How it works in Brazil
Yes, you can pay your team in Brazil in stablecoins with Toku. Salary is set, withheld and paid in reais as the CLT requires, employees who opt in can then have their net pay, once paid, converted into USDC, and contractors can be settled in USDC or USDT through a route that fits the central bank's foreign-exchange rules, which Toku confirms for each contractor.
Paying employees
Article 463 of the CLT requires the cash part of salary in Brazilian currency, so the salary is paid in reais first. Employees who opt in can then have their net pay, once paid, converted into USDC, and income tax applies whatever form income is received in. (Sources: Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho, articles 82, 458 and 463; Lei nº 7.713/1988 on personal income tax, article 3)
Paying contractors
Contractors can invoice in reais or US dollars and be settled in USDC or USDT. Since February 2, 2026, an international payment in crypto handled by a provider is a foreign-exchange operation, and since October 1, 2026 international payment services may not use virtual assets to settle abroad, so Toku confirms the settlement route for each contractor. The contractor pays income tax monthly through the carnê-leão on income from abroad. (Sources: Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 521 (November 10, 2025); Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 561 (April 30, 2026), eFX rules in force from October 1, 2026; Receita Federal, personal income tax questions and answers 2026)
Salary is set and taxed in local currency. Employees who opt in have their net pay, once paid, converted into USDC, and contractors are settled in USDC or USDT, where the local rules allow it. Toku handles the conversion, the compliance checks and the tax and payment reporting, and confirms the arrangement for each person before the first payment.
How Brazil treats crypto and stablecoins
Law 14.478/2022 defines a virtual asset as a digital representation of value that can be traded or transferred electronically and used for payments or investment, excluding national and foreign currencies, and the Receita Federal has residents list crypto in the assets section of their annual return at acquisition cost. The real is Brazil's legal tender. (Sources: Lei nº 14.478/2022 on virtual asset service providers; Receita Federal, personal income tax questions and answers 2026; Lei nº 9.069/1995 (Plano Real), article 1)
The real is the unit of Brazil's monetary system and is legal tender throughout the country. The Banco Central do Brasil says virtual currencies are not issued or guaranteed by the central bank and carry no guarantee of conversion into reais. (Sources: Lei nº 9.069/1995 (Plano Real), article 1; Banco Central do Brasil: FAQ on virtual currencies)
Law 14.478 of December 21, 2022 defines a virtual asset as a digital representation of value usable for payments or investment, excluding national and foreign currencies, and lets virtual asset service providers operate in Brazil only with prior authorisation from a federal authority. Decree 11.563 of June 13, 2023 made the Banco Central that authority. (Sources: Lei nº 14.478/2022 on virtual asset service providers; Decreto nº 11.563/2023 naming the Banco Central as regulator)
Central bank Resolution 520 of November 10, 2025 makes virtual asset service companies central-bank-authorised institutions, as intermediaries, custodians or brokers. It defines a stablecoin as a virtual asset backed by reserve assets and designed to hold its value against a reference fiat currency, and bars providers from offering stablecoins whose reserves are controlled by algorithms. Since November 6, 2026, banks, payment institutions and other authorised institutions may not carry out or enable virtual asset operations with providers the central bank has not authorised, except in the forms the resolution expressly allows. (Sources: Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 520 (November 10, 2025); Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 589 (September 23, 2026))
Local rules for paying employees in Brazil
Article 463 of the Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho says the cash part of salary must be paid in Brazilian currency, and a payment that breaks this rule is treated as not made, so the employer could owe the salary again. (Source: Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho, articles 82, 458 and 463)
Benefits in kind can form part of salary, but housing and food given as salary may not exceed 25% and 20% of the contractual salary, and at least 30% of the minimum wage must always be paid in money. None of the official sources we reviewed says crypto can count as a benefit in kind. (Source: Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho, articles 82, 458 and 463)
Brazilian income tax applies whatever form income is received in, so anything given to an employee in crypto on top of a real salary would still be taxable income. (Source: Lei nº 7.713/1988 on personal income tax, article 3)
Local rules for paying contractors in Brazil
Central bank Resolution 521 brought crypto into the foreign-exchange rules. Since February 2, 2026, international payments or transfers made with virtual assets, and the purchase, sale or exchange of stablecoins, are part of the regulated foreign-exchange market when done through a virtual asset service provider. An international payment includes one settled by transferring virtual assets between a Brazilian resident and a non-resident. (Source: Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 521 (November 10, 2025))
A licensed virtual asset company may process an international crypto payment with a counterparty that is not an authorised foreign-exchange institution only up to the equivalent of USD 100,000 per operation, and providers may not buy or sell virtual assets against payment in foreign currency. Authorised institutions report their virtual asset foreign-exchange operations from November 3, 2026 to the central bank by the fifth day of the following month. (Sources: Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 521 (November 10, 2025); Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 574 (June 18, 2026))
From October 1, 2026, central bank Resolution 561 requires international payment and transfer services (eFX providers) to settle with their counterparties abroad only through a foreign-exchange operation or a non-resident real account, and bars them from using virtual assets for that settlement. A stablecoin payment to a Brazilian contractor is therefore set up through a route that fits these rules, which Toku confirms for each contractor. (Source: Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 561 (April 30, 2026), eFX rules in force from October 1, 2026)
Brazilian residents who export services may keep the foreign-currency proceeds abroad. A resident paid from abroad, including for work without an employment relationship, must pay income tax monthly through the carnê-leão, whether or not the money is brought into Brazil. (Sources: Lei nº 14.286/2021 on the foreign-exchange market; Receita Federal, personal income tax questions and answers 2026)
Ways to pay people in Brazil, compared
How the common ways to pay someone in Brazil compare. The Toku row describes how Toku works; coverage and the arrangement for each person are confirmed before the first payment.
| Method | Employees | Contractors | What to keep on record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local payroll and bank transfer in BRL | Salary paid in local currency, with tax and contributions withheld. No stablecoin option. | Paid in BRL or another fiat currency to a bank account. | Payslip or invoice, payment confirmation and any tax withheld. |
| Sending USDC or USDT yourself | Doesn't cover employees on its own: salary still has to be set, withheld and paid under local payroll rules. | You handle the payment, foreign-exchange, tax and reporting rules in Brazil yourself, and some payment rules there may restrict it. | The BRL value on the payment date, the exchange rate used, wallet addresses and transaction hashes. |
| Toku | Salary set, withheld and paid in BRL through Toku's employer of record, with a USDC option for net pay arranged as described on this page. | Invoices in BRL (or USD where local invoicing rules allow it), settled in USDC or USDT where Toku confirms the route for that contractor, with approvals and payment records in one place. | Contracts, invoices, payment records and tax documents kept with each payment. |
Tax and reporting
Income tax applies whatever form income is received in, so pay or fees received in crypto are taxable. For crypto held or traded through institutions in Brazil, gains are taxed as capital gains at progressive rates when total crypto sales in a month exceed BRL 35,000. Swapping one cryptocurrency directly for another is a taxable disposal, valued in reais at market value on the date received. (Sources: Lei nº 7.713/1988 on personal income tax, article 3; Receita Federal, personal income tax questions and answers 2026)
Since January 1, 2024, crypto held or traded through institutions abroad is treated as a foreign financial investment and taxed at 15% in the annual return. Individuals list crypto in the assets section of the annual return at acquisition cost when each type is worth BRL 5,000 or more at cost. (Source: Receita Federal, personal income tax questions and answers 2026)
From July 2026, crypto transactions are reported to the Receita Federal through the DeCripto return, which also covers foreign providers serving Brazil. Individuals report only when they transact without a Brazilian exchange above BRL 35,000 a month. (Sources: Ministério da Fazenda: Receita Federal updates crypto rules to the international standard; Receita Federal: DeCripto (IN RFB 2.291/2025))
Recent changes
- October 8, 2025: Provisional Measure 1.303, which would have taxed crypto gains at a flat 17.5%, expired without becoming law. (Sources: Medida Provisória nº 1.303/2025; Congress declaratory act nº 67/2025 on the end of MP 1.303)
- November 10, 2025: The central bank issued Resolutions 520 and 521 on crypto service providers, stablecoins and crypto in the foreign-exchange market. (Sources: Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 520 (November 10, 2025); Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 521 (November 10, 2025))
- February 2, 2026: Resolutions 520 and 521 took effect: providers need central bank authorisation, with 270 days for existing ones to apply, and international crypto payments and stablecoin trades through providers became foreign-exchange operations. (Sources: Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 520 (November 10, 2025); Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 521 (November 10, 2025))
- July 1, 2026: The DeCripto return replaced the old crypto reporting model under the Receita Federal's Normative Instruction 2.291. (Sources: Ministério da Fazenda: Receita Federal updates crypto rules to the international standard; Receita Federal: DeCripto (IN RFB 2.291/2025))
- October 1, 2026: Central bank Resolution 561 took effect, barring international payment and transfer services (eFX) from using virtual assets to settle with their counterparties abroad. (Source: Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 561 (April 30, 2026), eFX rules in force from October 1, 2026)
- November 6, 2026: Banks and payment institutions may no longer deal with crypto providers the central bank has not authorised, except in the forms Resolution 589 allows. (Source: Banco Central do Brasil, Resolução BCB nº 589 (September 23, 2026))
What the official sources leave open
The official sources leave these points open. Where one affects a payment, Toku confirms how it is handled for each person before the first payment.
- Whether crypto could count as a benefit in kind under article 458 of the CLT, within the in-kind limits. No labour ministry, labour court or Receita Federal source addresses salary in crypto.
- How crypto received as salary or service fees is valued for income tax. The only valuation rule found, market value in reais on the date received, is stated for crypto-to-crypto swaps.
- How the foreign-exchange rules apply when a foreign client pays a Brazilian contractor directly into their own wallet, without a Brazilian provider. Resolution 521 governs services by providers.
- Whether the IOF tax applies to stablecoin receipts, and how Resolution 561's eFX rules apply to a foreign client paying a Brazilian contractor directly.
How Toku pays your team in Brazil
Employees hired through Toku’s employer of record in Brazil have their salary set, withheld and paid in local currency, with the USDC option for net pay arranged as described above through stablecoin payroll. Whether Toku can support a hire in Brazil is confirmed before an offer. Contractors are paid through contractor management, which keeps invoices, approvals and USDC or USDT payment records together. Toku confirms the arrangement for each person before the first payment.
For the practical steps, see how to pay contractors in Brazil. Compare costs on the pricing page and estimate transfer costs with the FX savings calculator.
Toku pioneered this approach: founded in 2020, it started with token payroll and is now an employer of record and global payroll provider in 100+ countries, paying teams in local currency or stablecoins. About Toku.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules on crypto, wages and foreign exchange change often and depend on the facts of each arrangement, so confirm your situation with a qualified local adviser before you pay anyone in crypto or stablecoins.