Jurisdiction-aware annual summaries with US Schedule 1/C guidance, W-2G tracking, and country-specific notes for the UK, Canada, and Germany.
Get started free Free forever — 10 sessions includedTax treatment of poker winnings varies dramatically by country — the United States taxes gambling winnings as ordinary income, the United Kingdom doesn't tax them at all, Canada exempts recreational play, and Germany has a split between hobbyists and Berufsspieler (professional players). PokerCharts generates an annual summary with jurisdiction-specific guidance built in. Pick your country from the picker and the report surfaces the right rules — Schedule 1 vs Schedule C for US recreational vs professional players, HMRC's tax-free position for the UK, CRA's windfall exemption for Canada, or § 2 EStG guidance for Germany. The jurisdiction sticks to your account so you only pick it once.
Tournament and cash game wins that trigger W-2G reporting in the US can be tracked and logged directly within PokerCharts. Record the date, amount, venue, and federal plus state withholding for each W-2G form you receive throughout the year. At tax time, all your W-2G data is aggregated and ready to cross-reference against what your casinos reported to the IRS. This matters most for live tournament players who collect W-2G forms from multiple cardrooms over the year — the aggregated view prevents missed forms and math errors.
Poker-related expenses can significantly reduce your tax liability if you file as a professional and track them properly. PokerCharts lets you log expenses in categories like travel, lodging, tournament entry fees, coaching, software subscriptions, and meals while playing. Each expense is tied to a date and optional session, creating a clear audit trail. For US Schedule C filers and German Berufsspieler this is deduction-ready documentation; for UK and Canadian recreational players it's still useful for proving the source of large bank deposits during anti-money-laundering reviews.
Export your complete year's session detail as a clean CSV that your accountant can import into any tax-prep workflow. Alongside the data, every jurisdiction partial includes plain-language guidance notes — for the US, a reminder that losses are only deductible if itemizing; for Germany, a flag that Berufsspieler classification depends on systematic play and profit intent; for Canada, the line between windfall treatment and business income. The report is not tax advice and carries a clear disclaimer on every page, but it gives you and your tax professional the right shape of data to work from.
General information only — not tax advice. Tax rules vary by country, state, and personal circumstances, and they change. Consult a qualified tax professional for guidance on your specific situation. PokerCharts isn't a tax advisor and disclaims liability for actions taken based on this content.
Yes. The IRS treats gambling winnings as ordinary income whether you're recreational or professional. Recreational players report winnings on Schedule 1; losses are only deductible if you itemize on Schedule A and only up to the amount of winnings. Professional players file Schedule C, can deduct losses and expenses (travel, entry fees, coaching), but owe self-employment tax. PokerCharts generates the right report for either path.
A W-2G is the IRS form casinos issue when you win above certain thresholds — typically $5,000 net at a poker tournament after the buy-in is subtracted, or $1,200+ on a slot/bingo win. The casino reports it to the IRS and gives you a copy. PokerCharts tracks W-2G receipts year-by-year so you can match them against your session log when filing.
HMRC does not tax recreational gambling winnings in the UK, including poker. The exception is if poker is your trade or profession (rare and HMRC sets a high bar). For nearly every UK player, poker winnings are tax-free — but you may still need to evidence the source of funds for large bank deposits or property purchases. PokerCharts gives you a clean record for that purpose.
In the US, recreational players can deduct losses only up to winnings, and only if they itemize on Schedule A — most players don't itemize, so losses go uncompensated. Professional Schedule C filers deduct losses against winnings and may carry net losses against other income. UK and Canadian recreational players cannot deduct losses (winnings aren't taxed in the first place). Germany taxes Berufsspieler net of losses, similar to US Schedule C.
Schedule C requires you to treat poker as a trade or business: regular and continuous play, profit motive, and significant time commitment. You report gross winnings as gross income and deduct losses, entry fees, travel, lodging while playing, coaching, software (including PokerCharts), and a portion of home office if applicable. You also owe self-employment tax (~15%). Most pros engage a CPA familiar with gambling income — PokerCharts gives them the data shape they need.
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