Lost access to old wallet with crypto from years ago – can I claim a capital loss in the UK?
Long story short: I have an old hardware wallet from 2018-2019 with some BTC and ETH that I can't access anymore (seed phrase lost, device bricked). The coins are still sitting there, worth a decent amount now. For UK tax purposes, is permanent loss of access treated as a disposal allowing me to claim a capital loss (at current FMV)? Or is it only when the keys are truly irrecoverable and I have evidence? I've searched HMRC guidance but it's vague on "lost private keys." Has anyone successfully claimed this before, and what proof did HMRC accept? Thanks for any experiences!