[bencollier49]

That's the way it's treated in UK law, but apparently in the US, you're liable for the tax as soon as you have access to the asset. I think the same thing causes people problems with stock options. Seems like an odd bit of legislation.

[schrodinger]

Hmm, are you sure? I thought that if you held bitcoin for over a year, it would be taxed as capital gains? Meaning you don't realize the value until you sell it?

[IanCal]

I think the key difference is that the initial value is not gains, it's much more like income.

[asaph]

It seems to me that forks are treated more like RSUs (restricted stock units) than stock options. When a company grants you RSUs, you're immediately responsible for tax on the value of the shares. If you then hold the stock for any period of time, and later sell at a profit, you'll need to pay tax on that profit too. You get taxed twice.

EDIT: IANAL, IANAA, etc...