The Average Cost of a Gold IRA: Category Fee Benchmarks

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Last updated: August 4, 2026 · By White Metal Resources Editorial

Ask ten savers what a gold IRA costs on average, and you get ten different answers. The confusion is not accidental. Each cost sits with a different party, on a different bill, on a different schedule. This page pulls those parties together, cites the fee schedules that actually set the market, and turns the results into a single benchmark you can hold up against any quote.

The four fee buckets that decide the average

Every dollar a gold IRA charges over its lifetime falls into four buckets. Three are administrative and boring. The fourth is transactional and rarely disclosed in plain view. The average cost debate is really an argument about the fourth bucket.

• Setup fee. A one-time charge from the custodian to open the self-directed IRA.
• Annual custodian fee. A recurring charge from the custodian for account administration, IRS reporting, and instructing the vault.
• Annual storage fee. A recurring charge from the depository for physical custody and insurance.
• Dealer spread on the metal. The gap between the dealer's sell price and the spot price on your initial buy. Charged once per buy order.

The first three publish public schedules. The fourth almost never does. That is why an accurate average has to combine two data streams: custodian and depository schedules on one side, retail dealer bid-ask on common bullion coins on the other. See the full gold IRA fees breakdown for the anatomy of each cost line.

Category benchmark: account setup fees

Setup is the smallest and simplest line. Four of the most-used self-directed IRA custodians for precious metals publish setup fees clustered in a narrow band.

• Equity Trust Company: the published gold IRA setup fee for new accounts sits at $50. Source: Equity Trust precious metals IRA fee page.
• STRATA Trust Company: the account establishment fee is $50 on the published fee schedule. Source: STRATA Trust self-directed IRA fee schedule.
• Kingdom Trust: the one-time account opening fee for a self-directed IRA is $50 on the current schedule. Source: Kingdom Trust fee schedule.
• GoldStar Trust Company: the account establishment fee is $50 on the published precious metals IRA schedule. Source: GoldStar Trust fee schedule.

Across this sample, the setup benchmark is $50 to $100. The higher end reflects promotional or add-on packages some dealers bundle with a rollover, not a base custodian charge. A setup line above $150 is unusual and should trigger a request for the underlying custodian schedule in writing.

Category benchmark: annual custodian fees

The annual custodian fee runs the account each year. It pays for holding legal title, filing IRS Form 5498 for contributions and Form 1099-R for distributions, and instructing the depository on every buy, sell, or transfer request. Source: IRS Publication 590-A; IRS Publication 590-B.

Flat annual custodian schedules for precious metals IRAs at four commonly used providers cluster in a $75 to $225 band:

• Equity Trust: the precious metals IRA administration fee on the published schedule is around $205 per year for a common metals account. Source: Equity Trust precious metals IRA fee page.
• STRATA Trust: the flat annual maintenance fee on the standard precious metals schedule is $95. Source: STRATA Trust fee schedule.
• Kingdom Trust: the flat annual account fee for a self-directed IRA with precious metals is $125. Source: Kingdom Trust fee schedule.
• GoldStar Trust: the flat annual precious metals IRA administration fee is $75. Source: GoldStar Trust fee schedule.

Custodian benchmark: $75 low, $150 midpoint, $225 high. Note that some custodians layer transactional add-ons (wires, in-kind distributions, statements on paper) on top of the flat fee. Those pass-through charges do not usually move the year-one average by more than a few dozen dollars on a normal account.

Category benchmark: annual depository storage

Federal law requires the metal to sit in the physical possession of an approved trustee. Home storage does not qualify. That rule appears at 26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3). Source: Cornell Legal Information Institute, 26 U.S.C. 408.

Three depositories dominate the IRA channel. Their published or industry-cited rates give the storage benchmark:

• Delaware Depository: the standard non-segregated storage fee for a common bullion IRA account is $100 per year, moving up for segregated storage. Source: Delaware Depository official website.
• International Depository Services (IDS): the base storage rate for a common bullion IRA account starts at $100 per year for commingled and moves higher for segregated. Source: International Depository Services official website.
• Brink's Global Services: IRA storage through partner custodians typically runs $100 to $150 per year for commingled storage on retail-size balances. Source: Brink's precious metals custody page.

Storage benchmark: $100 low, $125 midpoint, $150 high for commingled storage of common bullion on a retail account. Segregated storage typically adds $50 to $150 a year, or a small basis-point premium on the account value. See where gold IRA metal is stored for the audit and insurance details behind the schedule.

Category benchmark: dealer spread on the metal

The dealer spread is the difference between what you pay for a coin or bar and the spot price of gold in that moment. On a $50,000 initial buy, moving from a 3 percent spread to an 8 percent spread swings the year-one all-in from $1,725 to $4,475. No other line has that leverage.

Retail bid-ask data on the most-traded IRA-eligible bullion coins gives a defensible benchmark. On the American Gold Eagle and the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, the two most commonly held IRA coins:

• APMEX published retail prices on 1-ounce Gold American Eagles and Gold Canadian Maples typically show a bid-ask premium of roughly 3 to 6 percent over spot at retail on standard-quantity orders. Source: APMEX 1 oz Gold American Eagle listings; APMEX 1 oz Gold Canadian Maple Leaf listings.
• JM Bullion published retail prices on the same two coins typically show a comparable 3 to 6 percent premium over spot at retail on standard-quantity orders. Source: JM Bullion 1 oz Gold American Eagle listings; JM Bullion Gold Canadian Maple Leaf listings.
• IRA channel markup runs higher. IRA-dedicated dealers commonly quote 5 to 8 percent above the raw APMEX or JM Bullion retail on the same coin, reflecting the added service layer around the rollover. That gap is the extra you pay for the IRA-specific hand-holding.

Spread benchmark: 3 percent low (matched-retail on common bullion), 5 percent midpoint (typical IRA dealer quote on common bullion), 8 percent high (top of the retail band on common bullion). Anything above 10 percent is either a premium product or a red flag.

Anything above 20 percent is almost always a proof, graded, or numismatic coin, which usually fails the IRS collectibles test in the first place. Source: IRS Issue Snapshot on collectibles in individually directed qualified plan accounts.

Year-one all-in cost on a $50,000 account

Stack the four benchmarks against a $50,000 initial rollover and the picture snaps into focus. Three scenarios below use the low, midpoint, and high category benchmarks from the sections above. The chart is illustrative, not a quote from any company.

Two things jump out. First, the fixed fees ($225 to $475 in year one) barely move the total. Second, the dealer spread on the initial buy dominates every scenario. A saver who obsesses over the custodian's $50 setup line and shrugs at a 3-point difference in the spread has misread which lever actually moves the number.

The full benchmark table

The table below consolidates the four category benchmarks in one place. Use it as the yardstick against any written quote you receive.

Ranges are category benchmarks derived from the schedules cited above. Actual amounts vary by custodian, depository, and dealer. Numismatic or graded coins can carry spreads well above 20 percent and are usually excluded from IRAs under IRC 408(m). Ask each party for a written schedule before you fund. Checked August 2026.

How to compare a real schedule against these benchmarks

The benchmark only helps if you use it. When a rollover consultant sends a fee schedule, run four quick checks against the numbers on this page.

1. Circle the setup line. Anything above $100 is outside the four-custodian benchmark. Ask why.
2. Circle the annual custodian line. Anything above $225 is at or above the top of the flat-schedule benchmark. Confirm the fee schedule is the custodian's, not a dealer add-on.
3. Circle the storage line. Anything above $150 for commingled storage of common bullion is above the depository benchmark. If the quote is for segregated storage, expect a $50 to $150 premium; if not, ask what is driving the higher rate.
4. Ask for spot and invoice on the same page. The dealer spread does not appear as a line item. It is the gap between the day's spot price and the invoice price per coin. Anything above 10 percent on common bullion is outside benchmark. Anything above 20 percent almost certainly signals a premium or graded coin.

See how to choose a precious metals IRA company for the full vetting checklist that surrounds this fee comparison.

What these averages do not capture

An average is a starting point, not a verdict. Four caveats keep the benchmarks honest:

• Segregated storage costs more. The benchmark assumes commingled storage. Segregated storage typically adds $50 to $150 a year, or shifts pricing to a small basis-point rate on the account value.
• Silver, platinum, and palladium change the storage math. White metals occupy more vault footprint per dollar of value than gold. Storage on silver-heavy accounts often runs at the high end of the range or above it.
• Distribution and transfer fees are not in the year-one number. Outgoing wires, in-kind distribution shipping, and account termination fees only appear in the year you liquidate or move the account. Ask the custodian for the full schedule so nothing surprises you later.
• The buyback spread at sale is separate from the buy-side spread. When you liquidate, the dealer's buyback quote is almost never equal to spot. That second spread is the least-disclosed cost in the entire lifecycle and can quietly erase much of a modest gain.

None of these change the benchmark itself. They explain why some accounts land above the high scenario in year one, and why the ten-year total on any gold IRA depends heavily on the sell-side quote you get on the way out.

Common questions about average gold IRA cost

What is the average annual cost of a gold IRA?

On a $50,000 account, the average annual fixed cost (custodian plus storage) lands between $175 and $375, with a midpoint near $275. The year-one number is higher because the setup fee and the dealer spread on the initial metal purchase both apply once. Year one typically runs $1,725 to $4,475 all-in on that same $50,000 account.

Are gold IRA fees flat or a percent of the account?

Both models exist. The four custodians cited on this page (Equity Trust, STRATA, Kingdom Trust, GoldStar) publish flat annual schedules for common precious metals accounts. Some custodians offer an asset-based schedule instead, usually quoted in basis points. Flat schedules favor larger balances; basis-point schedules favor smaller ones.

Why is the dealer spread so much larger than every other fee?

The custodian and depository fees run an account that already exists. The dealer earns its revenue by converting cash into metal, which happens once per buy order, then again on liquidation. The spread on the initial buy is a percent of the whole account, not a percent of the yearly balance. On a $50,000 account, a five-point spread is $2,500 in one transaction. A five-point custodian fee would be $2,500 every year.

Do the benchmarks apply to silver, platinum, and palladium IRAs?

Setup and custodian benchmarks are the same regardless of metal. Storage on silver-heavy accounts often runs at the high end of the range because silver takes more vault space per dollar. Dealer spreads on common silver bullion (American Silver Eagles, Canadian Silver Maples) usually run wider in percent terms than on gold, because the per-coin handling is a bigger share of a smaller ticket.

What is a fair average for a $100,000 gold IRA?

Fixed fees scale slowly. A $100,000 account still pays roughly $175 to $375 in year-two and later custodian plus storage. On the initial buy, a 5 percent spread on $100,000 is $5,000 in one transaction. Year-one all-in on a $100,000 account at midpoint benchmark lands near $5,700. The percent drag shrinks with size, which is why flat-fee custodians favor larger balances.

Are there gold IRAs with no fees at all?

No IRA is truly zero-fee, because the custodian and depository each provide a paid service required by law. Some dealers advertise waived fees for the first year, or reimbursed fees on rollovers above a size threshold. A waiver is real money, but small next to the recurring benchmarks and, above all, small next to the dealer spread on the metal.

Do federal regulators cap gold IRA fees?

No. The IRS sets the custody, fineness, and reporting rules. The CFTC pursues precious metals fraud when it crosses the line into a commodities-fraud violation. Source: CFTC precious metals fraud advisories. Neither agency caps the fee level a dealer, custodian, or depository can charge. Reading the written schedule is the only real protection.

How much do fees eat into a gold IRA over ten years?

On a $50,000 account held ten years at midpoint benchmarks, fixed fees alone total around $2,750 (setup once, then custodian plus storage for ten years). That is roughly 5.5 percent of the starting balance in nominal dollars, spread across a decade. The dealer spread at purchase and the eventual buyback spread at sale usually add several times that much. This is illustrative; consult a licensed advisor for a personalized projection.