Capital gains tax in Poland FAQ (2026)

For shares, ETFs and other securities you need to determine each closed trade separately.

For each sale, you establish the acquisition cost under FIFO and convert both proceeds and costs into PLN using the NBP exchange rate from the day before settlement. Settlement timing depends on the exchange, so the relevant settlement date matters.

Profit is proceeds minus deductible costs, including acquisition cost and transaction fees, converted using the correct rates.

For crypto assets, you report the total value of disposals for the year in PLN and deduct acquisition costs from the year plus costs carried forward from prior years.

For foreign dividends, you sum gross amounts, convert to PLN, and account for foreign withholding under the proportional credit rules.

Brokers show an account result, while PIT 38 follows Polish tax rules.

The key differences are conversion into PLN, cost rules, and often FIFO. Broker reports may also focus on proceeds rather than taxable profit.

You can file PIT 38 from 15 February for the previous year.

This is also when Polish brokers typically release PIT 8C. For Polish brokerage accounts, it is practical to prepare your filing after you receive PIT 8C.

The deadline is 30 April.

If tax is due and you pay after the deadline, interest for late payment applies.

If you did not file at all, a voluntary disclosure may be relevant, depending on whether the tax office has already started actions for the year.

You generally have to file if:

• You are a Polish tax resident.
• You sold shares, ETFs, closed derivative positions, disposed of crypto assets, or received foreign dividends.

The obligation does not depend on withdrawing money from the account, and it can apply even if your account shows a loss.

Tax residency is decisive. If you are a Polish tax resident, you are generally taxed in Poland on worldwide income, including foreign investment income.

Citizenship, a PESEL number, or registration in Poland does not decide residency. If you live and work abroad and your centre of vital interests is abroad, you are often not a Polish tax resident and PIT 38 may not be required.

No. Tax is triggered by a sale or other realisation of income, not by a cash withdrawal.

Belka tax is the common name for the 19 percent tax on investment income.

It is calculated on profit, meaning proceeds minus deductible costs such as acquisition cost and transaction fees.

Having an investment account alone does not create the filing obligation.

If during the year you only bought non dividend paying shares or accumulating ETFs and you had no sales and no dividends, PIT 38 is usually not required.

No. PIT 38 is filed individually by each spouse.

In general, PIT 38 income is included in the base for the solidarity levy.

The levy is 4 percent on income above 1,000,000 PLN and is reported on DSF 1 by 30 April.

Yes. A loss does not remove the filing obligation if taxable events occurred.

Also, a loss shown in USD or EUR does not decide the Polish tax result because reporting is in PLN and exchange rates can change the result.

Yes, if you had taxable events such as sales, crypto disposals, or foreign dividends.

Foreign brokers do not issue PIT 8C, so the calculation is based on your transaction history and Polish tax rules.

Yes. Transaction related fees and commissions are generally deductible and reduce taxable profit.

Yes. If there was an error, you can file a correction. If the correction increases tax, you also pay interest.

Yes. PIT 8C should be included in your PIT 38.

You still need to combine it with results from other brokers, including foreign brokers that do not issue PIT 8C.

No. Foreign brokers do not issue PIT 8C.

In Poland, crypto to crypto swaps do not create taxable revenue.

Tax is generally triggered when you sell for fiat or pay with crypto for goods or services.

Yes. You report crypto acquisition costs in PIT 38 even if you did not sell.

Unused costs are carried forward and used in future years.

For crypto, the key is tracking acquisition costs that can be carried forward until you dispose of crypto in a future year.

A loss from disposal of securities can be carried forward and offset against the same type of income in future years, within statutory limits.

No. Loss carry back is not available.

In practice, these categories are reported separately and are not offset against each other.

You can have a loss on shares and still owe tax on dividends.

In practice, you file all years that are not time barred.

The exact period depends on limitation rules and events that can suspend or interrupt the limitation period.

You should file all non time barred years and pay tax with interest.

A voluntary disclosure may be relevant if the tax office has not yet started actions for the year.

Poland receives data under CRS automatic exchange of information.

Foreign financial account data can lead to questions from the Polish tax office. If this happens, you usually need a full calculation for the relevant years and a clear explanation of proceeds versus taxable profit.

Data received through automatic exchange is often limited and may show only total proceeds from sales.

Proceeds are the sum of all sales values, not taxable profit. Frequent trading with a small capital base can generate very high total proceeds.

If the tax office has already started actions for a specific year, voluntary disclosure for that year usually does not work.

It may still be relevant for other years if the office focuses on only one year and you decide to file a wider set of years.

The most common issues are missing PLN conversions, missing accounts, mixing broker result with tax result, ignoring fees, and incorrect crypto cost treatment.

Dividends from Polish companies are usually paid net after 19 percent withholding by the payer.

In practice, Polish dividends are typically not reported in PIT 38. Foreign dividends are handled separately.

Foreign withholding in broker statements usually relates to dividends.

In PIT 38 it is reported in the section for foreign tax credit. PIT ZG is informational and does not always mirror broker statement presentation.

W 8BEN is filed with your broker to apply the Poland US tax treaty for US dividends.

Without it, US withholding is usually 30 percent. With W 8BEN it is typically 15 percent. Since Polish tax on foreign dividends is 19 percent, this often means a 4 percent top up in Poland.