Day trade income tax in Brazil: how to assess and pay every month

Step 1 — separate day trades from swing trades

A day trade is a buy and sell of the same asset, at the same broker, on the same day. Anything not closed within the day is a swing (or position) trade. The separation underpins everything else, because each category has its own rate and its own losses — and the broker does not separate them for you on the statement.

Compute each category's net result for the month: gains minus losses, already net of brokerage and exchange fees. That is the starting number.

Step 2 — offset losses, only within the category

Day trade losses offset day trade gains; swing losses offset swing gains. They never cross. Unused losses carry forward to following months with no expiry — provided they are recorded in the annual return.

If the month closed negative, there is no tax and the accumulated loss grows. Keeping that record month by month is what prevents paying tax on profit that, cumulatively, does not yet exist.

Step 3 — apply rate and exemption

Day trade: 20% on the positive base. Swing: 15% on the positive base — except when the month was stocks only and total sales did not exceed R$ 20,000, in which case the gain is exempt and the accumulated loss is preserved.

The exemption is on the amount sold, not on profit; it does not apply to day trades; and it does not apply to REITs (FII), ETFs or BDRs, which stay taxed as usual. A single ETF sale in the month removes that month's exemption.

Step 4 — credit the tax withheld

The broker withholds 1% on each day trade gain and 0.005% on each swing sale. Those amounts appear on the brokerage note and are a credit: they reduce the tax due for the month. Leftover credit can be used in later months of the same year.

Tax due = 20% × day trade base + 15% × swing base − withholding. Below R$ 10 no DARF is issued: the amount accumulates to the next month.

Step 5 — issue the DARF and keep everything

The DARF is issued in the tax authority's system (Sicalc) with code 6015 — net gains on exchange trades, individuals — and is due on the last business day of the month after the one assessed. Late payment carries a 0.33% daily fine (capped at 20%) plus Selic interest.

Keep brokerage notes, the assessment spreadsheet and DARF receipts: the annual return asks, in the variable income section, for the month-by-month result per category, the withholding and the loss to carry forward.

What this guide does not cover

Trading at a broker abroad (forex, CFDs, crypto outside the country) has its own regime, changed by Law 14,754/2023, with annual instead of monthly assessment. Prop firm accounts do not generate exchange capital gains: what the trader receives is contractual remuneration, treated differently. In both cases, the path is an accountant who knows the subject.

FAQ

Do I pay DARF in a loss month?

No. Without a positive base there is no tax; the loss accumulates to offset later months, within the same category.

Does the R$ 20,000 exemption apply to day trades?

No. It applies only to swing trades in stocks, and it is on the total sold in the month.

What happens if I do not pay?

A 0.33% daily fine on the tax, capped at 20%, plus Selic interest — and the tax authority cross-checks the broker's withholding against what was declared.