P2P Crypto Tax
194S Buyer Responsibility

P2P = Peer-to-Peer crypto trading — direct between BUYER + SELLER, NOT through exchange order book. POPULAR: (1) WazirX P2P. (2) Binance P2P. (3) LocalBitcoins. (4) Paxful. (5) Direct wallet-to-wallet.

ADVANTAGES: (1) Often better rates. (2) Multiple payment methods. (3) Lower fees. DISADVANTAGES: (1) Scam risks. (2) No central dispute resolution. (3) 194S TDS BUYER's responsibility — complex.

P2P TRANSACTIONS — 194S 1% TDS BUYER must deduct: (1) Buyer purchasing crypto from seller in INR. (2) BEFORE transferring INR to seller, BUYER must deduct 1%. (3) Pay TDS to government via Form 26QE (quarterly). (4) Give Form 16E to seller. (5) PRACTICAL ISSUE: Many P2P buyers don't comply. (6) SELLER's RISK: receives INR minus 1% but seller still has tax + 30% on profit at year-end. STRATEGIC: SELLERS should prefer Indian exchange + automatic TDS over P2P.

FOREIGN P2P platforms (Binance Global, LocalBitcoins): (1) NO automatic 194S TDS. (2) Indian residents MUST self-disclose. (3) Buyer may not even know about Indian TDS. (4) Schedule FA disclosure required for foreign holdings. (5) AML + FEMA implications for large transactions. RISK: Foreign P2P transactions are HIGHEST RISK from regulatory perspective.

ED + IT Department investigating large P2P flows. RECOMMENDATION: avoid foreign P2P.

Use Indian exchanges.

P2P SCAM PROTECTION: (1) Use ESCROW SERVICE (WazirX P2P, Binance P2P built-in). (2) VERIFY counterparty's KYC + history. (3) Don't release crypto before confirming INR received. (4) CHECK bank statement (not just SMS). (5) RECORD all communication. (6) AVOID requests for non-standard payment methods. (7) Be wary of new accounts with no history. COMMON SCAMS: (1) Buyer claims paid + screenshot. (2) Chargeback after release. (3) Reverse transfer.

RECOMMENDATION: Only use established platforms with escrow.

P2P ADVANTAGES: (1) Sometimes better rates. (2) Multiple payment methods. (3) Lower fees vs market orders. CENTRALIZED EXCHANGE ADVANTAGES: (1) Automatic 194S TDS. (2) Liquidity + price stability. (3) No counterparty risk. (4) Clean tax records. (5) Regulatory compliance.

RECOMMENDATION: For LARGE AMOUNTS + REGULAR TRADING — use centralized exchange. P2P only for SMALL amounts + specific scenarios (e.g., dollar-cost averaging, multiple payment methods).

Don't risk regulatory issues for marginal rate improvement.