Accounting for USDT supplier payments: what to record, which documents to keep and what Brazil's tax authority asks
Paying a foreign supplier in USDT creates its own paper trail: reais, exchange rate, hash and supplier document. See what to keep, what Brazil's tax authority already requires and what still needs an accountant's opinion.
Historical reference: August 18, 2026. Published on this site on November 2, 2026. Dates in the text identify the period covered.
In this article
Key points
- As of August 2026, there is no specific accounting pronouncement on USDT for ordinary companies: the entry depends on the accounting policy and on the accountant's opinion.
- What supports any treatment is the document trail: invoice or contract, proof of payment in reais, rate applied, transaction hash and identification of the beneficiary.
- Brazil's Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal) replaced IN 1,888 with DeCripto on July 1, 2026; those who operate without a Brazilian provider report operations above R$35,000 a month.
- The government has discussed charging IOF on stablecoin operations, but no decree has been published as of this date.
When a company pays a foreign supplier by bank transfer, the bank issues an exchange contract and the accountant knows where to book each amount. With a USDT payment, the month-end question is different: what proves the money left, at what rate and to whom? This guide gathers what is safe to keep and what still needs an accountant's opinion. It offers general guidance, with facts verified through August 18, 2026, and is not tax advice.
What the rules say about this kind of payment
Since February 2, 2026, BCB Resolution 521 has included international payments or transfers made with virtual assets in the foreign exchange market. Since May 4, the service provider must obtain from the customer the purpose of the payment and the Annex VI information on the payer or recipient abroad and that party's relationship with the customer (art. 76-C of BCB Resolution 277, as amended by 521). In practice, the purpose and the identification of the supplier are no longer optional. The details are in Resolution 521 in detail.
Law 14,478/2022, in turn, excludes national and foreign currencies from the definition of virtual asset. USDT is treated as a virtual asset, not as a dollar. This distinction is what raises the accounting and tax questions below.
Documents to keep for each payment
The practical rule is to build, for each payment, a file that a third party can follow from the purchase order to the supplier's wallet. The guide to documents for international payments with USDT details each item; the essentials are in the table.
| Document | What it proves | Who issues it |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice, order or contract | The reason for the payment and the amount owed in dollars | Supplier |
| Beneficiary and wallet details | Name, country and TRC-20 address confirmed through a second channel | Supplier and company |
| Pix or TED receipt | The reais left the company's account | Bank |
| Receipt for the operation | Amount in reais, quantity of USDT, rate applied, fees and network fee | Service provider |
| Transaction hash | The USDT was sent to the beneficiary's wallet, verifiable on a public explorer | TRON network |
| Confirmation of receipt | That the supplier received the funds and released the goods or service | Supplier |
| Import documents | The link between the payment and the arrival of the goods | Customs broker and Receita Federal |
Anyone can check the hash. The step-by-step is in how to check a USDT transaction on Tronscan. Print or save the page together with the receipt, because the accountant and any tax audit will ask for it.
Name the files with the date, supplier and invoice number. Keeping everything together at the time of payment takes minutes; reconstructing it months later, after the supplier has changed wallets, takes days.
Exchange rate applied: what to record besides the dollar
The operation involves three amounts, and they rarely match: the invoice amount in dollars, the quantity of USDT sent and the amount paid in reais. The difference between them is either a cost of the operation (spread, intermediation fee, network fee) or a price change between requesting the quote and settling. Recording each component separately keeps everything from becoming a single line of exchange variation.
- Effective rate: reais paid divided by the USDT the supplier received. This is the real cost of the dollar in that payment.
- Fees and network fee: keep the amount of each, because the accountant may treat them as a financial expense, an acquisition cost or another line item, depending on the company's policy.
- Date and time of the quote and of settlement: on days of sharp price moves, the difference shows.
- Reference rate: many companies also note the day's PTAX rate from the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) as a comparison, to show that the effective rate is consistent with the market.
How USDT enters the books
Under international accounting standards, there is no specific pronouncement for crypto assets; classification, fair value and recoverability remain open questions, according to IFRS Foundation trustee Eduardo Flores at the CPC International Seminar, as reported by the CFC. The most cited reference is an agenda decision of the IFRS Interpretations Committee from June 2019: cryptocurrencies held for sale in the ordinary course of business follow the inventories standard (IAS 2, in Brazil CPC 16); in other cases, the intangible assets standard (IAS 38, CPC 04). That decision, however, covered only cryptocurrencies that are not issued by anyone and do not create a contract between the holder and another party. USDT is issued by Tether, which redeems it for verified customers, and does not automatically fit that definition. For that reason, USDT used only as a means of payment requires the accountant's analysis case by case.
There is a national development that does not apply to an ordinary company: Brazil's National Monetary Council and the Central Bank issued rules on accounting for crypto assets for financial institutions and virtual asset service providers (CMN Resolutions 5,280 and 5,281 and BCB Resolution 550), effective January 1, 2027, according to Portal Dedução. An importing company is not the audience for this rule, but it shows the direction of record-keeping: separate the crypto asset from traditional instruments and disclose it.
Reporting and taxes: what is in force and what is under discussion
DeCripto, created by Receita Federal Normative Instruction (IN RFB) 2,291/2025, replaced IN 1,888/2019 on July 1, 2026. Brazilian providers report their customers' operations. Companies and resident individuals who operate through a foreign provider, on a decentralized platform or without an intermediary must report when the monthly total exceeds R$35,000 (art. 5, § 3), and the list of reportable operations includes the purchase of goods or services above US$50,000 (art. 6, V). The rest is in DeCripto: what changes in July 2026.
The rule covers the provision of information, not tax. IOF (Brazil's tax on financial and foreign exchange transactions), on the other hand, is an open topic. After stablecoin operations entered the foreign exchange market, the government went as far as planning a public consultation on the charge, which was postponed; on August 2, 2026, lawyers interviewed by the press still saw doubt about the taxable event itself. The IOF regulation (Decree 6,306/2007), in its compiled version of July 2026, sets no rate for virtual asset operations. If that changes, the cost of the payment changes.
Recurring payments, large amounts, a supplier asking to be paid into a third party's wallet and imports without clear documentation deserve an opinion before the first transfer. The accountant also defines how to treat corporate income tax (IRPJ), CSLL, PIS and Cofins on the variation, something this guide does not do.
What the intermediary can provide
Part of the file comes from the provider. Swapo converts reais received via Pix into USDT on the TRON network (TRC-20) and sends it to the wallet the customer indicates, usually the supplier's, as an intermediary acting on the customer's behalf and order, without taking custody of the USDT. The intermediation fee (spread), from 0.8%, appears before confirmation, along with the TRON network fee, and is repeated on the receipt; the customer receives the transaction hash. To pay, the company provides the beneficiary's name, country and TRC-20 wallet, the purpose and the supporting document (invoice, order or contract).
Frequently asked questions
How do I book a supplier payment made in USDT?
There is no specific pronouncement for ordinary companies, so the entry depends on the accounting policy and on the accountant's opinion. What does not change is the need to record the amount paid in reais, the USDT sent, the fees, the effective rate and the hash, and to clear the payable to the supplier.
What should I keep as proof of a USDT payment?
Invoice or contract, Pix or TED receipt, receipt for the operation showing the rate applied, transaction hash, beneficiary details with the TRC-20 wallet and the supplier's confirmation of receipt. Keep everything per payment, in its own folder.
Does the company have to report a USDT payment to Receita Federal?
Since July 1, 2026, DeCripto has replaced IN 1,888. Brazilian providers report their customers' operations, and those who operate without a Brazilian provider report operations above R$35,000 a month. Each case depends on how the operation was carried out, so consult the accountant.
Is there IOF on a supplier payment in USDT?
As of August 18, 2026, the IOF regulation sets no specific rate for stablecoin operations, and lawyers disagree on whether foreign exchange IOF reaches them. The government went as far as planning a public consultation on the charge but postponed it. Confirm the treatment with the accountant and follow the topic.
Found it useful? Share it with anyone who pays suppliers abroad.
Sources
- Resolução BCB nº 521, de 10/11/2025 · Banco Central do Brasil (texto reproduzido pela Legisweb), Nov 10, 2025
- Instrução Normativa RFB nº 2.291, de 14 de novembro de 2025 · Receita Federal (texto reproduzido pela Legisweb), Nov 14, 2025
- Holdings of Cryptocurrencies: agenda decision · IFRS Interpretations Committee
- Decreto nº 6.306, de 14 de dezembro de 2007 (regulamento do IOF) · Presidência da República, Dec 14, 2007
- XIX Seminário Internacional CPC discute contabilização de criptoativos · Conselho Federal de Contabilidade, Sep 15, 2022
- Operações com criptoativos: maior controle e impossibilidade de cobrança do IOF Câmbio · Valor Econômico, via APET, Dec 15, 2025
- Alvo de disputa, definição sobre stablecoins pode afetar competência, autorização e IOF · DGABC, Aug 2, 2026
- Novas regras contábeis para criptoativos entram em vigor em 2027 · Portal Dedução, via Contadores.cnt.br, Mar 11, 2026
For information only, not investment advice. Third-party brands mentioned belong to their owners; the mention is journalistic and does not indicate a partnership or relationship with Swapo Finance.
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