A gold IRA typically costs $50–$200 to set up, $75–$300 a year in custodian fees, and $100–$300 a year for storage — roughly $200–$600 in annual carry. The largest cost is usually the dealer’s spread over the spot price, commonly 2%–10%, and it rarely appears on a fee sheet. These are industry ranges, not any one company’s schedule; get every figure in writing before funding.
The honest answer to “what does a gold IRA cost” is that no single number tells you, and any company that leads with “low fees!” is quietly leaving out the one that matters most: the spread. A gold IRA has five separate cost buckets, and only four of them ever show up on a fee sheet. Price all five before you take a sales call, and you’ll never be surprised by the bill.
Before the numbers, one caution that shapes this whole page: as of mid-2026, no major gold IRA company publishes a full fee schedule or account minimum on its homepage — we checked directly. Every specific company figure you’ll see quoted anywhere, including in reviews, is reported and unverified. So below we use typical industry ranges, not any one company’s schedule, and you should confirm each number in writing with the provider.
The five cost buckets
Think of a gold IRA’s cost as five buckets, not one line:
- One-time setup fee — charged by the custodian to open the account. Typically $50–$200.
- Annual custodian / admin fee — the recurring charge to administer the account. Typically $75–$300.
- Annual storage fee — the depository’s charge to vault and insure the metal. Typically $100–$300.
- Transaction / wire fees — per-purchase, sale, or outbound wire charges. Typically $25–$75 each.
- The spread — the dealer’s markup over spot when you buy and the markdown when you sell. Typically 2%–10% over spot, and usually the largest, least-visible cost of all.
Buckets one through four commonly add up to a recurring carry of about $200–$600 a year. Every one of those figures is a typical industry range — not a quote, not a promise, and not any single company’s published schedule. The spread sits outside that carry entirely, which is exactly why it gets left out of “low annual fee” pitches.
Segregated vs commingled storage
Storage is billed one of two ways, and the choice changes the fee. With commingled (non-segregated) storage, your metal is pooled with other investors’ like metal; you’re entitled to the same quantity and type back, just not the identical bars. With segregated storage, your specific bars and coins are kept physically separate and returned to you individually.
Segregated storage costs more per year because it takes more space and handling. Neither is “safer” in an insured, qualifying depository — the metal is covered either way — so the question is simply whether getting back the exact items you bought is worth the higher fee to you. Ask which method a quote assumes; a “storage fee” means little until you know which one it buys. The custodians and depositories behind these arrangements are covered in Gold IRA Custodians.
Why flat fees punish small accounts
Most custodian and storage fees are fixed dollar amounts, not a percentage of your balance. That sounds fair until you do the division.
A $250 annual carry is about 1.25% of a $20,000 account every year, but only about 0.13% of a $200,000 account. Same dollar fee, ten times the drag on the smaller balance. Over a decade, that gap compounds against the smaller saver — the person least able to absorb it.
This is the real logic behind account minimums. When a company sets a floor — reported figures range from around $10,000 at some dealers to a verified $50,000 at Augusta Precious Metals — part of what it’s saying is that below that size, fixed fees eat too much of the account to make sense. If your rollover is modest, weigh the carry as a percentage of your balance, not just the raw dollars, and see Which Kit for Your Rollover Size? for how the math shifts by account size.
The spread, explained
The spread is two numbers hiding as one. When you buy, you pay a markup over the spot price of gold. When you sell, you receive a markdown below spot. The round trip is the spread, and on a typical range of 2%–10% over spot it can quietly dwarf every annual fee combined.
Here’s why it’s the number to demand in writing. A company can truthfully advertise “low annual fees” while charging a wide spread, because the spread isn’t an itemized fee — it’s baked into the price of the metal itself. “Free” silver promotions work the same way; a bonus is typically priced back into the spread you pay. So a headline promotion or a low storage fee tells you nothing about total cost until you know the buy markup and the sell markdown. If a provider won’t put both in writing, that reluctance is itself information; it appears on our list of Gold IRA Red Flags.
The five-question fee screen
Ask any provider these five, and get the answers in writing:
- What is your buy spread over spot, and your sell markdown? The single most important number, and the one least likely to be volunteered.
- Are custodian and storage fees flat or scaled — and what are the exact dollar figures at my account size?
- Is storage segregated or commingled, and what does each cost?
- What are the setup, transaction, and outbound wire fees?
- What is your buyback policy — will you repurchase, and at what price relative to spot?
If a provider answers all five in writing without steering you toward a call, that’s a good sign. If the numbers only appear on a phone call, treat that as a reason to slow down. Weighing the whole trade-off — cost against what metal actually does in a portfolio — is covered in Gold IRA Pros and Cons, and the mechanics of what a gold IRA even is sit in What Is a Gold IRA?.
None of this is a fee recommendation, and it isn’t financial advice. The point is narrower: know all five buckets before anyone asks for your funds. Our Best Gold IRA Companies comparison marks which figures are verified and which are merely reported, so you can screen on facts.
Frequently asked questions
What are the typical fees for a gold IRA?
Across the industry, one-time setup runs about $50–$200, annual custodian/admin about $75–$300, and annual storage about $100–$300, so recurring carry commonly lands around $200–$600. These are typical industry ranges, not any single company’s schedule. The largest and least-visible cost is usually the dealer’s spread, roughly 2%–10% over spot.
What is the spread on a gold IRA?
The spread is the dealer’s markup over the spot price when you buy, plus the markdown below spot when you sell. It is not a line item on most fee sheets, yet it is often the single biggest cost of owning metal. Always ask for the buy and sell spread in writing before funding.
Do gold IRA companies publish their fees online?
As of mid-2026, no major company publishes a full fee schedule or account minimum on its homepage, based on direct checks. Any specific figure you read in a review is reported and unverified. Treat every number as a starting question, not a fact, and confirm it in writing with the provider.
Why do flat fees hurt small accounts more?
Custodian and storage fees are often charged as fixed dollar amounts rather than a percentage. A $250 annual carry is about 1.25% on a $20,000 account but only about 0.13% on a $200,000 account. The same fee is a much heavier drag on a smaller balance, which is one reason account minimums exist.
Is segregated storage worth the higher fee?
Segregated storage keeps your specific bars and coins physically separate and returnable to you; commingled storage pools like metal and is cheaper. Segregated typically costs more per year. Whether the difference is worth it depends on how much you value getting back the exact items you bought, which is a personal call to confirm in writing.
What is a fair total annual cost?
There is no single fair number, because it depends on account size and storage type. What matters is comparing the full picture — setup, annual custodian, annual storage, transaction and wire fees, and the spread — rather than a single advertised ‘low fee.’ Get every component in writing so you can price the account before any purchase.