Record keeping when the year contains thousands of tiny trades
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 8:45 am
A scalper can easily close 4,000 trades in a year. Trying to reconstruct that in January from memory is miserable, and a PDF statement is a poor starting point because totals cannot be sorted or checked.
General habits that save time, without being tax advice, since rules differ widely by country:
- Export the full history every month in a spreadsheet-friendly format such as CSV or HTML, and keep the original file untouched
- Keep deposits and withdrawals in a separate list with dates, amounts and the exchange rate used
- Track commissions, swaps and fees as their own columns, not buried in the net result
- Reconcile the exported total against the broker's own statement balance each month and note any difference straight away
Store copies in at least two places. A single laptop failure shouldn't erase a year of evidence.
Account currency versus local currency can complicate things, and some jurisdictions treat frequent trading differently from occasional trading. Ask a local accountant before year-end what format and level of detail they expect, since a surprise request in March is far more stressful than a quick chat in October.
What export format has your accountant actually accepted without complaint?
General habits that save time, without being tax advice, since rules differ widely by country:
- Export the full history every month in a spreadsheet-friendly format such as CSV or HTML, and keep the original file untouched
- Keep deposits and withdrawals in a separate list with dates, amounts and the exchange rate used
- Track commissions, swaps and fees as their own columns, not buried in the net result
- Reconcile the exported total against the broker's own statement balance each month and note any difference straight away
Store copies in at least two places. A single laptop failure shouldn't erase a year of evidence.
Account currency versus local currency can complicate things, and some jurisdictions treat frequent trading differently from occasional trading. Ask a local accountant before year-end what format and level of detail they expect, since a surprise request in March is far more stressful than a quick chat in October.
What export format has your accountant actually accepted without complaint?