Exchange · CSV
Lighter perps, taxed from your history.
Bring your Lighter history into HashBooks as a file. Lighter signs API requests with a wallet private key, and HashBooks never asks for a private key.
- PnL and funding
- 8 country reports
- Read-only
- From
- Lighter
- To
- HashBooks ledger
- Method
- Statement upload (CSV / Excel)
- Access
- Only the file you upload
- Brings in
- Trades, deposits and withdrawals from your file, Fees
- Report
- Form 8949 SA108 Schedule VDA myTax capital gains Schedule 3 Anlage SO Form CG1 IRAS income summary
Every row keeps its original record
Good to know
Lighter specifics.
- Lighter signs API requests with a wallet private key, and HashBooks never asks for a private key. A file upload gives HashBooks the same history without it.
- Read-only auth tokens can be created with the createToken endpoint or from the front end. They do not allow placing trades or requesting withdrawals.
- A read-only auth code can have a maximum expiry of 10 years and a minimum of 1 day.
- Each auth token can have a maximum expiry of 8 hours.
- Lighter offers spot and perpetual swaps. Closed positions and funding payments are imported alongside spot trades, so the report shows your whole result on the platform.
- Lighter is a decentralised exchange: trades settle on-chain and your account is a wallet, which is why its API signs requests with a private key.
From Lighter’s own pages: apidocs.lighter.xyz. Checked October 2026.
Worked example
The numbers, worked through.
A Lighter position, run through your country’s rules. Illustrative figures: HashBooks calculates the real ones from your records.
Illustrative · United States
| Realised profit on the position | $1,200 |
|---|---|
| Funding paid while it was open | −$80 |
| Net result | $1,120 |
| At a 22% ordinary rate if short-term | $246.40 |
Rates depend on how the contract is treated; check yours with a tax professional. The full example in the help centre.
Illustrative · United Kingdom
| Realised profit on the position | £1,000 |
|---|---|
| Funding paid while it was open | −£60 |
| Net result | £940 |
HashBooks reports the figures in pounds; derivatives can be taxed differently from coins, so have an adviser check them. The full example in the help centre.
Illustrative · India
| Realised profit on the position | ₹80,000 |
|---|---|
| Funding paid while it was open | −₹5,000 |
| Net result | ₹75,000 |
Reported in rupees; how it’s taxed depends on the contract, so check with a CA. The full example in the help centre.
Taxed or not
What’s taxable on Lighter?
A quick check before you file: which Lighter activity counts, and how.
| On Lighter | Taxable in United States? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Moving to your own wallet | No | Moving between your own wallets and accounts. |
| Buying crypto | No | Buying with dollars sets your cost basis. |
| Selling for cash | Yes | Capital gain or loss; short- or long-term by holding period. |
| Swapping one coin for another | Yes | A disposal of the coin you give up, at market value. |
| Rewards, staking and interest | Income | Ordinary income at fair market value when received. |
| Futures and perpetuals | Yes | Gain or loss when a position closes; funding adds to or reduces it. |
| On Lighter | Taxable in United Kingdom? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Moving to your own wallet | No | Moving between your own wallets. |
| Buying crypto | No | Buying with pounds adds to your Section 104 pool. |
| Selling for cash | Yes | Capital Gains Tax above the £3,000 annual exempt amount. |
| Swapping one coin for another | Yes | A disposal at market value. |
| Rewards, staking and interest | Income | Income at the pound value when received. |
| Futures and perpetuals | Depends | Gains and losses on closed positions; treatment depends on the contract. |
| On Lighter | Taxable in India? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Moving to your own wallet | No | Moving between your own wallets and exchanges. |
| Buying crypto | No | Buying with rupees sets your cost of acquisition. |
| Selling for cash | Yes | 30% plus 4% cess on the gain; 1% TDS on Indian exchanges. |
| Swapping one coin for another | Yes | A transfer of the coin you give up, taxed at 30% plus cess; TDS applies on both legs. |
| Rewards, staking and interest | Income | At your slab rate when received. |
| Futures and perpetuals | Depends | Reported in rupees; the treatment depends on the contract, so check with a CA. |
How to connect
Connect Lighter in a few minutes.
It takes a couple of minutes. Stuck? See connecting accounts in the help centre.
- Download your trade, deposit and withdrawal history from Lighter.
- Copy the rows into the HashBooks CSV / Excel template: date, type, what you sent and received, the fee, and any TDS.
- Upload it in HashBooks, check the preview, then confirm. Uploading the same file twice never double-counts.
Your country
Lighter and your country’s rules.
Shown for the country you picked at the top of the page. Each rule links to the full explanation in the HashBooks help centre.
United States · Form 8949
- Selling, swapping or spending what you hold on Lighter. Selling, swapping or spending crypto is a capital gain or loss: short-term at 10–37% if held a year or less, 0, 15 or 20% if held longer. More on Lighter in United States
- Futures and perpetuals on Lighter. Closing a futures or perpetual position realises a gain or loss, and funding you pay or receive moves your result too. HashBooks records both in dollars on the day. More on Lighter in United States
- Rewards and interest from Lighter. Staking rewards, interest and other rewards are ordinary income at their dollar value when received; that value becomes their cost basis. More on Lighter in United States
- Moving coins to or from Lighter. Moving crypto between your own wallets and accounts isn’t taxable. More on Lighter in United States
- Cost basis. Since 1 January 2025 cost basis is tracked per wallet or exchange; HashBooks uses FIFO, lot by lot. More on Lighter in United States
Full rules: the United States crypto tax guide in the help centre, or the United States overview.
United Kingdom · SA108
- Selling, swapping or spending what you hold on Lighter. Selling, swapping or spending crypto is a disposal for Capital Gains Tax: gains above the £3,000 annual exempt amount are taxed at 18% or 24%. More on Lighter in United Kingdom
- Futures and perpetuals on Lighter. Gains and losses on closed futures and perpetual positions, and funding payments, are reported in pounds. Derivatives can be taxed differently from spot coins, so have an adviser check the treatment. More on Lighter in United Kingdom
- Rewards and interest from Lighter. Staking rewards are income at their pound value when received, and that value becomes their cost for a later disposal. More on Lighter in United Kingdom
- Moving coins to or from Lighter. Moving crypto between your own wallets isn’t a disposal. More on Lighter in United Kingdom
- Cost basis. Disposals match same-day buys, then buys in the next 30 days, then the Section 104 pool. More on Lighter in United Kingdom
Full rules: the United Kingdom crypto tax guide in the help centre, or the United Kingdom overview.
India · Schedule VDA
- Selling, swapping or spending what you hold on Lighter. Each sale or swap is a transfer taxed at a flat 30% plus 4% cess on the gain. Losses can’t be set off, and only the cost of acquisition is deductible. More on Lighter in India
- Futures and perpetuals on Lighter. Gains and losses on crypto futures and perpetuals are reported in rupees; how they are taxed depends on the contract and your facts, so check with a CA. More on Lighter in India
- Rewards and interest from Lighter. Staking, airdrop and other rewards are income at your slab rate when received; selling them later is a separate 30% transfer. More on Lighter in India
- Moving coins to or from Lighter. Moving crypto between your own wallets and exchanges isn’t a transfer. More on Lighter in India
Full rules: the India crypto tax guide in the help centre, or the India overview.
See the rules for your country.
At a glance
Lighter in brief.
| Markets | spot and perpetual swaps |
|---|---|
| How HashBooks connects | File upload |
| History it gives HashBooks | whatever your statement contains |
| Website | lighter.xyz |
Jurisdiction, markets and links as listed in the open-source ccxt library (4.5.85), which HashBooks uses to connect to exchanges.
What comes across
Your Lighter history, in one ledger.
- Trades, deposits and withdrawals from your file
- Fees
Security
Only the Lighter file you choose to upload.
HashBooks never sees your Lighter login. It reads the statement you upload and nothing beyond it. How HashBooks keeps data safe.
Similar
More futures & perps, same ledger.
Questions
Lighter, answered.
How are Lighter futures and perpetuals taxed?
Closing a position realises a gain or loss, and funding you pay or receive adds to or reduces your result. HashBooks imports both from Lighter and reports them under your country’s rules; the tax section above shows how your country treats them.
Can I connect Lighter by API?
Not today. Lighter signs API requests with a wallet private key, and HashBooks never asks for a private key. Download your history and upload it with the HashBooks template instead; when the connection becomes possible, the same ledger simply carries on.
How do I get my Lighter transaction history for taxes?
Download your trade, deposit and withdrawal history from Lighter and upload it to HashBooks with the CSV / Excel template. You see a preview before anything is saved.
Which HashBooks plan do I need for Lighter?
Connecting Lighter and seeing an estimated tax summary is free for up to 100 transactions across 3 connections. Filing reports for your country start on the Starter plan; see pricing.
Does HashBooks connect to my Lighter account?
No. With a file upload there’s no key, password or link to Lighter at all: HashBooks reads the rows you upload and nothing else.
Something else? Read all questions and answers, ask us or browse the help centre.
Ready?
Start with Lighter, add the rest later.
Free to start. Read-only from the first click.