those individual experiences and do not represent an endorsement by Sam's List. Crypto Tax Made Easy is a paying member of our featured program, and payment does not buy its reviews. Ratings and rankings are not indicative of future performance or results.

The limitation, plainly: the profile does not describe its scope of services, who signs the returns or whether it handles equity compensation, so ask what is included and how it would work with another preparer on a joint situation.

Questions to Ask Before You Hire Either Firm

Ask both firms the same three things. What do you need from me, and by when? Who does the work, and who signs the return? How would you coordinate with another preparer if my situation needs two?

Bring your RSU grant and vest schedule, your last pay stubs showing supplemental withholding, and exports of every crypto exchange and wallet. A firm that asks for those first is probably doing the work you need.

The limitation: there is no license for either specialty. A CPA license is a floor, not proof of experience with your mix of income, so ask for specifics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are RSUs and crypto gains taxed the same way?

No. RSUs are generally taxed as wages when they vest, with tax withheld by your employer. A crypto sale is generally a capital gain, with nothing withheld. They stack in one return. Confirm how they apply to you with a tax professional.

Why is my RSU withholding too low?

Employers generally withhold at a flat supplemental rate, which can be lower than your marginal rate if you earn a lot. The difference shows up as a balance due. Estimated payments or extra withholding can close it. Check the current rate with the IRS.

Do I owe estimated taxes on a crypto gain?

Possibly. Nothing is withheld on a crypto sale, so a large gain may require estimated payments to avoid an underpayment penalty. Safe harbors based on this year's or last year's tax can limit the penalty. Ask a preparer which one fits you.

Can a crypto loss offset my RSU income?

Only in part. Capital losses generally offset capital gains first, then a limited amount of ordinary income each year, with the rest carried forward. They do not erase the tax on a vest. Ask a preparer how your loss would apply.

Before year-end, estimate your total vest income and your realized crypto gain or loss, then compare the withholding so far to your projected tax. You can browse accountants on Sam's List, including the firms above, and ask each which of the four situations it handles most.

How We Picked These Firms

You should be able to check our work, so here is how this post was built.

The pool. We wrote up two vetted Sam's List members from our featured program, one whose live profile lists Equity Compensation and one that lists Cryptocurrency Investors. Other members, including Iota Finance, also list one or both of these specialties and are not written up here. This is not a survey of every accountant who handles these questions.

How it is organized. The four situations are ordered by situation, not by firm quality, and the firms are not ranked. Each firm is matched to the situations its live profile most closely describes. Some situations match both firms, and the post says so.

What review counts mean here. We cite each firm's verified review count and its date from its profile. A count shows how many clients wrote something down. It does not measure technical quality.

What payment does and does not buy. Listing on Sam's List is free, and so is being named in this article. The firms written up here are paying members of our featured program, which is why they get a write-up. What payment does not buy is the language we use about a firm, its review count, or a promise that it fits you.

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About the author: Kimberly Green is the cofounder of Sam's List, where business owners and high earners find vetted CPAs, financial advisors, and fractional CFOs. She's met one-on-one with 400+ financial professionals and writes from the real data behind thousands of client-advisor matches. Ask her anything about finding an accountant - she's heard it all, including the questions people are afraid to ask.