What to export
Most exchanges and wallets let you export transaction history as CSV files. You will need several types of records to calculate your cost basis accurately. The exact column names and file format vary by platform, so check your exchange's documentation.
Trades
Buy and sell orders. Each row should show the date, trading pair, amount, price, and fee. This is the core data for cost basis calculation.
Deposits and withdrawals
Transfers into and out of your exchange account. These help you track when you moved crypto between platforms or wallets. Transfers between your own addresses are not sales.
Staking rewards
Any tokens you received from staking, interest, or yield programs. These are generally treated as income on the date you received them, and that value becomes your cost basis for those tokens.
Column names
Each exchange uses its own column labels. Common names include Date, Time, Type, Pair, Side, Amount, Price, Fee, Total, Asset, and Status. Before you process any file, open it and confirm the column structure matches what you expect.