Augusta Precious Metals Fees: Setup, Storage and Markup Breakdown for 2026

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Last updated: July 30, 2026 · By White Metal Resources Editorial

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This page prices what an Augusta Precious Metals self-directed IRA actually costs a saver holding gold or silver inside an IRS approved account. Every dollar figure below either comes from Augusta's own public site (live-checked in July 2026), from the fee schedule of the third party custodian Augusta routes accounts through, or from federal source material. Where a number could not be verified this session, we mark it as not disclosed rather than fill the gap.

Two facts frame the whole discussion. First, Augusta is one of the very few firms in this sector that prints custodian and storage fee ranges in dollars on its own public page. Second, the dealer markup on the coin itself is the biggest lifetime cost of any precious-metals IRA.

That markup is not printed on the public site. It has to be requested in writing on the specific piece the specialist recommends. Both facts hold at the same time, and both matter.

What Augusta publishes on its own gold IRA page

Augusta's gold IRA product page lists three annual cost lines a client will face on any account opened through the firm. Each line is a range rather than a flat figure. Each range is stated in dollars, not in percentage of assets. Below is exactly what the page states, translated into fee-schedule format for a saver comparing dealers side by side (source: augustapreciousmetals.com gold IRA page, live-checked July 2026).

• Annual custodian fee, paid to Equity Trust Company: $75 to $150 a year.
• Annual storage fee, paid to Delaware Depository: $100 to $150 a year.
• Dealer markup on the coin or bar: not printed as a fixed number. Augusta warns readers to refuse spreads above roughly 5 percent and cites 25 percent as an example of what not to accept.

Combine the two annual lines and a typical Augusta IRA lands somewhere between $175 and $300 in fixed cost per year, before any coin ever changes hands. That is a narrow range for the sector. The dealer markup sits on top and is separate, and it is where lifetime cost really gets decided.

One item is not on the public page: a fixed one-time setup fee. Setup is folded into the account opening step handled by Equity Trust and is invoiced against the account at that stage. The exact opening fee figure is delivered on the intake call. Ask for it in writing before you fund.

Setup fee: how account opening is priced

Every self-directed IRA has a one-time setup fee. It pays for the custodian to open the account, register the beneficiary designations, and hook the account into the trust company's reporting stack. Augusta itself does not print a fixed setup figure on the public gold IRA page. That does not mean setup is free. It means Augusta routes the setup line through Equity Trust Company at account opening, and Equity Trust invoices it against the new account.

Equity Trust is the largest self-directed IRA custodian in the country by assets under custody, per its own trustetc.com corporate pages. Setup for a self-directed IRA at Equity Trust in the precious-metals space is typically a low three figure charge, invoiced at account opening and prorated against the first year's custodian fee in some cases. Confirm the exact opening figure the Augusta specialist will quote you before any wire is sent.

For category context, our gold IRA fees benchmark shows setup fees across the sector cluster at $50 to $100 for pure administrative onboarding, with some dealers folding setup into the first-year custodian invoice rather than breaking it out. Augusta belongs in that second group operationally, even though the number is not on the public page.

Annual custodian fee: Equity Trust Company

The annual custodian line covers year over year account administration by the IRS approved trust company that legally holds the IRA. This is the fee that pays for tax reporting, Required Minimum Distribution processing, beneficiary maintenance, and the annual account statement.

Augusta names Equity Trust Company as the custodian on its own gold IRA page. It publishes an annual custodian range of $75 to $150 (source: augustapreciousmetals.com, live-checked July 2026). That is at or below the sector median for a physical-metals self-directed IRA. The Equity Trust corporate site describes the firm as the largest self-directed IRA custodian in the country by number of accounts, based at trustetc.com.

Two operational notes about the custodian line. First, Equity Trust operates on a flat annual fee model for the Augusta relationship, not an asset-based percent of the account. The same $75 to $150 range applies whether your account holds $50,000 or $500,000 in metal.

Second, the fee is billed annually and appears on the account statement rather than deducted from the metal position itself. Confirm the exact figure Equity Trust will invoice on your account before you fund.

Annual storage fee: Delaware Depository

Federal rules under 26 U.S.C. Section 408(m) require IRA precious metals to be held by an IRS approved nonbank trustee, not by the account owner. That legal requirement is why a storage fee exists at all. The metal has to physically sit in an insured private vault for the account to keep IRA tax treatment.

Augusta routes storage through Delaware Depository, a Wilmington-based IRS approved private vault. The gold IRA page prints an annual storage range of $100 to $150 (source: augustapreciousmetals.com, live-checked July 2026). Delaware Depository has held IRA metal since the 1990s and holds combined public reports of insured storage in the low nine figures across its facilities, per the depository's own service pages at delawaredepository.com.

The published range is a common bullion storage figure and is generally understood in the sector to reflect commingled storage. Segregated storage, where your coins are kept in a dedicated compartment rather than pooled by coin type, costs more at almost every depository. Ask on the specialist call whether Augusta's $100 to $150 line applies to commingled storage, segregated storage, or both, and get the answer in writing before you fund.

Dealer markup: the line the public site does not print

The dealer markup, sometimes called the spread, is the gap between the wholesale price Augusta pays for the coin and the retail price you pay for it. It is the largest single check a saver writes over the life of any precious-metals IRA. It is also the line Augusta does not print on its public site as a fixed number.

Augusta's own gold IRA page addresses the markup indirectly. It warns readers to refuse spreads above roughly 5 percent, and it cites 25 percent as an example of the kind of markup that should stop the transaction. That is more explicit language on the subject than most dealers publish on their own site. It is still not a fixed number on a specific coin.

Two categories of markup matter for a saver reading a fee schedule. Common IRA eligible bullion, such as approved refiner bars and standard American Gold Eagle or American Silver Eagle coins ordered in size, typically trades at a low single digit spread over the wholesale price. Premium coins, proof coins, and coins presented as an IRA upgrade often carry spreads in the double digits. That gap is where the sector's biggest lifetime cost decisions get made.

For every account, the operative question is not what Augusta publishes about markup, but what the specialist quotes on the specific coin. Ask for the exact spread in writing on the recommended piece, and compare it against the published spot price on the day of the trade. The written trade confirmation should show the coin, the quoted spot, the dealer spread as a percent, and the total trade dollar figure. Refuse anything you cannot read on that page.

Verified source table: line-by-line citations

Sources: augustapreciousmetals.com gold IRA page (live-checked July 2026); trustetc.com; delawaredepository.com; bbb.org Augusta profile; 26 U.S.C. Section 408 per Cornell Legal Information Institute.

How Augusta compares to category benchmarks

Sector benchmarks in this space carry a wide range because dealers price differently and disclose differently. Our gold IRA fees hub tracks the ranges we most often see on public schedules and on written invoices provided by savers who have shared them with us. Below is the Augusta fee line against those category benchmarks.

Sources: category benchmarks tracked in the whitemetalres.com fee hub; augustapreciousmetals.com published ranges; Equity Trust Company fee schedule at trustetc.com. All live-checked July 2026.

The pattern is clear. On custodian and storage, Augusta sits inside the sector norm and publishes the numbers as a dollar range on its own public page. That publication is rare for the sector and is a genuine transparency point.

On dealer markup, Augusta discloses no fixed number, and that gap is not unique to Augusta. Almost no dealer in this space publishes a per coin markup schedule. The transparency gap is a category gap, not an Augusta specific one.

On the minimum, Augusta sits at the top of the sector range. That is by design. The firm has built its intake around a single flow that includes a one on one web conference, and a $50,000 balance is the operational threshold that flow assumes.

When Augusta makes sense versus lower-minimum peers

Fee math alone does not decide the dealer choice. The question is which dealer produces the best combined outcome across published fees, published minimums, dealer transparency, and metals coverage. Below is where Augusta fits, from the fee point of view.

Augusta fits best for a saver at $50,000 or above who values the published dollar ranges. On a $100,000 account, the combined $175 to $300 annual line is 0.175 to 0.30 percent of assets. That is a low fixed cost by sector standards. Layered over ten years, the fixed cost totals $1,750 at the low end and $3,000 at the high end. Both figures are dwarfed by whatever the dealer markup ends up being on the initial purchase.

Augusta fits less well for a saver below $50,000. The recommended balance shuts the door on smaller rollovers. Even if Augusta accepted a smaller account, the $175 to $300 fixed range would drag harder on a smaller balance. At $20,000, that same range is 0.875 to 1.5 percent of assets per year, four to five times the drag on a $100,000 account.

A saver with $20,000 to move should look at dealers with a lower published minimum. Our dealer selection checklist walks through what to check across the low-minimum tier.

Augusta fits differently for a white-metals investor. Augusta runs a dedicated Silver IRA product page and stocks approved silver bullion for the account. It does not run a dedicated Platinum IRA or Palladium IRA product line as of July 2026.

Savers whose thesis rests primarily on platinum or palladium have to confirm sourcing and spread on a specialist call before treating Augusta as a viable dealer. That is a scope limit, not a fee issue. Our full precious-metals IRA companies list covers the coverage question in depth.

Worked example: a $100,000 rollover priced end to end

Fee questions to ask before you fund

Below are the questions a saver should ask an Augusta specialist on the intake call, on Augusta's own numbers rather than on any dealer general marketing language. Do not accept a verbal answer on any of them. Ask for each one in writing.

1. What is the exact one-time setup fee Equity Trust will invoice on my new account, and is any portion prorated against the first year custodian fee?
2. What is the exact annual custodian fee Equity Trust will invoice on my account, expressed in dollars, not as a range?
3. What is the exact annual storage fee Delaware Depository will charge, and does it cover commingled storage, segregated storage, or both?
4. What is the exact dealer markup, expressed as a percent above spot, on each specific coin or bar the specialist recommends for the initial purchase?
5. Is the recommended coin a common IRA eligible bullion piece or a premium or graded numismatic piece, and what is the melt value of the same weight of common bullion for comparison?
6. What is the wire fee Equity Trust will charge on the purchase transaction, and on any future distribution?
7. What is Augusta's buyback spread when the account is later liquidated, and is that spread stated in writing on the account paperwork?
8. What happens to storage cost if the account is later split, transferred, or distributed in kind?

Every one of the questions above maps to a specific line on the fee schedule. Get every answer in writing before you fund. A dealer that will not put its answer on paper is a dealer whose numbers cannot be verified after the account is open.

Augusta fee questions readers ask most

What are Augusta Precious Metals fees for a gold IRA?

Augusta publishes three cost lines on its own gold IRA page. Custodian: $75 to $150 a year, paid to Equity Trust Company. Storage: $100 to $150 a year, paid to Delaware Depository. Dealer markup on the coin: not published as a fixed public figure, must be requested in writing on the specific piece the specialist recommends (source: augustapreciousmetals.com, live-checked July 2026).

Is there a setup fee at Augusta?

Yes, but Augusta does not print a fixed setup dollar figure on its public gold IRA page. Setup is invoiced through Equity Trust Company at account opening. Confirm the exact opening fee with the Augusta specialist in writing, and ask whether any portion is prorated against your first year custodian fee.

Who charges what: Augusta, Equity Trust, or Delaware Depository?

Augusta is the dealer. It earns its revenue from the spread between wholesale and retail on the coin. Equity Trust Company is the IRS approved custodian and charges the annual custodian fee and the one-time setup fee. Delaware Depository is the IRS approved storage facility and charges the annual storage fee. Each entity invoices you separately for its own line.

What is the Augusta minimum investment?

Augusta publishes a recommended opening balance of $50,000 on its gold IRA page (source: augustapreciousmetals.com, live-checked July 2026). It is an operational threshold set by Augusta, not a federal legal minimum. Federal rules under 26 U.S.C. Section 408 impose no dollar floor on a self-directed IRA.

Are Augusta fees higher than other precious-metals IRA companies?

On custodian and storage, Augusta sits at or below the sector median. Combined fixed cost of $175 to $300 a year is a competitive range for the sector. On minimum, Augusta sits at the top of the sector range at $50,000. On dealer markup, Augusta discloses no fixed public number, but that lack of markup transparency is a category norm across almost every dealer in the space.

Is the dealer markup at Augusta 5 percent or 25 percent?

Augusta's public gold IRA page warns readers to refuse spreads above roughly 5 percent and uses 25 percent as an example of the kind of markup to refuse. Neither figure is a stated Augusta price. Both are guidance language on the site. Ask for the specific markup on the specific coin your specialist recommends, in writing, before any wire is sent.

Does Augusta charge asset-based fees?

No, based on the public site. Augusta publishes custodian and storage as flat dollar ranges rather than as a percent of account assets. The same $75 to $150 custodian range and $100 to $150 storage range apply whether the account holds $50,000 or $500,000. That flat structure benefits larger balances by translating to a smaller percentage drag as the account grows.

What is the Augusta BBB rating and does it affect fees?

Augusta self-displays an A plus BBB rating on its home page and gold IRA page (source: augustapreciousmetals.com). The rating is a consumer trust signal and does not directly change any fee line. Verify the current rating and complaint volume on the Augusta BBB profile before you sign paperwork.

What are the total fees on a $100,000 Augusta IRA over ten years?

At the high end of the published ranges, custodian plus storage equals $300 a year, or $3,000 across ten years. Add roughly $100 for a one-time setup fee and the ten year fixed cost is close to $3,100. That figure excludes dealer markup on the initial purchase, which is the largest single lifetime cost on any precious-metals IRA and depends on the specific coin selected.

Does Augusta cover silver, platinum, and palladium fees on the same schedule?

Augusta runs a dedicated Silver IRA page in addition to the Gold IRA page, and the custodian and storage lines are the same on both pages. Platinum and palladium are not offered as dedicated Augusta product lines as of July 2026, so fee treatment for those metals is not disclosed on the public site. Confirm sourcing and spread on the specialist call before assuming coverage of either metal.

How does Augusta compare to lower-minimum precious-metals IRA companies on fees?

Lower-minimum peers often carry similar custodian and storage ranges, sometimes with lower published minimums of $10,000 or $25,000. The trade off is usually less dealer transparency on the public site. For a saver below $50,000, the lower minimum is the deciding factor rather than the fee line. For a saver at $50,000 or above, Augusta's published dollar ranges and named custodian and depository are the deciding transparency point.

Where can I see the full Augusta fee schedule in writing?

The public dollar ranges are on the Augusta gold IRA page at augustapreciousmetals.com. The full per-account schedule, including the specific opening fee, wire fee, dealer markup on the recommended coin, and buyback spread, is delivered on the intake call and should be requested in writing before any account paperwork is signed.

Sources

1. Augusta Precious Metals, gold IRA product page. URL: augustapreciousmetals.com/gold-ira/. Live-checked July 2026. Cited for the $75 to $150 annual custodian range, the $100 to $150 annual storage range, the Equity Trust Company custodian name, the Delaware Depository storage name, the $50,000 recommended opening balance, and the language warning against dealer spreads above roughly 5 percent with 25 percent used as an example of what to refuse.
2. Augusta Precious Metals, company checklist request page. URL: learn.augustapreciousmetals.com/company-checklist-1/. Live-checked July 2026. Cited for the free company checklist and one on one web conference intake path.
3. Equity Trust Company, precious-metals IRA overview. URL: trustetc.com precious-metals IRA. Cited for the custodian identity and fee schedule context on setup and annual invoicing.
4. Delaware Depository, storage services and IRS approved status. URL: delawaredepository.com services. Cited for the depository identity and the commingled versus segregated storage distinction.
5. Better Business Bureau, Augusta Precious Metals profile. URL: bbb.org Augusta Precious Metals profile. Cited for verifying the current BBB rating and complaint volume before funding.
6. Cornell Legal Information Institute, 26 U.S.C. Section 408. URL: law.cornell.edu 26 USC 408. Checked July 2026. Federal IRA fineness minimums under subsection (m) and the nonbank trustee framework under subsection (n).
7. Internal Revenue Service, Publication 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements. URL: irs.gov Publication 590-A. Checked July 2026. Rollover and direct transfer mechanics.
8. Internal Revenue Service, Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements. URL: irs.gov Publication 590-B. Checked July 2026. Early distribution 10 percent additional tax and Required Minimum Distribution rules.
9. FINRA Investor Alerts, precious metals investing basics. URL: finra.org gold and silver scams insights. Checked July 2026. Cited for the general context on dealer markup transparency in the metals sector.
10. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, investor.gov Retirement Toolkit. URL: investor.gov investor bulletins. Checked July 2026. Cited for the general investor guidance framework around self-directed retirement accounts.