Joint bitcoin wallet: who owns the coins for tax purposes?

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry a high degree of risk. Always conduct your own research.Bitcoin on a joint marital wallet: for tax purposes it is not access to the wallet alone that decides, but who the coins are economically attributable to.Transferring bitcoin to a joint marital wallet: who the coins are attributed to for taxA married couple manage their bitcoin together on a hardware wallet. Both know the seed, both can initiate transactions. Does that automatically mean each spouse owns 50 percent of the bitcoin?For tax purposes the answer is: not necessarily.In Austria, attributing an asset turns in principle on beneficial ownership and on the overall picture of the actual circumstances.Technical access alone does not decide the questionThe fact that both spouses know the seed or private key does not in itself prove ownership is split in half for tax purposes.What can matter includes:who bought the bitcoin,whose assets financed the purchase,who is allowed to decide on sales,who benefits economically from gains and losses,what arrangements exist between the spo...