PIT-38 for 2026 in 2027: filing guide for Polish investors abroad

Who must file PIT-38 in 2027?

PIT-38 for 2026 must be filed by all individuals who are Polish tax residents and earned income from capital gains in 2026. This applies to investors who conducted buy and sell transactions on financial instruments.

You are required to file PIT-38 if in 2026 you:

• Sold shares listed on a stock exchange (GPW or foreign exchanges)
• Sold ETF units or investment fund shares
• Sold crypto for money or paid with it for goods or a service — or only bought it (you report the expenses so that they carry over to the following years). Exchanging one cryptocurrency for another is not a sale.
• Realized profits from derivative instruments (options, contracts)
• Sold shares or stakes in private companies

PIT-38 filing deadline for 2026

PIT-38 for the 2026 tax year must be filed by 30 April 2027. This deadline applies to both electronic (via e-PIT) and paper submissions.

You can file your return from February 15, 2027 (a return sent earlier is treated as filed on February 15).

Remember that late filing may result in a fine. If you miss the deadline, file the return as soon as possible together with a voluntary disclosure (czynny żal, art. 16 KKS) — it protects you from a penalty if the tax office does not yet have documented knowledge of the delay and has not started verification activities or an audit.

See the full tax calendar →

What income must be reported in PIT-38?

In PIT-38 for 2026, you report all income from the sale of securities and derivative financial instruments, as well as from exercising rights from these instruments:

• Polish and foreign stocks – profits from selling shares on GPW, NYSE, NASDAQ, and other exchanges
• ETFs and investment funds – sale of fund units
• Cryptocurrencies – sale of virtual currencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others)
• Derivative instruments – options, futures, CFDs
• Company shares – sale of shares in LLCs or joint-stock companies

Step by step: How to fill out PIT-38

You can fill out PIT-38 for 2026 yourself or use the Podatek Giełdy tool. Here's a simplified path — for the detailed guide with field numbers (Pos. 22, 23, 34, 47, etc.) see the full PIT-38 e-PIT filing guide.

1. 1Gather documents — download PIT-8C from Polish brokers and transaction reports from foreign ones. You import CSV, XLSX or XLS files into Podatek Giełdy (PDF only from Revolut and Capital.com, HTML only from Orbex).
2. 2Calculate revenue and costs — amounts from the PIT-8C issued by your Polish broker go to Pos. 20 and 21 (Twój e-PIT already has them filled in), and sales at a foreign broker go to Pos. 22 (revenue) and 23 (costs: purchase price under FIFO + commissions). Our calculator generates these amounts automatically.
3. 3Calculate income or loss — the totals go to Pos. 26 (revenue) and 27 (costs). If revenue exceeds costs, the excess is income in Pos. 28; if costs exceed revenue, the excess is a loss in Pos. 29. You deduct a loss from 2021–2025 in Pos. 30 — no more than the amount in Pos. 28.
4. 4Calculate 19% tax — the tax base in Pos. 31 is income minus the deducted loss, rounded to full złoty; the 19% rate goes in Pos. 32 and the tax in Pos. 33. You deduct tax paid abroad on this income in Pos. 34 and enter the tax due in Pos. 35.
5. 5Foreign dividends (Section G) — in Pos. 47 you enter 19% tax on gross dividends (not the dividend amount itself), in Pos. 48 the tax withheld abroad (no more than the amount in Pos. 47), and in Pos. 49 the difference to pay.
6. 6Submit the return — if you have a gain from selling securities from a foreign source, attach PIT/ZG, a separate one for each country (you do not attach it for dividends). Sign with Profil Zaufany and submit via e-PIT. We give field numbers according to PIT-38(18), the form for 2025 — the Ministry of Finance has not yet published the template for 2026, so check the numbers in the current form before submitting.

When do you need PIT-ZG?

You usually attach PIT-ZG when you have income (not a loss) from selling securities whose source is abroad — most often shares and ETFs of companies and funds based outside Poland. You determine the country by where the company or fund is based, not the broker: US shares bought through XTB are foreign income, while Polish shares sold through Interactive Brokers are not. KIS interpretations differ on whether PIT-ZG is needed when the double tax treaty gives only Poland the right to tax; the tax comes out the same. Our calculator reports CFDs and forex only in PIT-38, without PIT-ZG.

You fill out PIT-ZG separately for each country in which you have income. For US shares you enter the USA; for Irish ETFs the calculator indicates Ireland (the fund's country), although KIS interpretations do not settle this unambiguously. If in one year you sold US shares and Irish ETFs at a profit, you will prepare two PIT-ZG attachments.

• Shares and ETFs of companies and funds based abroad — sold through a Polish or a foreign broker
• Cryptocurrencies — only if you indicate the country in which the income was earned (crypto exchanges do not state it)
• If you have a loss from a given country, you do not file PIT-ZG for it

How to calculate tax on stocks and ETFs?

Calculating tax on stocks and ETFs for 2026 is based on the FIFO method (First In, First Out). This means that when selling, you first "settle" the oldest purchase lots.

Here's how to calculate tax step by step:

1. 1Determine revenue – sale value × the NBP average rate from the last business day before the settlement day of the trade (for transactions in foreign currencies)
2. 2Determine acquisition cost – purchase price × the NBP average rate from the last business day before the settlement day of the purchase (FIFO), plus commissions
3. 3Calculate income – revenue minus acquisition cost. If the result is negative, you have a loss.
4. 4Calculate tax – 19% of the income for the whole year. First deduct losses from 2021–2025 if you have any (older losses have expired).

How to report cryptocurrencies in PIT-38?

Cryptocurrencies (virtual currencies) are reported in PIT-38 under Article 30b of the PIT Act. Taxation applies to the sale of virtual currencies for PLN or other fiat currency, as well as exchanging them for goods or services.

Operations that are not considered a taxable sale and don't require reporting:

• Exchanging one cryptocurrency for another (e.g., BTC → ETH) – tax neutral
• Transferring cryptocurrencies between your own wallets
• Receiving airdrops — disputed: in KIS interpretations it is revenue already on the day of receipt (art. 18, outside PIT-38), while administrative courts, for similar rewards (staking), recognised revenue only upon sale

Taxable operations:

• Selling cryptocurrency for PLN, EUR, USD, or other fiat currency
• Paying for goods or services with cryptocurrency
• Selling NFTs — according to KIS, an NFT is a property right (art. 18), not a virtual currency, so as a rule you settle the revenue from its sale in PIT-36 under the tax scale, not in PIT-38

How to report foreign dividends?

Dividends from foreign companies require special attention when filing PIT-38 for 2026. Unlike Polish dividends (where tax is withheld by the brokerage), you must report foreign dividends yourself.

Key rules for reporting foreign dividends:

• Convert the dividend to PLN at the NBP average rate from the last business day before the payment date
• Deduct withholding tax paid at source according to the double taxation treaty
• Pay in Poland the difference between 19% and the tax withheld abroad (e.g. 4 p.p. for US dividends with W-8BEN: 19% − 15%). The Act allows foreign tax to be deducted up to 19% (art. 30a ust. 9); our calculator cautiously deducts at most the treaty rate (15% for the USA), although the courts allow a deduction of up to 19%. You can reclaim the excess over the treaty rate from the foreign authority (e.g. IRS Form 1040-NR for the US).
• No PIT-ZG is needed — dividends and the tax paid abroad go only in section G

Most common PIT-38 filing mistakes

Based on our users' experience, here are the most common mistakes when filing PIT for 2026:

How can Podatek Giełdy help you?

Podatek Giełdy automates the entire PIT-38 filing process for 2026. Here's what you can do:

• Import reports from over 20 brokers (Interactive Brokers, XTB, DEGIRO, Trading212, Revolut, and more)
• The system automatically calculates tax using FIFO with correct NBP exchange rates
• Get ready-to-use amounts for PIT-38 and PIT-ZG forms
• Foreign dividends are automatically converted and settled
• Report cryptocurrencies in accordance with Article 30b of the PIT Act
• Review transaction history and calculation details

Frequently Asked Questions

• When is the PIT-38 deadline for 2026?

  The deadline for filing PIT-38 for 2026 is 30 April 2027. You can file electronically via e-Deklaracje or the Twój e-PIT portal.

• Who must file PIT-38?

  You file PIT-38 if during the year you sold securities, shares in companies or derivatives (even at a loss), disposed of cryptocurrencies or only bought them (to report the costs), or you have foreign dividends or interest on which no one withheld Polish tax.

• What is the capital gains tax rate?

  The capital gains tax rate in Poland is 19% (the so-called Belka tax). This applies to profits from selling stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and other instruments.

• Can I deduct losses from previous years?

  Yes, capital losses can be deducted over the next 5 tax years. A loss from one year reduces income in subsequent years.

• How to report foreign dividends?

  You report foreign dividends in Section G of PIT-38: in Pos. 47 the 19% tax on the gross dividend, in Pos. 48 the tax withheld abroad (no more than the amount in Pos. 47), in Pos. 49 the difference. The Act allows foreign tax to be deducted up to 19% (art. 30a ust. 9); our calculator cautiously recognises it only up to the double tax treaty rate (e.g. 15% for the USA). You do not file the PIT-ZG attachment for dividends.