What information should I screenshot before closing a swap confirmation screen

07 September 2026

Before you close any swap confirmation screen, capture a screenshot that shows the transaction ID (TXID), the exact amounts of both the asset you sent and the asset you received, the exchange rate applied, the timestamp, and the wallet addresses involved. This single screenshot is the most compact record you can keep that still contains enough data to reconstruct the swap if you later need to prove it happened.

Why does this matter? Swap confirmation screens are ephemeral. Once you close them, the details you saw are often gone. The exchanger may not store a full history of your swaps, or may limit how far back you can view them. A screenshot taken at the moment of confirmation is your independent record. It does not rely on the exchanger continuing to exist, keep logs, or cooperate with you.

The five pieces of information your screenshot must capture are:

1. Transaction ID (TXID). This is the unique identifier for the swap on the blockchain. It is the single most important piece of data. Without it, you cannot independently verify that the swap occurred. The TXID lets you look up the transaction on a block explorer. It also lets the exchanger locate your swap in their system if you need support.

2. Amounts sent and received. Record the exact quantity of the cryptocurrency you sent and the exact quantity you received. These numbers are what you will report for tax purposes. The difference between them - the fee and any spread - is what determines your gain or loss on the swap. Do not round or estimate. The screenshot should show the raw numbers as the confirmation screen displayed them.

3. Exchange rate applied. The rate at which the swap executed is the price per unit of the asset. This is the rate you will use to calculate the value of the transaction in your local currency at the time of the swap. If the confirmation screen shows a rate, capture it. If it does not, you can later derive it from the amounts sent and received, but having the stated rate removes ambiguity.

4. Timestamp. The time and date of the swap. This matters for two reasons. First, it establishes the order of events if you are reconstructing a series of trades. Second, tax authorities often require you to know the date of a transaction to determine which tax year it falls into. The timestamp should be in a clear format, ideally with time zone indicated.

5. Wallet addresses. The address you sent from and the address you sent to. These confirm which wallets were involved. They also help you match the swap to a specific deposit or withdrawal in your own wallet records. If the exchanger uses a different address for each swap, the address is another unique identifier.

What if the confirmation screen does not show all five items? Take what you can. Some exchangers show only the TXID and the amounts. In that case, screenshot that. Then immediately open the swap in your account history (if the exchanger offers one) and take a second screenshot of the full details. If the exchanger does not keep a history, your screenshot of the confirmation screen is all you have. Make it count.

After you have the screenshot, save it with a filename that includes the date and the pair you swapped. A simple scheme like 2025-03-15_DOGE_USDC_swap.png is better than a generic name. File it in a folder dedicated to swap records. You will thank yourself at tax time.

This is the first step in a larger process. The hub page for this topic, "Which swap records to keep for tax time," explains how to combine these screenshots with your wallet export files and exchange statements into a complete record. That page covers what to do when you have multiple swaps, how to handle missing data, and which records the tax authorities in your jurisdiction typically require. The screenshot you take now is the raw material that page teaches you to organize.

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