TL;DR: Whether you're setting up CoinTracking for the first time or redoing your account from scratch, take it slow. Add one exchange or wallet at a time, verify balances, and ensure all data is accurate and complete. Backups are essential before deleting or replacing anything.
Should I take a simple or comprehensive approach?
If you only want to track future transactions, you can simply add your current balances as "Income." This is quick but not tax reliable. For accurate gain and tax calculations, it's important to enter all historical data precisely.
What’s the right way to enter my data?
CoinTracking uses double-entry bookkeeping. To ensure accurate tracking and tax reporting, you should:
Enter every transaction as it occurred on each exchange
Include all historical transactions from every platform you've used
Check for any missing or incorrect data in CSV/API imports, as some exchanges may not provide complete data
Use the “Balance by Exchange” page to verify that each platform’s totals match your actual holdings.
Step-by-step: Improving your existing data
Backup your current data (optional but highly recommended)
Optionally delete all existing data
Add or edit one exchange at a time
Check the balance for that exchange using "Balance by Exchange"
If balances don’t match, review the data on the "Transactions" page
Add missing data manually using the "Excel Import" or "Custom Exchange Import"
Fix any incorrect data (e.g. wrong fees, transaction types)
Backup after completing each exchange
Don’t forget special events like hard forks, ICOs, gifts, or airdrops
If starting over completely
Create a backup under "Account > Trades Backup" or export your trades as a CSV (without trade IDs)
Review and update your API jobs per the instructions in the API Live Data Overview and each exchange’s API guide
Download up-to-date CSV files from your exchanges and wallets
Prepare any manual entries for bulk upload via Excel or Custom Exchange Import
Delete all data via the "Bulk Edit/Delete" tool on the Enter Coins page
Begin re-importing:
Start API jobs using “Check Now”
Import CSVs
Upload customized import files
Manually enter free coins
Add any bonuses or rewards not covered by import methods (e.g. forks, rebates, staking rewards)
Optional: Use a second account
You can create a second CoinTracking account and link it to your main account. This allows you to:
Start fresh while retaining your original data
Cross-check balances and transactions
Later delete the old account or copy data to the new one
Final Advice
CoinTracking is a powerful and complex tool. Carefully reading the import FAQs and proceeding methodically will help you get accurate and reliable results. Most issues arise from incorrect or incomplete imports, so take your time and double-check everything.