Gold IRA Rollover Fees (2026): Every Cost of Moving Retirement Money Into Gold

By Daniel M. · Updated November 15, 2026 · Every company figure is dated and sourced

Disclosure: I maintain affiliate relationships with companies discussed on this page, including Goldco, Augusta Precious Metals, Noble Gold Investments, and other providers mentioned. This page contains no affiliate or tracking links to those companies. Company information is presented for educational purposes and should be independently verified before making financial decisions. It is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice.

Short answer. Moving a 401(k) or IRA into a gold IRA usually costs a one-time setup fee and a wire fee, then a yearly account fee and a yearly storage fee for as long as the account stays open. On one company's published schedule, that's $365 in the first year and $285 a year after. Two other costs aren't on any fee schedule and can be material: the gap between a dealer's selling and buyback prices, and the tax that can follow if the money is paid to you instead of moved directly. Assess those separately.

The costs, in the order you meet them

Cost	When	Charged by	Ask this
Exit or transfer-out fee	When money leaves your current account	Your current 401(k) plan or IRA custodian	"Is there a distribution, termination or outgoing-transfer fee?"
Account setup	Once	The self-directed IRA custodian (often passed on by the dealer)	"Is setup charged, waived or paid by me?"
Wire or transfer fee	Each time money moves	Custodian	"What do incoming and outgoing wires cost?"
Annual administration	Every year	Custodian	"Is it flat, or a percentage of my balance?"
Storage and insurance	Every year	The depository, billed through the custodian	"Commingled or segregated, and what does each cost?"
Dealer spread	When you buy and when you sell	The precious metals dealer	"What are your buy and sell prices for this exact coin or bar today?"
Distribution or closing fee	When you take metal out or close the account	Custodian	"What does it cost to take delivery or to close?"

What three companies publish

Most gold IRA companies don't publish a full fee schedule. These three publish figures on their own websites. Each was read on the date shown. Companies change their terms, so confirm the current figures in writing.

Noble Gold Investments lists a $50 setup fee, a $30 wire fee, $125 a year for maintenance and $160 a year for storage. It also lists $75 for an in-kind distribution (taking the metal out) and $250 to close the account. (Noble Gold, read November 15, 2026)
Birch Gold Group says total annual custodial fees "typically average around $235 per year," and that it covers the first year's fees for accounts over $50,000. (Birch Gold Group FAQ, read November 15, 2026)
Lear Capital says annual IRA fees "typically range from $235 to $285" in a December 17, 2025 article. Its IRA FAQ lists $315 for the first year and $235 after that, with conditions (electronic statements and non-segregated storage). (Lear article, Lear IRA FAQ, read November 15, 2026)

For other companies, including Goldco, Augusta Precious Metals and American Hartford Gold, the fee information I reviewed either wasn't a complete schedule or wasn't consistent across their own pages, so I don't quote a figure. Ask any company for its schedule in writing before you start a rollover.

Worked example: $50,000 on Noble Gold's published schedule

This uses only the figures Noble Gold publishes, as an illustration. It isn't a quote: your costs depend on the custodian, the storage type and the metals you choose.

Year 1: $50 setup + $30 wire + $125 maintenance + $160 storage = $365, or 0.73% of $50,000.
Years 2 to 5: $125 + $160 = $285 a year, or 0.57%.
Five-year total of the listed fees: $365 + (4 × $285) = $1,505, about 3% of the starting balance. This counts only the account, wire and storage fees Noble Gold lists. It excludes dealer spreads, any fee your current plan charges when the money leaves, and the distribution or closing fees you'd pay later.

Two costs sit outside that total. They can be material, so assess them separately:

Flat fees weigh more on small accounts. The same $285 a year is 0.57% of $50,000 but 2.85% of $10,000. (Noble's own IRA minimum is $20,000, so the $10,000 figure only shows the math.)
The spread. Every percentage point between the price you pay and the price you could sell for today is $500 on $50,000. Dealers rarely publish it, so ask for the buy and sell price of the same product on the same day.

Rollover mistakes that can be costly

The IRS doesn't charge a fee to roll over retirement money. Separately from the fees above, how the money moves can have tax consequences. From the IRS's rollover rules:

A direct rollover or a trustee-to-trustee transfer has no tax withheld. The money goes from your old plan or IRA straight to the new custodian.
Mandatory 20% federal withholding generally applies when an eligible distribution from a workplace plan, such as a 401(k), is paid to you. It doesn't apply to a direct rollover, including a check made payable to the receiving IRA or plan. If the money is paid to you and you want to roll over the full amount within 60 days, you have to make up that 20% from other money. Whatever you don't redeposit is taxable, and if you're under 59½ it may also face a 10% additional tax.
You get one IRA-to-IRA rollover per 12 months, counted across all your IRAs. Trustee-to-trustee transfers don't count toward that limit.
A required minimum distribution can't be rolled over.

In practice: ask your current provider for a direct rollover or a trustee-to-trustee transfer to the new custodian, and don't have the distribution paid to you. (IRS: Rollovers of retirement plan and IRA distributions)

Questions to ask before you sign

What is every fee in the first year, in dollars, including setup and wires?
What is the yearly total after that, and is it flat or a percentage of my balance?
Is storage commingled or segregated, and what does each cost?
What are your buy and sell prices today for the exact product you're recommending?
Will the transfer be direct, custodian to custodian, with no check paid to me?
What does my current provider charge when the money leaves?
What will it cost to take delivery of the metal or close the account later?

How to compare two quotes

A fair comparison needs the same assumptions on both sides: the same balance and time period, the same kind of metal products (a bullion coin and a premium proof coin aren't comparable), comparable storage terms (commingled or segregated), and buy and sell quotes taken on the same day. With those held equal, add each company's first-year fees, its later yearly fees and its quoted spread. Even then, treat the result as an estimate: fees, promotions and prices change, and costs outside the quote can still apply.

Common questions

Does the IRS charge a fee for a gold IRA rollover?

No. The costs come from the providers involved: your current plan or IRA, the new custodian, the depository and the dealer.

Can rollover fees be waived?

Sometimes, as a promotion. Birch Gold Group, for example, says it covers the first year's fees on accounts over $50,000. Promotions change, so get the terms in writing.

What's the cheapest way to do the rollover itself?

A direct rollover or a trustee-to-trustee transfer. It avoids the mandatory 20% withholding on plan distributions paid to you and the one-per-year rollover limit, and there's no 60-day deadline to meet.

Sources

IRS, Rollovers of retirement plan and IRA distributions, read November 15, 2026.
Noble Gold Investments, Gold IRA, read November 15, 2026.
Birch Gold Group, FAQs, read November 15, 2026.
Lear Capital, Minimum Investment and Fee Transparency at Lear Capital (December 17, 2025) and IRA FAQ, read November 15, 2026.