Gold IRA fees usually run about $200 to $350 a year. As one example, Gold Star Trust charges $50 to set up, $90 a year for maintenance, and $125 a year for commingled storage.
So the cost of holding physical gold in a retirement account is a few hundred dollars a year, and it’s predictable. Most of these fees are flat dollar amounts, so they don’t grow as your account grows. Below, you’ll see details on each fee plus how to keep fees low for your Gold IRA.
Key takeaways
- Bottom-line cost: A Gold IRA runs about $200 to $350 per year for most savers.
- Fee types: You’ll pay a setup fee, an annual maintenance fee, storage, and sometimes transaction or wire fees.
- Flat and predictable: Most custodians charge flat dollar fees, so your cost stays steady as your balance moves.
- How to start: Open a self-directed IRA, fund it, choose IRS-approved metals, and store them at an approved depository.
What does a Gold IRA cost?
Here are the typical fees:
| Fee | Typical range |
| Setup fee (one-time) | $50 to $250 |
| Annual maintenance | $90 to $556 |
| Commingled storage | $100 to $125 per year |
| Segregated storage | $225 or more per year |
| Transaction fees | $0 to $195 |
| Wire and ACH funding fees | $15 to $50 |
These are common industry ranges. Your exact numbers depend on the custodian you choose and the storage option you pick.
Types of Gold IRA fees
A Gold IRA has a few separate charges. Knowing what each one pays for makes the total easier to plan.
Setup fees
The setup fee is a one-time charge to open your self-directed account. It usually runs $50 to $250, and Gold Star Trust charges $50. Some custodians waive it when you fund a new account.
Maintenance fees
The annual maintenance fee covers recordkeeping, statements, and IRS reporting. It’s $90 to $556 a year, and Gold Star Trust charges $90. This is the fee you’ll pay every year for as long as the account is open.
Storage fees
Your metals have to stay in an approved depository and there’s a cost for storing them. You can choose between two options:
- Commingled storage: Your metals are held with other clients’ metals of the same type, and you get back equivalent metal. It’s $125 per year or more.
- Segregated storage: Your exact coins and bars are stored on their own and set apart from everyone else’s. Cost is around $225 or more per year.
Transaction fees
Some custodians charge a fee each time you buy or sell metal inside the account. These can range from $0 to $195 per transaction.
Wire and funding fees
Moving money in or out of your account might have a small charge. A wire transfer or ACH funding fee usually runs $15 to $50. Rollovers and trustee-to-trustee transfers often have no fee at all.
Insurance
IRS-approved depositories insure the metals they hold. That cost is almost always built into the storage fee, so you don’t pay a separate insurance charge.
How Gold IRA custodian fees compare
Swiss America often works with Gold Star Trust Company, a self-directed IRA custodian based in Amarillo, Texas. Here’s what their published fee schedule looks like for a precious metals IRA:
| Fee | Cost |
| One-time setup | $50 |
| Annual maintenance | $90 |
| Commingled storage | $125 per year |
| Segregated storage | $225 per year minimum |
| Buy, sell or, exchange metals | No fee |
You can compare fees across seven custodians, including Gold Star, in our self-directed IRA custodian list.
Gold IRA vs traditional IRA fees
Gold is a tangible asset so you have storage and insurance costs. With a traditional IRA, your fees include management and possibly trading costs. Here is a comparison using Gold Star Trust as the custodian:
| Fee type | Gold IRA | Traditional brokerage IRA |
| Custodian or admin fee | $90 per year | Some online brokerages waive this fee |
| Commingled storage fee | $125 per year | N/A |
| Insurance on holdings | Yes | N/A |
| Dealer markup or premium | Paid when you buy | N/A |
| Fund expense ratios | N/A | Yes, typically range between .03% to .75% per year |
| Per-trade commission | N/A | $0 at most online brokerages |
Flat Gold IRA fees vs percentage fees
Some custodians charge a flat dollar amount every year. Others charge a percentage of your account value, usually around 0.5%. Here’s a comparison using Gold Star Trust fees with commingled storage:
| Account size | Flat fee ($215 per year) | Percentage fee (0.5% per year) |
| $10,000 | $215 | $50 |
| $50,000 | $215 | $250 |
| $100,000 | $215 | $500 |
| $250,000 | $215 | $1,250 |
Unexpected precious metal IRA fees to watch out for
Dealer markup is a key cost to be aware of. This is the spread between gold’s current spot price of ... and the retail sales price through the dealer. Premiums vary by product type and metal so ask your dealer and get the details before you buy.
For example, coins have higher premiums over bars. Even so, they are more popular. So far in 2026, 97.3% of Swiss America’s customers choose coins over bars.
There are also other fees that you could incur during the lifetime of your gold or silver IRA investment:
- Custodian early termination or account closure fees
- Minimum balance or transfer requirements
- Shipping and handling when you take an in-kind distribution
- Annual fee increases from the custodian if promotional periods end
How to keep your Gold IRA fees low
A few things you can do to reduce impact of Gold IRA fees include:
- Compare fee structures: Look at two or three custodians and look at costs side-by-side.
- Choose flat fees: A flat annual fee usually costs less than a percentage of assets once your account passes about $50,000.
- Limit transactions: Buy and hold instead of trading often to keep your per-transaction fees low.
- Go paperless: Electronic statements sometimes lower or remove small handling charges.
Final thoughts on Gold IRA fees
Gold IRA fees are a small cost considering you get a tangible asset with a long-term store of value inside a tax-advantaged account.
To learn more about opening a Gold IRA, connect with the Swiss America team today.
Gold IRA fees: FAQs
How much does it cost to start a Gold IRA?
About $250 in the first year. That’s a one-time setup fee near $50 plus a first year of maintenance around $90 and storage around $100 to $150. Some custodians waive the setup fee when you fund a new account, which lowers your first-year cost.
Are Gold IRA fees tax deductible?
No. Custodial and storage fees paid from your own pocket aren’t a deductible expense. Contributions to a Traditional IRA may be deductible, but the account fees themselves are not. Paying the fees from inside the IRA simply reduces the balance rather than creating a deduction.
Can I store my Gold IRA at home?
No. The IRS requires IRA metal to be held by a bank or an IRS-approved nonbank trustee, not at your house. The metal has to stay with an approved trustee for the account to keep its tax advantages, so home storage isn’t an option while the gold is inside the IRA. Approved depositories charge about $100 to $150 a year to store and insure the metal.
What is the minimum to open a Gold IRA?
Often around $5,000 to $10,000. Minimums are set by the custodian and dealer, not the IRS, so they vary. Swiss America’s minimum is $5,000.
Do Gold IRA fees come out of my IRA or my pocket?
Either one. Many savers pay the annual $200 to $350 in fees directly from their own funds so the full IRA balance stays invested. You can also have the fees deducted from the account, which lowers the balance a little each year.
