eToro USA LLC Cryptocurrency Trading
Bitcoin (BTC) has long had a reputation as the currency of choice for criminals eager to receive payment in a hard-to-trace form. Recent reports suggest this is changing, with other privacy coins becoming increasingly popular with the underground, but it also obscures the fact that there are actually many legitimate ways for businesses and individuals to get paid in cryptocurrency.
From online payment systems designed to make it easier to buy and sell using BTC to companies and job-seeker platforms providing payment in cryptocurrency, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to receive payment in the form of digital currency.
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When the PyeongChang Winter Olympics kicked off in February 2018, Canadian speed skater Ted-Jan Bloemen made headlines for becoming the first athlete to be paid in cryptocurrency. The arrangement was part of a sponsorship deal with ONG Social, a social network and crypto community, and virtual reality provider CEEK VR.
Elsewhere, more than 4,000 employees at the Japanese Internet firm, GMO Group, have the option to receive a portion of their salary in bitcoin, while plenty of other companies in the crypto sphere have been offering bitcoin salary payments for years. When you consider that cryptocurrencies are designed to offer a viable replacement for fiat currency, this makes sense.
There are even several job-seeking websites designed to allow freelancers to find work and get paid in cryptocurrency. For example, Ethlance allows its users to hire or work for Ether (ETH), while Coinality aims to connect employees and job seekers with job opportunities that pay in digital currency.
If you currently have a job, you could also ask your employer whether it’s possible to get a portion of your salary paid in bitcoin. However, with many employers wary of paying in cryptocurrency, you may have to explore other options. One example is Bitwage, which specializes in converting fiat currency salaries into cryptocurrency and is currently only available in payments from UK, US and European employers.
One of the key ways investors can earn money from shares is to buy stock in a company that pays dividends to shareholders. This practice is mirrored in the crypto world, as some cryptocurrencies also pay dividends to coin or token owners.
The two most common ways to access dividends are by:
For example, NEO holders are rewarded with GAS, the fuel used to power the NEO blockchain network. With every new block generated, eight GAS are distributed for all 100,000,000 NEO.
Another example is Komodo (KMD), which pays an annual reward rate of 5% to KMD holders, while Nav Coin (NAV) also pays up to 5% interest to users who stake their NAV holdings.
In this way, some cryptocurrencies provide added value to buyers, providing the opportunity to earn a passive income from your crypto holdings.
Take a look at the table below for a roundup of some of the most well-known dividend-paying coins.
| Coin | Dividend | |
|---|---|---|
| NEO (NEO) | GAS token paid out with each new NEO block, proportional to the amount of NEO held. | Learn more |
| Komodo (KMD) | 5% interest earned on KMD holdings, paid annually. | Learn more |
| KuCoin Shares (KCS) | Fees collected on the KuCoin exchange are paid out to holders daily, proportional to the amount of KCS held. | Learn more |
| BridgeCoin (BCO) | 50% of profits from the Crypto Bridge decentralized exchange are paid out to holders who stake their coins, depending on the amount of BCO held. | |
| Neblio (NEBL) | 10% interest earned on NEBL holdings for those who stake their coins. | Learn more |
| PIVX (PIVX) | ~4.8% interest earned on PIVX holdings for those who stake their coins. | Learn more |
| Nav Coin (NAV) | Up to 5% earned on NAV holdings for those who stake their coins. | Learn more |
Mining is the process by which cryptocurrency transactions are validated and miners are rewarded with cryptocurrency for their efforts. Mining is done using special mining programs and uses the processing power of the miner’s computer. It’s a slightly confusing concept to wrap your head around at first, so check out our guide to bitcoin mining for an in-depth explanation.
These days, it’s quite difficult to make money mining bitcoin, as the process now requires specialized equipment, significant processing power and a whole lot of electricity. However, there are plenty of other cryptocurrencies that can be mined, including Ether (ETH), Zcash (ZEC) and Monero (XMR). While mining isn’t an easy way to earn a second income, it can be a useful hobby to help you earn additional funds.
However, it’s also important to be aware of the tax implications of mining bitcoin in the US. The IRS considers any money you make from mining bitcoin as self-employment income.
There are plenty of other ways you can potentially earn small amounts of cryptocurrency, including:
Read more on this in our guide to some of the ways to earn crypto for free
If you think getting paid in cryptocurrency sounds like a pretty sweet deal, make sure you’re aware of all the risks and potential downsides:
Before getting paid in cryptocurrency, it’s essential to be aware of the tax treatment of cryptocurrency by the IRS.
There are three steps to computing your tax liability stemming from crypto sales:
First, you need to figure out how much profit you made from selling crypto. Multiply the sale price of your crypto by the amount of the coin that you sold. Then, subtract how much you originally paid for the crypto in addition to any fees you had to pay to sell it. This is your tax basis. The figure you end up with is known as a realized gain; that is, your profit.
Next, you need to determine whether your gain is short-term or long-term. Determine the date you purchased your crypto and then note the current date. The period in between is called your holding period; that is, how long you owned it. If you held your crypto for one year or less, it’s considered a short-term gain. If you held it for longer than a year, it’s considered a long-term gain. Your tax rate and liability will depend on whether you had a long- or short-term gain.
Short-term gains are treated as ordinary income; therefore, your tax liability will depend on your particular income range. Find your earnings and multiply your income by the percent designated in the tax bracket. Long-term gains are calculated differently as capital gains, and therefore your tax liability will be calculated using a capital gains tax rate on the profits of your cryptocurrency. It’s worth noting long-term gains offer lower tax liabilities.
Images: Shutterstock
Disclosure: At the time of this writing, the author holds IOTA and XLM.
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Can I use Coinbase to request payments from Canada into my wallet in Nigeria?
Hi Linus,
Thanks for your comment and I hope you are doing well.
While Coinbase can be used to send money internationally (serving 100 countries) as of this time, Coinbase doesn’t support money transfers to Nigeria. If your purpose is to send money to Nigeria from Canada, there are international money transfer providers to Nigeria that you can consider using instead.
As a reminder, when sending money overseas, observe the fluctuations of exchange rates more frequently days before you exchange your money and take note of the fees as they are subject to change at any time.
Hope this helps and feel free to reach out to us again for further assistance.
Cheers,
Nikki