How to Calculate Crypto Profit and Loss Percentage
Crypto profit % = (current value minus total cost) ÷ total cost × 100. Rupee examples, average cost for SIPs, after-tax returns, and why a 50% loss needs 100%.
To calculate crypto profit or loss percentage, subtract what you paid in total from what your holding is worth now, divide by what you paid, and multiply by 100. Profit % = (current value − total cost) ÷ total cost × 100. A positive answer is a profit, a negative one a loss. For example, ₹10,000 invested that is now worth ₹12,500 is a 25% profit.
Key takeaways
- Profit % = (current value minus total cost) divided by total cost, times 100.
- Use your total cost including fees, and the value you would actually receive on selling.
- If you bought at different prices, work out your average cost first.
- After 30% tax plus 4% cess, a pre-tax gain shrinks by 31.2%; losses bring no tax relief.
- Losses and gains are not symmetrical: a 50% fall needs a 100% rise to get back to even.
The formula, step by step
- Total cost: the rupees you spent buying, including trading fees and GST on fees.
- Current value: quantity you hold × current price. Our live Bitcoin price in INR page shows Bitcoin at ₹7,969,285 right now.
- Profit or loss in rupees: current value minus total cost.
- Percentage: profit or loss divided by total cost, times 100.
You can also work from prices alone: (current price − buy price) ÷ buy price × 100. This gives the price change but ignores fees, so it slightly overstates your real return.
Worked example: a single purchase
Suppose you bought 0.01 BTC when Bitcoin was ₹60 lakh, paying ₹60,000 in total. At about ₹81.4 lakh per bitcoin on 27 September 2026:
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Total cost | 0.01 × ₹60,00,000 | ₹60,000 |
| Current value | 0.01 × ₹81,37,509 | ₹81,375 |
| Profit in rupees | ₹81,375 − ₹60,000 | ₹21,375 |
| Profit % | ₹21,375 ÷ ₹60,000 × 100 | 35.6% |
If the exchange charged fees on the buy, add them to the ₹60,000; if you sell, subtract the sell fee from the ₹81,375. The Bitcoin investment calculator does this for you, and the crypto investment calculator works for other coins.
Worked example: a loss
You put ₹20,000 into a coin that is now worth ₹13,000. Loss = ₹13,000 − ₹20,000 = −₹7,000. Loss % = −₹7,000 ÷ ₹20,000 × 100 = −35%.
If you bought at different prices (SIP or several buys)
Add up everything you spent and everything you received, then find the average cost:
- ₹10,000 at ₹50 lakh per BTC bought 0.002 BTC.
- ₹10,000 at ₹80 lakh per BTC bought 0.00125 BTC.
- Total: ₹20,000 for 0.00325 BTC, an average cost of about ₹61.5 lakh per BTC.
At ₹81.4 lakh on 27 September 2026, 0.00325 BTC was worth about ₹26,447, a profit of ₹6,447, or 32.2% on ₹20,000. Averaging a simple list of buy prices (₹50 lakh and ₹80 lakh gives ₹65 lakh) would be wrong, because equal rupee amounts buy more coins at lower prices. This is the idea behind rupee cost averaging; see our guide to dollar cost averaging in crypto.
Why losses hurt more than gains help
Percentage gains and losses are measured from different starting points, so they do not cancel out. After a fall, you need a bigger percentage rise just to get back to where you started:
| Loss | Rise needed to break even |
|---|---|
| −10% | +11.1% |
| −25% | +33.3% |
| −50% | +100% |
| −75% | +300% |
| −90% | +900% |
The formula is: rise needed = loss ÷ (1 − loss). This is why deep falls in small coins are so hard to recover from. Our guide to risk management in crypto covers position sizing to limit them.
Your return after tax in India
Crypto gains are taxed at a flat 30% plus 4% cess, an effective 31.2% for most people, under the rules introduced as Section 115BBH. In the first example, tax on ₹21,375 would be about ₹6,669, leaving ₹14,706. Your after-tax return is ₹14,706 ÷ ₹60,000 = 24.5%, not 35.6%.
A few points change the tax picture compared with your own profit percentage:
- Only the cost of acquisition is deductible for tax; other expenses are not. Our guide to calculating crypto gains for tax explains how cost is worked out for each sale.
- Losses on one coin cannot reduce the tax on gains from another, and cannot be carried forward. A portfolio that is up 5% overall can still owe tax on the coins that made money. See crypto loss set-off rules.
- The 1% TDS deducted when you sell is not a cost; it is credited against your final tax.
The crypto tax calculator works out the tax on a sale for you.
Profit percentage for a whole portfolio
If you hold several coins, add up the total cost of everything you bought and the current value of everything you still hold, then apply the same formula. Include money you have already taken out: if you sold some coins earlier, add the rupees you received to the current value. Otherwise your portfolio will look worse than it really is. A simple spreadsheet with columns for date, coin, quantity, rupees spent, fees and rupees received makes this easy, and it doubles as the record you need for Schedule VDA when you file your return. Our guide to showing crypto in Schedule VDA explains what the return asks for.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring fees: small but frequent trades can lose several percent to fees over a year.
- Counting TDS as a loss: it is tax paid in advance, recoverable when you file.
- Using the "24h change" figure: an app's daily percentage says nothing about your own return since you bought.
- Forgetting coins moved between platforms: the new exchange does not know your original cost, so keep your own records.
FAQ
How do I calculate profit percentage in crypto?
Subtract your total cost from the current value, divide by your total cost, and multiply by 100. For example, ₹10,000 now worth ₹13,000 is a 30% profit.
How do I calculate crypto loss percentage?
Use the same formula; the answer will be negative. ₹20,000 now worth ₹13,000 is a loss of 35%.
How is average buy price calculated for crypto?
Divide the total rupees you spent by the total quantity you bought. Do not simply average the buy prices, because equal amounts buy more coins at lower prices.
Does the profit percentage include tax?
Not usually. Apps show pre-tax figures. Multiply your rupee gain by 0.688 (after 31.2% tax) to estimate your after-tax profit.
This article is AI-assisted, educational and general in nature. It is not financial advice and never a guarantee of profit. Every trade is at your own risk on your own exchange. See our risk disclosure and editorial policy.
