DAC8, formally Council Directive (EU) 2023/2226, is the European Union directive that amends Directive 2011/16/EU on administrative cooperation in taxation to add crypto-asset tax reporting and automatic exchange of information. The Council adopted the Directive on Oct. 17, 2023, it was published in the Official Journal on Oct. 24, 2023, and the main crypto-asset reporting application date is Jan. 1, 2026.
DAC8 crypto-asset reporting scope
DAC8 is designed to give EU tax authorities a standardized channel for receiving and exchanging information on reportable crypto-asset users and transactions. The European Commission describes DAC8 as the eighth amendment to the Directive on Administrative Cooperation and states that it expands automatic exchange of information to crypto-assets between EU countries.
The regime applies through Member State implementing measures. It requires national tax authorities to obtain information from Reporting Crypto-Asset Service Providers, or RCASPs, and exchange relevant information with the Member State of residence of the taxpayer or investor on an annual basis. The Directive’s recitals frame the measure as a response to the cross-border and decentralized features of crypto-assets, which can make income and gains harder for tax administrations to assess.
Key provisions for reporting crypto-asset service providers
- Reporting and due diligence: Member States must require RCASPs to fulfil Annex VI reporting requirements and carry out due diligence procedures for reportable users.
- User information: Reported data can include names, addresses, Member State tax residence, tax identification numbers, dates of birth for individuals, and controlling-person information for certain entities.
- Transaction information: RCASPs report aggregate amounts, units and transaction counts for acquisitions, disposals, crypto-to-crypto exchanges, reportable retail payment transactions and transfers.
- Single registration: Certain crypto-asset operators that are not MiCA-authorized crypto-asset service providers must register in a single Member State for DAC8 reporting purposes.
Assets and transactions in scope
DAC8 builds on MiCA terminology and the OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework. Its broad scope includes crypto-assets used for payment or investment purposes, with reportable information divided by type of reportable crypto-asset. Commission guidance states that the scope includes decentralized crypto-assets, stablecoins including e-money tokens, and certain non-fungible tokens, subject to the Directive’s detailed definitions and exclusions.
Status, effective date and timeline
EUR-Lex lists Directive (EU) 2023/2226 as in force. The Directive entered into force on the twentieth day after Official Journal publication, while Member States were required to transpose the main provisions by Dec. 31, 2025 and apply them from Jan. 1, 2026. The first information is reported for the relevant calendar year or other reporting period beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The Commission states that exchanges for the first reporting year, 2026, are due by Sept. 30, 2027.
DAC8 also includes later phase-ins for certain tax-identification-number reporting and communication provisions, with application dates in 2028 and 2030. A 2025 implementing regulation added standard computerized formats and Crypto-Asset Operator register forms for DAC8 exchanges, applying from Jan. 1, 2026.
Relationship to MiCA, CARF and EU tax cooperation
DAC8 is not a trading, licensing or prudential market framework. It is a tax transparency directive that sits beside MiCA and the EU transfer-of-funds framework. It relies on MiCA definitions for crypto-asset service providers and crypto-assets while aligning the EU reporting system with the OECD CARF and changes to the Common Reporting Standard.
The Directive does not itself set crypto tax rates or decide whether a particular transaction produces taxable income, gain or loss. Those questions remain matters of national law, using information collected and exchanged under the DAC framework.
Editorial classification
For CryptoSlate’s law database, DAC8 should be classified as an EU Directive focused on Taxation & Reporting, with secondary relevance to Licensing & Registration, Privacy & Cybersecurity, and the broader crypto regulatory perimeter. The profile should be reviewed as Member States publish or update national transposition rules and reporting formats.