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Last updated: August 4, 2026 · By White Metal Resources Editorial
Quick answer: A fair gold IRA fee schedule in 2026 lands near these benchmarks. Setup runs about $50 once. Annual custodian administration falls near $150 to $175, and can exceed $350 on asset-based schedules. Commingled storage sits at $110 to $125 a year, segregated at $160 to $225. Dealer metals spread on common bullion clusters at 2 to 8 percent over spot; anything above that on common coins deserves a second look.
What the benchmark shows
- Across three custodians that publish full schedules (Equity Trust, STRATA Trust, GoldStar Trust), setup fees are effectively uniform at $50.
- Annual custodian administration spans the widest band, from $90 for a bare precious-metals holding tier to $2,500 on the top tier of an asset-based schedule.
- Commingled storage bands very tightly ($110 to $125). Segregated storage carries a $50 to $100 premium at typical balances.
- Dealer metals spread is invisible on the custodian statement, yet it is almost always the largest single fee a saver pays in year one.
- Kingdom Trust (successor Digital Trust) does not disclose a fee schedule on its public site, so it is excluded from the percentile bands and flagged separately.
- Regulators police fraud, not price. There is no legal cap on gold IRA fees, which is why a written schedule is the only real defense.
Every gold IRA sales page names three parties: the custodian, the depository, and the dealer. Each party sends its own bill. This page compares what those bills look like at custodians that publish a full written fee schedule, then adds an industry-reported range for the one number no custodian charges: the dealer metals spread.
The purpose is a benchmark, not a scoreboard. A schedule inside these bands is broadly typical of the self-directed IRA industry in 2026. A schedule outside them (either higher or unusually low) is a signal to ask why.
How we built the benchmark
We pulled every fee schedule that the four brief-listed custodians publish on their own websites. Equity Trust, STRATA Trust, and GoldStar Trust each publish a machine-readable PDF or web page with dollar-denominated line items. Kingdom Trust, whose precious-metals custody business transitioned to Digital Trust in Las Vegas, does not publish a public schedule; its numbers are excluded from the percentile computations and noted separately.
Line items are grouped into four recurring buckets a retail saver can actually compare: annual custodian administration, commingled depository storage, segregated depository storage, and outbound wire fee. Setup is treated separately because all three published schedules charge $50. The dealer metals spread is treated separately because no custodian charges it; it is a dealer number reported in industry surveys and consumer alerts.
Percentile bands are computed on the three-custodian sample. With three data points, the 25th percentile approximates the lowest observed value, the median approximates the middle value, and the 75th percentile approximates the highest disclosed value. This is a floor for reference, not a statistical study, and the bands should widen as the sample grows. See the anatomy of gold IRA fees for the underlying framework.
The percentile table across four fee lines
The chart below sizes the four recurring lines side by side. The wide spread on the annual custodian bar reflects the tension between flat-fee and asset-tiered pricing models: the top of the range is drawn from Equity Trust's asset-tier top step, not the entry step.
| Fee line | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-time account setup | $50 | $50 | $50 | Uniform across the disclosed sample. Some custodians waive on electronic sign-up. |
| Annual custodian administration (entry tier) | $90 | $150 | $350 | Top of band is the entry step of Equity Trust's asset-tiered schedule. |
| Annual custodian administration (top tier at $1M+) | $150 | $395 | $2,500 | Only Equity Trust reaches $2,500 at $1M+ assets; STRATA and GoldStar top out much lower. |
| Commingled depository storage | $110 | $115 | $125 | Tight band. Difference reflects depository partner and account tier. |
| Segregated depository storage | $160 | $175 | $225 | GoldStar adds 18 bps above $125,000 in metals value with no cap. |
| Outbound wire (each) | $30 | $35 | $50 | Wires are per-event. Incoming wires are typically free. |
| Full account termination | $50 | $150 | $250 | STRATA charges lowest, Equity highest, GoldStar in the middle. |
Sample: Equity Trust Universal IRA fee schedule (Rev. 110625, 2025), STRATA Trust fee schedule (effective September 1, 2026), GoldStar Trust fee schedule (Rev. 12/2025). Kingdom Trust does not publish a public schedule and is excluded. Checked August 2026.
Setup: the $50 anchor point
All three disclosed custodians charge $50 to open a self-directed IRA online. Equity Trust adds $25 for a paper application ($75 total). STRATA waives its $50 setup on electronic sign-up. GoldStar charges the flat $50 either way.
The one-time setup fee is the easiest line to shop and the least meaningful. It does not compound. A $25 gap between two custodians is unlikely to survive a decade of asset-based storage bumps or a single dealer markup at purchase. Weight this line accordingly.
Annual administration: where schedules diverge
Annual custodian administration is where the industry splits into camps. STRATA's Precious Metals tier is flat at $150 a year for metals-only accounts. GoldStar bills a $90 asset-holding fee plus tiered account maintenance. Equity Trust uses a tiered asset-based schedule that begins at $350 for accounts under $50,000 and climbs to $2,500 at $1 million and above.
Neither model is inherently better. A flat schedule punishes small balances and rewards large ones. An asset-based schedule does the opposite in absolute dollars, though its rate can still climb as the account grows. The right comparison is the balance you actually expect to hold, not the sticker on the front page.
At $50,000 in metals, STRATA's $150 flat fee undercuts Equity's $350 entry step by more than half. At $500,000, Equity's tiered schedule (around $2,000 on the published tier table) exceeds a plain flat schedule by an order of magnitude. GoldStar's blended structure lands in the middle at most balances. Read custodian fees vs dealer markups for how this compounds over ten years.
Depository storage: commingled vs segregated
Storage bands are much tighter than administration bands. All three disclosed custodians land within a $15 window on commingled storage ($110 to $125 a year at the standard tier). Segregated storage adds $50 to $100 at typical retail balances, sometimes structured as a flat premium and sometimes as an added rate above a threshold.
GoldStar's segregated pricing is the most transparent about escalation: $225 base up to $125,000 in metals value, then $1.80 per $1,000 above that (18 basis points, uncapped). A saver with $500,000 in segregated gold would pay $225 plus 375 times $1.80, or $900, for a total of about $1,125 a year. That is not unusual, and it explains why large accounts often prefer commingled storage at the same vault.
Depository partners across the disclosed sample include Delaware Depository (Wilmington, DE and Boulder City, NV), International Depository Services (Delaware and Texas), and Texas Precious Metals Depository (Shiner, TX). Brinks Global Services also acts as an IRA depository through several custodian relationships, though its rates are not published publicly. Sources: Delaware Depository; International Depository Services.
Dealer metals spread: the biggest single check
No custodian charges the dealer metals spread. The dealer does, at the moment of purchase, as the difference between the invoice price of a coin or bar and the spot price of gold on the same day. On a $100,000 initial order, an extra 3 percentage points of markup costs the saver an extra $3,000 up front. That is more than a decade of storage fees.
Common IRA-eligible bullion (American Gold Eagles, Canadian Gold Maple Leafs, Austrian Gold Philharmonics, LBMA good-delivery bars from PAMP, Valcambi, and similar refiners) usually clears the market at low single-digit percentages over spot on larger orders. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has repeatedly flagged high-pressure sales of premium and numismatic coins at markups of 20 percent or more as the industry's most damaging retail pattern. Source: CFTC precious metals fraud advisories.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, in its investor alerts on gold and precious metals, notes the same asymmetry: the largest cost of a gold IRA is very often the dealer's initial markup, not the annual custodian bill. Source: FINRA, Investing in Gold. A schedule that looks cheap on the custodian side but funnels the saver into premium coins usually is not cheap.
Wire, termination, and other line items
Outbound wire fees land between $30 (Equity Trust) and $50 (GoldStar), with STRATA at $35. Incoming wires are free at all three. Termination fees range from $50 (STRATA) to $250 (Equity Trust full termination), with GoldStar at $150 for a full close. On active accounts and at distribution, these items stack.
Other line items worth checking include per-transaction liquidation fees, expedited or same-day rush surcharges, in-kind distribution handling, roth conversion processing, paper statement fees, and late payment charges. None is large in isolation. The pattern of them, and how prominently the schedule discloses them, is the useful signal.
How each disclosed custodian structures its schedule
Equity Trust uses a tiered asset-based Universal IRA schedule (Rev. 110625). The precious-metals entry step is $350 a year at under $50,000 in assets, climbing in tiers to $2,500 at $1 million and above. Storage is $110 commingled or $160 segregated, wired at $30, full termination $250, partial termination $100. Depository selection is client-directed. Source: Equity Trust fees.
STRATA Trust publishes a two-tier schedule effective September 1, 2026. The Precious Metals tier is a $150 flat annual fee for metals-only accounts; the Flex tier at $395 accommodates real estate and other alternative assets. Storage is $115 commingled at Delaware Depository or Texas Precious Metals Depository, $175 segregated (gold, platinum, palladium; segregated silver not offered at Delaware). Wire out $35, termination $50. Source: STRATA Trust fees.
GoldStar Trust charges a $50 setup, a $90 precious-metals asset-holding fee, and a $150 assets-tier maintenance fee. Storage is $125 commingled, $225 segregated with an 18-basis-point escalator above $125,000 in metals value. Depository partners are Delaware Depository, International Depository Services, and Texas Depository. Wire out $50, full termination $150. Source: GoldStar Trust precious metals.
Kingdom Trust historically served precious-metals IRA accounts and transitioned its self-directed IRA custody business to Digital Trust in Las Vegas. Digital Trust does not publish a comparable dollar-denominated fee schedule on its public site, so its numbers do not appear in the percentile bands above. A prospective account holder should request a written schedule directly. See the neutral hub on the best precious metals IRA companies for how to sort published disclosures from marketing pages.
What to compare when you read a schedule
A benchmark is only useful if you know what to line up against it. Six checks separate a fair schedule from a costly one, and each maps to a specific line above.
- Setup fee. Anything above $100 is unusual on the disclosed sample. Waivers on electronic sign-up are increasingly standard.
- Annual custodian administration. Compare at the balance you expect to hold. A flat schedule looks generous at $500,000 and punitive at $25,000; an asset-tiered schedule does the opposite.
- Storage rate and structure. A base rate below $110 or above $250 on standard bullion warrants explanation. An uncapped basis-point escalator above a threshold can bite at large balances.
- Dealer metals spread. Ask the dealer for the invoice price and same-day spot on the exact products pitched. On common bullion, low single digits is competitive; double digits deserves a written justification.
- Wire, termination, and shipment fees. Individually small, cumulatively noisy. A firm that hides these is telling you something.
- Buyback policy. Not always in the fee schedule at all. Request it in writing before you buy, not when you want to sell.
When a low headline number is not actually low
A quoted $75 annual custodian fee looks better than $175 on paper. It stops looking better once the schedule embeds a 3 percent asset-based storage bump above a threshold, or the dealer's typical markup on the coins they push is 15 percent. A cheap-looking custodian paired with a pricey dealer will always cost more than a moderately priced custodian paired with a fair dealer.
The reverse trap is a low-priced dealer paired with a custodian whose termination fee is $500 and whose in-kind shipment fee is $250 per bar. The exit costs matter as much as the entry costs, because most gold IRAs are eventually distributed. See depository storage fees in detail for how storage bases and escalators combine.
Federal regulators do not cap gold IRA fees. The IRS defines what an IRA can hold (26 U.S.C. Section 408(m)) and how it is taxed, but not what the custodian, depository, or dealer may charge. Source: Cornell LII, 26 U.S.C. Section 408. The consumer-protection layer is the written schedule.
Consider a $100,000 gold IRA at each of the three disclosed schedules, held for ten years, common bullion at a 4 percent dealer markup. Year one custodian bill: STRATA $150, GoldStar around $240, Equity Trust $350. Ten-year custodian total: roughly $1,500 (STRATA), $2,400 (GoldStar), $3,500 (Equity Trust) before any storage escalator. Storage adds $110 to $250 a year on top. The one-time dealer markup at 4 percent is $4,000, which alone exceeds the entire ten-year custodian bill at STRATA and roughly matches it at Equity. Numbers are illustrative and not quotes from any firm. This is educational content, not financial or tax advice.
Fee benchmark questions, answered
What is a fair annual gold IRA custodian fee in 2026?
On the disclosed 2026 sample, a fair entry-tier annual custodian administration fee lands between $150 and $350 a year, depending on whether the schedule is flat or asset-tiered. Storage adds $110 to $225 a year on top. Anything below $100 for full administration is unusual; anything above $500 at balances under $250,000 deserves a written explanation.
Which custodian has the lowest published gold IRA fee schedule?
Among custodians that publish a full public schedule, STRATA Trust's Precious Metals tier at $150 a year is the lowest flat annual custodian administration fee in the disclosed sample. GoldStar's blended $90 plus $150 structure is close behind, and Equity Trust is highest at the entry step but competitive at very large balances relative to its own top tier.
Why is Kingdom Trust missing from the benchmark?
Kingdom Trust transitioned its self-directed IRA custody business to Digital Trust in Las Vegas. Neither the legacy Kingdom Trust site nor the Digital Trust public site publishes a dollar-denominated fee schedule that can be compared line for line to Equity Trust, STRATA, or GoldStar. We flag it separately and encourage prospective account holders to request a written schedule directly.
Is a 5 percent dealer markup on IRA gold reasonable?
On common IRA-eligible bullion in a competitive market, a 5 percent markup is inside the typical band for retail-scale orders, though larger orders should compress it toward the low single digits. Markups climb quickly on premium, proof, or graded coins, and industry surveys report 15 to 25 percent markups on those categories. FINRA and the CFTC both flag those markups as the largest source of retail harm.
Is segregated storage worth the extra $50 to $100 a year?
Segregated storage keeps your specific coins or bars physically apart and returns those same pieces at distribution. For most common-bullion accounts, commingled storage is functionally similar and materially cheaper, because the vault returns equivalent products from the same pool. Segregated storage is worth the premium if you hold specific numbered bars or if an insurance clause requires piece-level identification.
Do federal rules cap gold IRA fees?
No. The IRS defines what an IRA can own and how it is taxed (26 U.S.C. Section 408, IRS Publication 590-A and 590-B). It does not set price limits on the custodian, depository, or dealer. State and federal regulators police fraud and misrepresentation, not fee levels. A written schedule, read before funding, is the practical consumer-protection layer.
How do fee tiers change on large accounts above $500,000?
On flat-fee schedules like STRATA's, the annual dollar cost does not change with balance; the percent cost falls sharply. On asset-tiered schedules like Equity Trust's, the dollar cost climbs to $2,000 or more at $500,000 and reaches $2,500 at $1 million and above on the published tier table. On escalator-style storage like GoldStar's segregated tier, storage alone can pass $1,000 a year at $500,000.
Where should I look next if I am comparing companies?
Start with the neutral hub on how to choose a precious metals IRA company, which walks the trade-offs without recommending a specific firm. Then read gold IRA fees explained for the fee anatomy and custodian fees vs dealer markups for the split between the two invoice sides.
Sources
- Equity Trust Company, Universal IRA fee schedule and public fees page (Rev. 110625, 2025). Checked August 2026.
- STRATA Trust Company, fee schedule effective September 1, 2026. Checked August 2026.
- STRATA Trust Company, gold and precious metals investment option and depository partners. Checked August 2026.
- GoldStar Trust Company, precious metals IRA program and depository partners. Checked August 2026.
- Kingdom Trust Company (successor Digital Trust, Las Vegas), public site. Checked August 2026.
- Delaware Depository, official website. Checked August 2026.
- International Depository Services, official website. Checked August 2026.
- Cornell Legal Information Institute, 26 U.S.C. Section 408 (individual retirement accounts; physical-possession rule at 408(m)(3)). Checked August 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements. Checked August 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements. Checked August 2026.
- Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Investing in Gold investor alert. Checked August 2026.
- U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, precious metals fraud advisories. Checked August 2026.
Ready to move from benchmark to decision? Once a schedule sits inside these bands, the next question is how to weigh disclosures, reputation, and depository access against the fee lines above. Our neutral framework walks that comparison without recommending a specific firm: how to choose a precious metals IRA company.
