Crypto Mining Calculator

Computers compete to solve a math puzzle by making huge numbers of guesses. The first to find a valid answer adds a block of transactions to the blockchain and earns newly created coins plus transaction fees. This work secures the network, since rewriting history would require enormous computing power. Only proof-of-work coins are mined. Others, such as Ethereum, use staking instead.

Miners earn the block reward and transaction fees. Most small miners join a pool, which combines computing power and splits rewards by each member's share. Profit is what's left after electricity, pool fees, hardware, cooling and repairs. If those costs exceed what your coins are worth, you're losing money, even though your machine keeps producing coins.

Costs fall into two groups. Upfront costs include the hardware, which can run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand or more per machine. Running costs include electricity, cooling, internet, pool fees and maintenance. Use the table above for power. A 3,000-watt machine at $0.15 per kWh uses about $3,942 of power a year. Also factor in that the machine will lose value.

Very little for a single machine. Bitcoin produces about 144 blocks a day with a 3.125 BTC subsidy each, so about 450 new bitcoins a day are shared by the entire network. A 200 TH/s rig on a 1,062 EH/s network gets about 0.0000188% of that, or roughly 0.000083 BTC a day after a 2% pool fee. Transaction fees add a little on top, which this calculator leaves out to stay conservative.

Hash rate is how many guesses your machine makes per second, measured in terahashes (TH/s) for modern Bitcoin miners. More is better, but efficiency matters more: joules per terahash shows how much power each unit of work takes. A machine with a slightly lower hash rate and better efficiency can be more profitable, especially where electricity is expensive.

In most of the US, yes, though some places restrict it or regulate it through energy rules, and some countries ban it outright. Rules change, so check local law and your utility's terms, and if you rent, your lease. Earnings are generally taxable. Be wary of cloud mining offers promising guaranteed returns, because many have turned out to be scams.

In the US, mined coins are generally taxed as income at their fair market value when you receive them. When you later sell them, any change in value is a capital gain or loss. Running mining as a business may let you deduct expenses, but it may also bring self-employment tax. Keep good records, and see the IRS digital assets page.

It changes constantly as prices and difficulty move, and it depends on your hardware. Bitcoin requires specialized ASIC machines, while some smaller coins can be mined with graphics cards, though their prices can be far more volatile and harder to sell. Check a live mining profitability site against your own power rate, and be skeptical of anyone offering long-range profit predictions.

No. Ethereum moved from mining to proof of stake in September 2022, so it now rewards validators who stake ETH. Graphics cards that once mined it have moved to other coins or been sold. That's why this page defaults to Bitcoin. To see how ETH's price has changed, use our Ethereum calculator instead.

Running a graphics card or ASIC constantly produces heat and wears out fans and other components. Good cooling and moderate power limits can extend its life. Machines also become outdated, since newer models produce more hashes per watt. Add an estimate for replacement into your costs, and be careful when buying used mining hardware, since it may have run for years.

It's software that secretly uses your computer's or phone's power to mine coins for someone else. Warning signs include sluggish performance, loud fans, overheating, a shorter battery life and higher power bills. Keep your systems updated, avoid pirated software and use reputable security tools. Some browsers and security products also have crypto mining protection settings, which block these scripts.

Hashprice is what one unit of hash rate earns a day, usually quoted in dollars per petahash per second (PH/s). It combines the bitcoin price, the network hash rate and the block reward in one number. At $80,615 bitcoin and 1,062 EH/s, it's about $34 per PH/s a day before fees. The calculator shows it for whatever you enter.

Rarely at typical US home power prices. At $0.15 a kWh, the example's 200 TH/s rig loses about $5.90 a day, so it never runs. Home miners who come out ahead usually have very cheap or free power, use the heat, or mine for reasons other than profit. Enter your own rate to see where you stand.