Event Types and Subtypes Reference
This page provides a complete reference for all event types and subtypes in rotki. Understanding these categories is essential for reviewing your transaction history and ensuring your PnL reports are accurate.
How event types work
Every transaction in rotki is categorized with two fields:
- Event Type: The broad category of what happened (e.g., Trade, Deposit, Spend)
- Event Subtype: The specific action within that category (e.g., Fee, Reward, Airdrop)
Together, these determine how rotki treats the event in accounting — whether it's taxable, whether it counts as an acquisition or a spend, and how it affects your cost basis.
Not every combination of type and subtype is valid. The table in all valid type/subtype combinations below lists every combination that rotki recognizes.
Event Types
Trade
A trade is an exchange of one asset for another. In rotki, trades are represented as a pair of events with consecutive sequence_index values:
- First event:
Tradetype withSpendsubtype (what you gave up) - Second event:
Tradetype withReceivesubtype (what you got)
Example: Swapping 1 ETH for 2000 USDC on Uniswap.
Default tax treatment: Taxable (Swap accounting treatment). The spend side triggers a cost basis calculation. The receive side is an acquisition at the current market value.
When to use: Any swap, trade, or exchange of one asset for another — whether on a CEX, a DEX, or OTC.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Spend | swap | Out | Sending 1 ETH in a swap |
Receive | swap | In | Getting 2000 USDC in swap |
None | informational | Neutral | Informational trade event |
Fee | fee | Out | Trading fee on an exchange |
Multi-Trade
Similar to Trade but used when a single transaction involves multiple assets being swapped (e.g., aggregator routes through multiple pools).
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Spend | swap | Out | Outgoing side of a multi-hop swap |
Receive | swap | In | Incoming side of a multi-hop swap |
Fee | fee | Out | Fee on a multi-asset swap |
Deposit
Moving assets into an exchange, wallet, or protocol.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Deposit Asset | account deposit | Neutral | Depositing ETH to Kraken |
Deposit For Wrapped | deposit | Out | Depositing DAI to receive cDAI |
Deposit To Protocol | protocol deposit | Neutral | Depositing into Aave lending pool |
Bridge | bridge | Out | Sending ETH to the Arbitrum bridge |
Place Order | deposit | Out | Placing a limit order (e.g., CoW Swap) |
Fee | fee | Out | Fee on a deposit |
Withdrawal
Moving assets out of an exchange, wallet, or protocol.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Remove Asset | account withdraw | Neutral | Withdrawing BTC from Binance |
Redeem Wrapped | withdraw | In | Redeeming cDAI back to DAI |
Withdraw From Protocol | protocol withdrawal | Neutral | Withdrawing from Aave lending pool |
Bridge | bridge | In | Receiving ETH from the Optimism bridge |
Cancel Order | cancel order | In | Cancelling a CoW Swap order |
Refund | refund | In | Getting refunded from a failed order |
Generate Debt | borrow | In | Borrowing from a lending protocol |
Fee | fee | Out | Fee on a withdrawal |
Spend
A plain expenditure — you spent crypto and received nothing (or something non-crypto) in return.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
None | send | Out | Paying for a service with BTC | Taxable (loss) |
Fee | fee | Out | Paying gas fees on Ethereum | Depends on "EVM Gas Costs" setting |
Return Wrapped | return | Out | Returning aDAI to Aave to get DAI back | Not taxable (protocol interaction) |
Payback Debt | repay | Out | Repaying a loan on Aave | |
Donate | donate | Out | Donating crypto to a cause | |
Payment | pay | Out | Making a payment | |
Clawback | clawback | Out | Assets clawed back by protocol | |
Burn | burn | Out | Burning tokens |
Receive
You received assets — this is an acquisition event.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
None | receive | In | Receiving a payment in crypto | Taxable (income) |
Reward | claim reward | In | Receiving CRV rewards from Curve | Taxable (income) |
Airdrop | airdrop | In | Receiving a governance token airdrop | Taxable (income) |
Receive Wrapped | receive | In | Getting aDAI after depositing DAI to Aave | Not taxable (receipt token) |
Return Wrapped | receive | In | Getting back wrapped tokens | |
Generate Debt | borrow | In | Borrowing assets from a lending protocol | |
Donate | receive donation | In | Receiving a donation | |
Liquidate | liquidation reward | In | Receiving assets from liquidating a position | |
Payment | receive payment | In | Receiving a payment | |
Grant | receive grant | In | Receiving a grant (e.g., Gitcoin) | |
Interest | receive interest | In | Receiving interest from a lending protocol | |
Cashback | cashback | In | Receiving cashback rewards | |
Refund | refund | In | Getting a refund | |
Spam | spam | In | Spam/phishing tokens sent to your address | Ignored in accounting |
Transfer
Moving assets between your own accounts. Not taxable.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
None | transfer | Neutral | Moving ETH from one wallet to another |
Donate | donate | Out | Donating via a transfer |
Fee | fee | Out | Fee on a transfer |
When to use: If rotki categorized a self-transfer as a spend or trade, change it to Transfer with subtype None to avoid it being counted as taxable.
Staking
Events related to staking assets.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Deposit Asset | stake | Out | Staking ETH in the Eth2 deposit contract | |
Deposit For Wrapped | stake | Out | Staking and receiving a receipt token | |
Remove Asset | unstake | In | Unstaking and getting assets back | |
Redeem Wrapped | unstake | In | Redeeming staked receipt tokens | |
Reward | staking reward | In | ETH2 consensus layer rewards | Depends on "Omit ETH Staking Events" setting |
Block Production | new block | In | ETH block production reward | |
MEV Reward | mev | In | MEV reward from block building | |
Fee | fee | Out | Fee related to staking |
Migration (Migrate)
Moving assets from one version of a protocol to another, where you don't gain or lose value.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Spend | migrate | Out | Sending SAI in a SAI→DAI migration |
Receive | migrate | In | Receiving DAI in a SAI→DAI migration |
When to use: Protocol upgrades or token migrations where the economic value doesn't change. Both events should have type Migrate, with the outgoing side as Spend and the incoming side as Receive.
Loss
Events where you lost assets involuntarily.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
None | loss | Out | General loss of assets |
Liquidate | liquidation loss | Out | Getting liquidated on a loan |
Hack | hack | Out | Losing assets in a protocol exploit |
Liquidity Provision Loss | liquidity provision loss | Out | Impermanent loss realized on exit |
Informational
Events that contain useful information but have no financial impact.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
None | informational | Neutral | General informational event |
Governance | governance | Neutral | Casting a governance vote |
Deposit Asset | informational | Neutral | Informational deposit event |
Remove Asset | withdraw | In | Informational withdrawal event |
Place Order | place order | Neutral | Order placement notification |
Create | new project | Neutral | Creating a Maker vault or Gnosis Safe |
Update | update | Neutral | Updating a protocol position |
Apply | apply | Neutral | Applying for something on-chain |
Approve | approval | Neutral | Token approval (spending allowance) |
Attest | attest | Neutral | On-chain attestation (e.g., EAS) |
MEV Reward | mev | In | MEV reward info |
Block Production | new block | In | Block production info |
Consolidate | combine | Neutral | Consolidating positions |
Delegate | delegate | Neutral | Delegating voting power |
Message | message | Neutral | On-chain message |
Renew
Renewal of a subscription or recurring service payment.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
None | renew | Out | Paying for an ENS domain renewal |
Deploy
Deploying a smart contract.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
None | deploy | Neutral | Deploying a smart contract |
Spend | deploy with spend | Out | Deploying with an ETH spend |
NFT | mint nft | In | Deploying/minting an NFT |
Mint
Minting tokens or NFTs.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
NFT | mint nft | In | Minting an NFT |
Fee | fee | Out | Minting fee |
Burn
Burning tokens or NFTs.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
NFT | burn | Out | Burning an NFT |
Fail
A failed transaction (you still pay gas).
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Fee | failed | Out | Gas fee from a failed transaction |
Adjustment
Forced adjustments by a system like a centralized exchange (e.g., exchange delisting a token and converting it).
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Spend | send | Out | Asset removed by exchange adjustment |
Receive | receive | In | Asset received from adjustment |
Margin
Margin trading events.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Profit | profit | In | Profit from margin trade |
Loss | loss | Out | Loss from margin trade |
Fee | fee | Out | Margin trading fee |
Transaction to Self
A transaction where you sent assets to yourself (same address).
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
None | self transaction | Neutral | Sending ETH to your own address |
Exchange Adjustment
Adjustments made by exchanges to your balance.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Spend | send | Out | Exchange debits your balance |
Receive | receive | In | Exchange credits your balance |
Exchange Transfer
Transfers associated with exchange deposits/withdrawals that have both an on-chain and exchange side.
| Subtype | UI Category | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Spend | account withdraw | Neutral | On-chain side of an exchange withdrawal |
Receive | account deposit | Neutral | On-chain side of an exchange deposit |
Fee | fee | Out | Fee on the transfer |
All valid type/subtype combinations
The following table lists every valid combination of event type and subtype recognized by rotki. Combinations not listed here are not valid.
| Event Type | Valid Subtypes |
|---|---|
| Trade | Spend, Receive, None, Fee |
| Staking | Deposit Asset, Deposit For Wrapped, Reward, Remove Asset, Redeem Wrapped, Block Production, MEV Reward, Fee |
| Deposit | Deposit Asset, Deposit For Wrapped, Deposit To Protocol, Bridge, Place Order, Fee |
| Withdrawal | Remove Asset, Redeem Wrapped, Withdraw From Protocol, Bridge, Cancel Order, Refund, Generate Debt, Fee |
| Transfer | Donate, None, Fee |
| Spend | Return Wrapped, Payback Debt, Fee, Donate, Payment, None, Clawback, Burn |
| Receive | Reward, Receive Wrapped, Generate Debt, Return Wrapped, Airdrop, Donate, None, Liquidate, Payment, Grant, Interest, Cashback, Refund, Spam |
| Adjustment | Spend, Receive |
| Informational | None, Governance, Deposit Asset, Remove Asset, Place Order, Create, Update, Apply, Approve, Attest, MEV Reward, Block Production, Consolidate, Delegate, Message |
| Migrate | Spend, Receive |
| Renew | None |
| Deploy | None, Spend, NFT |
| Fail | Fee |
| Loss | Liquidate, Hack, Liquidity Provision Loss, None |
| Mint | NFT, Fee |
| Burn | NFT |
| Multi Trade | Spend, Receive, Fee |
| Margin | Profit, Loss, Fee |
| Transaction To Self | None |
| Exchange Adjustment | Spend, Receive |
| Exchange Transfer | Spend, Receive, Fee |
Quick reference: common customizations
| Situation | Event Type | Event Subtype |
|---|---|---|
| Swap / trade on DEX or CEX | Trade | Spend + Receive (pair) |
| Moving assets to an exchange | Deposit | Deposit Asset |
| Moving assets from an exchange | Withdrawal | Remove Asset |
| Depositing into DeFi (get receipt token) | Deposit | Deposit For Wrapped |
| Depositing into DeFi (no receipt token) | Deposit | Deposit To Protocol |
| Withdrawing from DeFi (return receipt) | Withdrawal | Redeem Wrapped |
| Withdrawing from DeFi (no receipt) | Withdrawal | Withdraw From Protocol |
| Receiving wrapped/receipt tokens | Receive | Receive Wrapped |
| Returning wrapped/receipt tokens | Spend | Return Wrapped |
| Sending assets across a bridge | Deposit | Bridge |
| Receiving assets from a bridge | Withdrawal | Bridge |
| Transfer between own wallets | Transfer | None |
| Paying gas fees | Spend | Fee |
| Receiving staking rewards | Staking | Reward |
| Claiming DeFi rewards | Receive | Reward |
| Receiving an airdrop | Receive | Airdrop |
| Paying for a service | Spend | None |
| Getting paid in crypto | Receive | None |
| Borrowing from a protocol | Withdrawal | Generate Debt |
| Repaying a loan | Spend | Payback Debt |
| Token migration (old→new) | Migrate | Spend + Receive (pair) |
| ENS renewal, subscription | Renew | None |
| Token approval, governance vote | Informational | Approve / Governance |
| Lost in hack / exploit | Loss | Hack |
| Liquidation (your position) | Loss | Liquidate |
| Failed transaction (gas only) | Fail | Fee |
Entry types
In addition to event type/subtype, rotki distinguishes between different entry types based on the source of the event:
| Entry Type | Description |
|---|---|
| History Event | Generic events from any source (exchanges, manual input, CSV import) |
| EVM Event | Decoded on-chain events from EVM chains (Ethereum, Optimism, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Gnosis) |
| EVM Swap Event | A specialized EVM event for swaps, supporting multiple spend/receive assets |
| ETH Withdrawal Event | ETH consensus layer withdrawal |
| ETH Block Event | ETH block production reward |
| ETH Deposit Event | ETH2 staking deposit |
| Asset Movement Event | Exchange deposit or withdrawal |
| Swap Event | A trade/swap from non-EVM sources |
The entry type determines which fields are available when editing an event. For example, EVM events have a Counterparty field (the protocol or address you interacted with), while generic history events do not.
Editing events
If an event is miscategorized, you can edit it directly from the History Events page. See the common customization guide for step-by-step instructions and examples.
Changes you make to event types/subtypes directly affect how they are processed in the PnL report.