When you hire a tax accountant in Japan to handle tax filings for crypto assets (also known as virtual currencies) or a tax audit, fees typically range from tens of thousands of yen up to the ¥200,000s (roughly $130–$2,000 USD, using an approximate rate of ¥150/USD). That said, pricing is not uniform. The final cost depends on the number of transactions, how many exchanges you used, whether you traded on overseas exchanges or used DeFi, NFTs, or staking, and whether you also want the accountant to calculate your gains and losses.
For that reason, when checking crypto tax accountant fees, it is best not to judge based on the listed price alone. The more complex your trading activity, the more likely it is that extra charges will apply on top of the base fee.
This article explains the typical cost of hiring a tax accountant for crypto asset final tax returns (kakutei shinkoku), the situations that tend to push fees higher, what work is usually included in the price, and what you can prepare in advance to keep costs down.
Typical fees for hiring a tax accountant for crypto tax filings
As mentioned above, fees for crypto-related tax accountant services generally run from the tens of thousands of yen up to around ¥200,000. However, published price lists from tax accountant firms show that the amount varies depending on trading volume and the scope of work covered.
For example, some firms quote from ¥150,000 for a crypto final tax return covering only domestic trading with a low transaction volume, and from ¥300,000 for cases with high transaction volume or overseas exchanges (reference: Asai Takuya Tax Accountant & Certified Public Accountant Office).
Other firms present individual-focused packages that bundle gains/losses calculation, tax return preparation, and tax consultation — one such office quotes ¥275,000 (tax included) for a case with ¥5,000,000 in profit (reference: Omi Tax Accountant Office).
Tax accountant fees in Japan are not set at a uniform nationwide rate. Each firm sets its own pricing based on the scope of work and its level of specialization, so even for the same task — a crypto asset final tax return — the fee will vary depending on which firm you approach.
Cases where crypto tax accountant fees tend to be higher
Crypto tax accountant fees tend to rise in cases where the accountant has to verify more information. Pricing is not determined by profit amount alone — the actual workload changes based on the number of transactions, the number of services used, the state of your transaction records, and your past filing history.
Here are some situations that tend to push accountant fees higher.
Using multiple exchanges, including overseas exchanges
Using multiple exchanges can increase your tax accountant fee. Each exchange formats its records differently, so the accountant needs to cross-reference trade history, deposit/withdrawal records, and transfer records across all of them.
Using an overseas exchange adds even more work. Records may not already be denominated in Japanese yen, and the format of the transaction history may differ from that of domestic exchanges, which takes extra time to prepare before gains/losses can even be calculated. If you swapped one crypto asset for another on an overseas exchange, that transaction also needs to be converted into Japanese yen for income calculation purposes.
Individual crypto tax filing (low transaction volume)
From ¥150,000
Individual crypto tax filing (high transaction volume / including overseas)
From ¥300,000
Reference: Asai Takuya Tax Accountant & Certified Public Accountant Office
In cases like this, even a tax accountant experienced with crypto assets may need to provide an additional quote on top of the standard filing fee. If you have used many different exchanges, it is best to list all of them upfront when you first consult with an accountant.
You have DeFi, NFT, or staking activity
If you use DeFi, NFTs, staking, lending, or liquidity mining, your tax accountant fee is also likely to be higher. These activities go beyond simple buy/sell trades — they involve reward receipts, crypto-to-crypto swaps, transfers between wallets, and NFT purchases/sales, all of which increase the range of transaction types that need to be checked.
For example, if you have received staking rewards, you need to work out when you received each reward and what it was worth at that time. If you have bought or sold NFTs, the purchase price, sale price, fees, and which crypto asset was used all need to be confirmed.
DeFi and NFT transactions often cannot be fully accounted for using an exchange's annual trading report alone. On-chain history, wallet deposits and withdrawals, and details of the services you used all need to be checked, which is why fees tend to rise in these cases.
Your transaction history or supporting documents are incomplete
To verify the contents of a tax return, a tax accountant needs documentation to support each transaction. If records are missing, the accountant has to spend extra time explaining how to retrieve exchange history, checking for missing data, and piecing together transaction details — all of which push the fee higher.
This is especially true if you no longer remember which exchanges you used in the past, no longer have records from an old wallet, or don't know what a particular transfer was for. In these cases, the difficulty of the gains/losses calculation increases, and the final fee can end up higher than expected.
Given all this, when estimating your crypto tax accountant fee, it's important to consider not just your profit amount but also how well-organized your records are. Gathering the necessary documents yourself reduces the accountant's workload, which can ultimately help keep your fee down.
What's typically included in crypto tax accountant fees
When comparing crypto tax accountant fees, it's best not to judge on price alone. Two firms may both quote ¥100,000, but the scope of service can differ significantly — one may include gains/losses calculation, while the other covers only preparation of the tax return itself.
Reviewing transaction history and calculating gains/losses
One of the most important parts of a crypto final tax return is reviewing transaction history and calculating gains and losses. Income calculation may be required not only when you sell crypto assets, but also when you use crypto to buy goods or swap one crypto asset for another.
According to the National Tax Agency (NTA)'s FAQ, deductible expenses for crypto gains include items such as the acquisition cost of the crypto asset sold and any fees paid at the time of sale. In other words, a filing needs to account not just for “how much you sold it for,” but also “how much you paid to acquire the crypto asset that was sold.”
Deductible expenses for income from the sale of crypto assets include, for example, the following costs: the acquisition cost of the crypto asset sold, and fees paid at the time of sale.
Source: Tax Treatment of Crypto Assets | National Tax Agency (NTA)
Be sure to confirm whether the tax accountant will handle this gains/losses calculation themselves, or whether you are expected to prepare the calculation results yourself using a crypto tax calculation tool.
Preparing and filing your tax return
Once the gains/losses calculation is complete, the results are used to prepare your final tax return. When you work with a tax accountant, they may handle everything through to preparing the return and filing it electronically.
However, some crypto tax accountant fees cover only the preparation of the tax return itself. In that case, organizing your transaction history and calculating gains/losses may be billed separately, or may be left for you to handle on your own.
When reviewing a quote, be sure to check clearly whether it covers “only preparing the tax return” or “everything from gains/losses calculation through filing, in one package.” Leaving this ambiguous makes it more likely that extra charges will come up after you've already committed to the engagement.
Follow-up consultations and tax audit support may cost extra
Crypto tax accountant fees don't always include tax consultations or support during a tax audit. For example, preparing the return itself might be included in the base fee, but individual consultations, review of prior-year filings, responding to an inquiry from the tax office, and attending a tax audit may all be billed separately.
This is because tax audit support is a separate service from standard return preparation. If the tax office requests clarification, you need to organize the supporting documents behind your filing and be able to explain your transaction history and calculations — and covering audit support adds to the accountant's workload.
If you have a large amount of profit, or you're unsure about the accuracy of past filings, it's worth confirming in advance whether tax audit support is included. Rather than choosing based on price alone, look at the full scope of post-filing support before deciding.
How to prepare in advance to keep your crypto tax accountant fee down
If you want to keep your crypto tax accountant fee down, it's more realistic to reduce the accountant's workload than to simply look for the cheapest firm. When your records are well organized, quotes tend to be clearer and you're less likely to run into additional charges later.
List every exchange and wallet you've used
First, make a list of every exchange and wallet you've used. Try to list out as many crypto-related services as possible, including domestic exchanges, overseas exchanges, wallets, DeFi services, and NFT marketplaces.
Having this list makes it easier for the accountant to work out which transaction records need to be reviewed. Conversely, if it's unclear which services you used, there's a higher risk that some transaction history gets missed.
At minimum, it helps to note down the service name, the period you used it, what kind of transactions you made, and whether you can still log in — this makes your initial consultation go much more smoothly.
Gather your transaction and deposit/withdrawal history in advance
Next, gather your transaction and deposit/withdrawal history ahead of time. This includes CSV data you can download from exchanges, annual trading reports, deposit/withdrawal history, and wallet transaction history.
For crypto tax filings, trade history alone is sometimes not enough. Records of transfers from an exchange to a wallet, transfers back from a wallet to an exchange, and swaps between different crypto assets can all be relevant to the gains/losses calculation.
If you come across something you don't understand while gathering documents, don't just set it aside — make a note of it. If you can tell your accountant exactly what's unclear, it makes the verification process much easier.
Consult early rather than waiting until the filing deadline
If you want to keep your fee down, it also helps to consult a tax accountant early rather than waiting until right before the filing deadline. As the final tax return season approaches, tax accountant firms get busy with their regular workload. Crypto filings, which require a lot of verification work, may not be accepted at all if you approach a firm at the last minute — or you may be charged an extra rush fee.
Consulting early also gives you more time to gather the documents you need. Even if you discover missing transaction history or an exchange you can no longer log into, you'll have more room to resolve it before the filing deadline.
Filing a crypto tax return doesn't end once you've gathered your documents — those documents then need to be used to calculate gains and losses and reflect that in your return. This is especially true if you have a high transaction volume: the closer you get to the deadline, the fewer options you have, so it's best to consult a tax accountant as early as possible.
As of this writing, income from crypto asset transactions is taxed in Japan as miscellaneous income under the aggregate taxation system. Following amendments to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act enacted in July 2026, this treatment is expected to shift to a flat 20% separate self-assessment tax rate around 2028, a change that could also affect future filing requirements and accountant fees.
Summary: Crypto tax accountant fees depend on your trading activity and the scope of work
When hiring a tax accountant for a crypto asset final tax return, individual filings typically range from the tens of thousands of yen up to the ¥200,000s. However, because additional charges can apply depending on the amount of work involved, fees will increase in situations where the accountant has more to verify.
If you want to keep your tax accountant fee down, listing the exchanges and wallets you've used and gathering your transaction and deposit/withdrawal history in advance can reduce the accountant's workload and help limit additional charges.
Crypto tax accountant fees in Japan vary significantly depending on your trading activity and the scope of work you request. Start by organizing your own trading history, then choose an accountant based not just on price, but on whether they have experience handling crypto asset filings.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making investment decisions.
