Key takeaways
- Tax rules vary by country and product, but good records are useful everywhere.
- Keep trade history, statements, cash movements, conversion records and fee summaries.
- Download statements regularly instead of relying on the broker's portal.
- Reconcile your own trade log against broker totals at least once a year.
- Ask a local tax professional how long to keep records and how to treat your product types.
Tax rules for trading differ enormously between countries, and sometimes between product types within one country. What does not change is that every tax system starts from records. This article explains which records are worth keeping so that, whatever your local rules, you or a tax professional can reconstruct what happened.
Why records matter more than memory
Brokers provide statements, but they are not always shaped for tax reporting. Some report in the account currency only, some give annual summaries without lot-level detail, and some close the download portal for inactive accounts. If you hold several accounts, platforms or products, no single document may tell the whole story. Keeping your own organised copy protects you if a broker changes its systems, closes an account or stops responding.
The records worth keeping
| Record | What it shows | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Trade history | Open and close dates, prices, size, instrument, fees | Basis for gains and losses |
| Periodic account statements | Balances, credits, debits, financing charges | Reconciles the trade list with cash movements |
| Deposits and withdrawals | Dates, amounts, currencies, method | Shows the money you put in and took out |
| Currency conversion records | Rates and dates used | Needed if your tax currency differs from your account currency |
| Dividends, interest and corporate actions | Amounts, withholding tax, ex-dates | May be taxed differently from trading gains |
| Fee and commission summaries | Commissions, platform fees, data fees | May be deductible or part of cost basis in some systems |
| Tax forms issued by the broker | Annual statements or reports | Cross-check with your own totals |
| Client agreement and entity details | Which company held the account | Useful to identify the correct reporting country |
Where the tricky parts hide
Four areas cause most difficulty, and each one is worth understanding in outline even if you leave the final calculation to a professional.
- Multiple currencies: if your account is in one currency and your tax return is in another, conversion rates and dates may matter for every trade, not only for the final balance.
- Financing and swaps: overnight charges or credits may be treated as part of the trade result, as separate interest items or in another way entirely.
- Different product types: shares, ETFs, options, futures, CFDs and crypto exposure can sit under different rules, rates or reporting schedules.
- Losses: whether losses can offset gains, carry forward or expire, and for how long, depends on local law.
An illustrative record layout
The table below shows one way to organise a trade log in a spreadsheet. The entries are invented to illustrate the structure, not to show a calculation method. The columns you need may differ by country.
| Date opened | Date closed | Instrument | Size | Open price | Close price | Fees | Currency | Result in account currency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-12 | 2026-01-14 | Example pair A | 0.5 lot | 1.1000 | 1.1040 | 3.50 | USD | Illustrative: +196.50 |
| 2026-02-03 | 2026-02-03 | Example share B | 20 | 50.00 | 48.50 | 2.00 | EUR | Illustrative: -32.00 |
| 2026-03-20 | 2026-04-02 | Example index CFD | 1 | 8,000 | 8,060 | 4.20 | GBP | Illustrative: +55.80 |
Keep the result as reported by the broker beside your own calculation. If they differ, the discrepancy often reveals a missing fee, a conversion rate or a corporate action.
A simple routine to keep records tidy
- Download statements on a schedule. At the end of each month or quarter, download the account statement and trade history as PDF and CSV. Do not rely on the platform to hold them for years.Tip: Name files consistently, for example broker-account-YYYY-MM.
- Update your trade log. Add new trades to your spreadsheet and check running totals against the broker's closing balance.
- Record cash movements. Log every deposit and withdrawal with the date, amount, currency and method, and keep the confirmations.
- Back up in two places. Keep one copy on an encrypted drive and one in secure cloud storage. Remember that statements contain personal data.
- Do a year-end reconciliation. Compare your totals against any annual report the broker issues, resolve differences, and store the final package together.
How long to keep them
Retention rules differ by country, but many tax authorities may look back several years, and some have no fixed limit where fraud is suspected. A cautious approach is to keep records for at least as long as the longest period that might apply to you, and ask your local professional for the exact figure. If you close an account, download everything first, because access to the client area often ends with the account.
Working with a professional
Bring your records in a form the professional can use. A summary sheet with the account entities, countries, currencies and product types, plus the supporting statements, saves time and cost. Ask specific questions: how to treat financing charges, which exchange rate to apply, whether losses carry forward, and whether any foreign account reporting applies to you.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need records if my broker sends a tax report?
Yes. Broker reports can be incomplete, may not cover all your accounts, and are worth checking against your own log.
Should I keep screenshots?
They are a useful backup, especially for disputed fills or fees, but official statements and exports are the primary records.
What if I lost old statements?
Contact the broker as soon as possible and ask for reissued statements. Some brokers charge a fee or limit how far back they can go.
Do losses matter for my records?
Yes. Where the law allows losses to offset gains or carry forward, you will need evidence of them, so keep full records in losing years too.