Plain English
Crypto mining rewards in the US are ordinary income at fair market value on the date of receipt — the same general treatment as staking. Mining as a trade or business gets to deduct expenses (electricity, equipment depreciation, mining pool fees); hobby miners cannot deduct expenses against the income.
How it actually works
Trade-or-business status enables Schedule C reporting, self-employment tax (15.3% on net earnings), and Section 179 / bonus depreciation on mining hardware. Hobby status means rewards are reported as “other income” with no offsetting deductions. The IRS uses a multi-factor test to determine business vs hobby; most serious miners qualify as business.
What it means for you
For HNW investors operating mining at scale, the entity choice (sole prop, LLC, S-corp, C-corp) materially affects after-tax economics. C-corp can use lower flat rates; pass-through can benefit from QBI deduction (where applicable). Coordinate with a CPA familiar with mining-specific deductions — pool fees, immersion cooling, hosting contracts — to ensure full deductibility.
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Educational content only. Not investment, tax, or legal advice.