Does a Precious Metals IRA Cost Money to Maintain?

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Last updated: August 3, 2026 · By White Metal Resources Editorial

This page answers a plain question: once your precious metals IRA is open, does the account keep costing you money each year? The short version is yes, and the two recurring fees are the custodian annual administration fee and the depository annual storage fee. Below we walk through what those fees actually look like, why they exist, how much they range, and when a promotional first-year waiver is worth taking.

What “maintain” actually means for a precious metals IRA

A precious metals IRA is a self-directed IRA that holds physical silver, platinum, palladium, or gold bullion in an approved vault. Federal law requires an IRS-approved trustee to hold that metal for the account; you cannot keep it at home while it stays inside the IRA (source: 26 U.S.C. section 408).

Because a trustee and a vault are mandatory, both charge annual fees to run the account. Those recurring fees are what "maintenance" means. Setup is a one-time cost. The dealer markup on the metal you buy is a one-time cost paid up front. Maintenance is the yearly bill that keeps the custodian ledger accurate and the metal safely stored.

Three points anchor everything that follows. First, custodian and depository fees are published on written schedules; you can request them before you fund. Second, the two fees are structurally separate and paid to two different parties. Third, the total maintenance bill scales with balance size and storage choice, not with how often you trade.

The two recurring annual fees you cannot avoid

Every compliant precious metals IRA carries the same two recurring lines. The custodian charges to run the account. The depository charges to store the metal. Neither one is negotiable if you want a legitimate IRA.

The custodian is the self-directed IRA trustee. It holds legal title to the assets, files the tax reports the IRS requires, and enforces the fineness gate on any metal the account tries to buy (source: IRS Publication 590-A). Its annual administration fee is either a flat dollar amount or a tier based on the account balance. STRATA Trust and Equity Trust both publish their fee schedules openly (sources: STRATA Trust fee schedule; Equity Trust fees).

The depository is the IRS-approved vault. It takes physical possession of the metal, insures it, and reports the balance back to the custodian. Its annual storage fee is either a flat dollar amount or a share of the account balance, and it depends on whether storage is commingled or segregated. Delaware Depository publishes storage rates via its custodian partners (source: Delaware Depository).

Sources: STRATA Trust fee schedule; Equity Trust fees; Delaware Depository. Ranges are industry-reported midpoints; ask each firm for its own written schedule. Checked August 2026.

How annual fees really range across the industry

Two custodians dominate the self-directed IRA market for white-metals accounts: STRATA Trust and Equity Trust. Both publish written fee schedules, and both are large enough that many retail dealers route new accounts through them by default.

STRATA Trust lists an annual administration fee around $95, plus a paper-based storage fee that varies by depository and storage type. Equity Trust uses a tiered administration fee that starts near $225 for accounts under $50,000 and rises modestly with balance size. Neither firm sells metal, so their pricing does not depend on the dealer relationship.

Depository fees follow a different pattern. Commingled storage pools same-type bullion from many accounts and costs less per year. Segregated storage keeps your specific bars or coins apart in a labeled position and costs more. Delaware Depository, International Depository Services, and Brink's Global Services are the three vault names most commonly cited for white-metals accounts.

Two design points make the chart useful. First, the ranges overlap. A saver at the low end of both fees pays around $175 a year in total maintenance. A saver at the high end of both fees, with segregated storage, pays around $525 a year. Second, storage type is the swing variable. Choosing segregated over commingled roughly doubles the storage line on the same account.

The dealer markup on the metal you buy is not on this chart. It is a separate one-time cost paid on the purchase, and on any future sale. That distinction matters, because a wide dealer markup on a rollover of even modest size usually costs more than a full decade of maintenance fees combined. We cover that gap in detail on the custodian fees vs dealer markups page.

Which companies waive year one, and what changes at year two

Several precious metals companies offer to cover the first-year custodian and storage fees when a saver rolls over a stated minimum balance. The offer is real and worth understanding, but the terms almost always reset at year two.

A typical waiver covers the first year of custodian administration and depository storage on a rollover above a threshold, often $50,000 or $100,000. Some firms extend the waiver to two or three years on larger balances. In every case the account returns to the standard fee schedule after the waiver period ends.

Three points matter before you accept a promotional waiver. First, ask which fees are covered. A waiver may cover custodian administration but not storage, or the reverse.

Second, ask what the standard fee schedule is after the waiver ends. A $200 first-year savings can be washed out by a $300-a-year post-waiver rate. Third, confirm whose fees the company is actually paying. If the company is paying the third-party custodian and depository directly, the waiver is straightforward. If it is a credit against a bundled internal fee, the numbers are harder to verify.

The Federal Trade Commission acts against unfair or deceptive practices in retail sales, which is why fee promotions must be clearly disclosed (source: FTC business guidance). A waiver stated in writing on the fee schedule is safer than a verbal offer over the phone.

A worked example on a $50,000 white-metals rollover

How annual fees drag on your account over ten years

Fixed dollar fees behave like a small percentage on a large account and a larger percentage on a small account. That is why the same fee schedule can feel cheap or expensive depending on the balance.

The calculator below estimates how annual fees compound against a balance over time. Enter your balance and the annual fee rate to see the projected drag. It does not model the dealer markup on the metal, which is a separate up-front cost.

Two rules of thumb come out of the math. Under $25,000 in balance, a flat $300 in annual fees is a real headwind, over 1 percent a year. Above $75,000, the same $300 falls under 0.5 percent a year. That is not a reason to avoid a precious metals IRA on a small balance, but it is a reason to shop the fee schedule carefully and to consider commingled storage until the account grows.

When maintenance costs make a precious metals IRA a bad idea

A balanced look has to name the cases where the maintenance bill works against the saver. For several situations, the recurring fee load simply does not fit the account.

It is usually a bad idea when:

• The balance is too small to absorb flat fees. A $10,000 account paying $300 a year in maintenance loses 3 percent of the balance before any market move. The percentage drag is real and it compounds against total return.
• The horizon is short. If you may need the money within a few years, you will cross the dealer spread again on the way out. Before age 59.5 you also owe a 10 percent additional tax on top of ordinary income tax (source: IRS Publication 590-B).
• You cannot get the fee schedule in writing. If a company will not put its custodian and storage fees on paper, you cannot compare the numbers and you should not fund the account.
• The pitch is centered on numismatic or graded coins. Those sit outside the IRA-eligible bullion category, carry the widest markups, and can trigger a deemed distribution under the collectibles rule at Section 408(m)(3)(A).
• You are chasing a guaranteed return. Nobody can predict where metal prices will go. Federal enforcement action, including the 2020 CFTC order against JPMorgan for $920.2 million over precious-metals spoofing, shows that even the futures market has a long tail of manipulation risk (source: CFTC release 8260-20).

If one of these describes you, slowing down is the sensible call. Keeping the account clean for your spouse or heirs later is easier when the fee structure is simple and the paperwork is thin.

Maintenance questions savers ask most

Does a precious metals IRA charge fees every year even if I don’t buy or sell?

Yes. The custodian annual administration fee and the depository storage fee are both recurring, and both are charged each year the account is open, whether or not any transactions occur. Idle accounts still cost the custodian time to file tax reports and cost the depository real vault space.

Can I avoid the storage fee by keeping the metal at home?

No. Federal law requires an IRS-approved trustee to hold physical possession of the metal in a vault while it stays inside the IRA. The United States Tax Court applied this rule against the taxpayers in McNulty v. Commissioner in 2021, cited in the IRS Issue Snapshot on collectibles (source: IRS Snapshot).

How much does the custodian charge per year for a white-metals IRA?

Most self-directed IRA custodians charge between $75 and $225 a year for annual administration. STRATA Trust sits near $95 flat. Equity Trust uses a tiered structure that starts near $225. Neither firm sells metal, so their fees are the same whether you buy silver, platinum, palladium, or gold.

Why does segregated storage cost more than commingled?

Segregated storage keeps your specific bars or coins apart in a labeled position, so the depository dedicates named vault space to your account. Commingled storage pools same-type bullion from many accounts, which is cheaper to operate. Both meet IRS requirements; segregated storage is a preference, not a compliance requirement.

Do any companies waive maintenance fees for the first year?

Yes. Several precious metals companies offer to cover the first-year custodian and storage fees when the saver rolls over a stated minimum, often $50,000 or $100,000. The offer is real, but the account returns to the standard schedule at year two, so evaluate the post-waiver rate too.

Do custodians ever charge based on account balance?

Some do. Certain custodians use an asset-based schedule, quoted in basis points, that scales with the account balance. Others use flat dollar tiers based on balance bands. The distinction matters most on large accounts, where a percentage of value can outrun a flat annual fee by a wide margin.

Are precious metals IRA fees tax deductible?

Custodian and storage fees paid by the account, using account funds, are treated as an expense of the IRA and are not separately deductible. Fees paid directly from outside funds may be treated differently. IRS Publication 590-A covers the general rules on IRA fees and contributions (source: IRS Publication 590-A). Consult a tax advisor for your situation.

What is the total annual cost to maintain a precious metals IRA?

On a mid-market account with commingled storage, total annual maintenance typically runs $175 to $375. On the same account with segregated storage, the total rises to roughly $225 to $525 a year. The exact figure depends on the custodian schedule and the depository storage rate. Ask both firms for their written schedules before funding.