Gold IRA Rollover: How to Move Retirement Savings into Precious Metals in 7 Steps (2026 Guide)

A gold IRA rollover moves money from a 401(k), IRA or other retirement plan into a self-directed IRA, an IRA whose custodian may hold IRA-eligible gold. When your old custodian, the trust company that holds the account, pays the new one directly, you owe $0 tax and nothing is withheld. The hard parts are picking the method and judging whether the money is better off where it is, because a check made out to you can cost thousands.

This precious metals IRA rollover guide starts with the 3 ways to move money and the 13 accounts that can or cannot move. Next come the cases where staying put costs less, and the 7 steps. The last sections price a $100,000 rollover over 10 years, 6 tax traps in dollars and 7 warning signs of a bad sales pitch.

SafeOunce sells no metal, and every rule below cites the tax code, the IRS or a court. Every fee and price carries the date it was read. A gold IRA rollover is the most common way to fund a precious metals IRA.

The 12 numbers that decide most rollovers are summarized below.

What Is a Gold IRA Rollover?#

A gold IRA rollover is the move of retirement money into a self-directed IRA whose custodian buys IRA-eligible metal and keeps it in a vault in the IRA's name. The metal can be gold, silver, platinum or palladium, and the vault is a depository, a private storage company.

The account you fund is an ordinary traditional, Roth, SEP or SIMPLE IRA (the last two serve the self-employed and small employers). A gold IRA is not a separate tax category (IRS Publication 590-A). The metal must be IRA-eligible, meaning allowed by 26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3). Bullion, meaning coins and bars valued for their metal, must stay "in the physical possession of a trustee," which for your IRA means the custodian, not you.

Four parties handle a rollover, as listed below.

• Your old plan or IRA custodian: pays the money out.
• The new IRA custodian: receives the money, pays the dealer and files the tax forms.
• The dealer, often called a "gold IRA company": sells the metal and sets its price.
• The depository: the vault that stores the metal.

An SEC and NASAA investor alert says custodians "generally do not evaluate the quality or legitimacy of an investment or its promoters." So nobody in this chain checks the dealer's price for you.

Is a gold IRA rollover tax-free?#

The move itself is not taxed when your old custodian or plan pays the new gold IRA custodian directly, but a traditional gold IRA is not tax-free. It is tax-deferred: you pay tax when money comes out, not while it grows, so gold IRA taxes come due when you withdraw.

Traditional gold IRA withdrawals, in cash or coins, are ordinary income, taxed at your normal rate. Gold you own outside an IRA can face a special 28% top rate for collectibles; inside an IRA that rate never applies (26 U.S.C. 1(h)(4)-(5)). Qualified Roth withdrawals, after 5 years and age 59 1/2, are tax-free (26 U.S.C. 408A).

A check made out to you is taxed if you do not redeposit it within 60 days. Before 59 1/2 you also owe a 10% additional tax, often called the early-withdrawal penalty, unless an exception applies (26 U.S.C. 72(t)). One sponsored guide wrongly promises "tax-free gains" in a traditional gold IRA; they are tax-deferred.

How much can you roll over into a gold IRA?#

There is no dollar limit on a transfer or rollover into a gold IRA. The gold IRA contribution limit for 2026, $7,500 or $8,600 at 50 or older, covers only new money (IRS Notice 2025-67).

A contribution is new money you add from your earnings, and it must be cash (26 U.S.C. 408(a)(1)). Rolled-over money does not count against that limit. New money follows the gold IRA contribution limits instead; the 2027 limits are not announced as of September 29, 2026.

You also choose the amount. A partial rollover, moving only part of an account, is allowed. Size matters for fees: the four published 2026 metals custodian fees of $215 to $656 a year are 2.15% to 6.56% of a $10,000 account.

What Are the 3 Ways to Move Money Into a Gold IRA?#

There are 3 ways to move money into a gold IRA: a transfer for IRA money, a direct rollover for plan money, and a 60-day rollover, which pays you first. The 60-day rollover is the riskiest of the 3.

A trustee-to-trustee transfer moves IRA money from one custodian to another. A direct rollover sends workplace-plan money straight to the new custodian. A 60-day rollover, also called an indirect rollover, pays you, and you redeposit the money yourself; only this method has tax withheld.

So if your money is already in an IRA, you usually do not need a rollover at all. You need a transfer. The table compares the 3 methods side by side.

Sources: IRS Publication 590-A (2025), Announcement 2014-32, 26 U.S.C. 3405(c), 2026 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498.

1. Trustee-to-trustee transfer: for money already in an IRA#

Money already in a traditional, Roth, SEP or SIMPLE IRA moves by trustee-to-trustee transfer: your old custodian pays the new one, so nothing is taxed, withheld or limited. An IRA to gold IRA transfer generally creates no tax form for the move itself (2026 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498).

In your first 2 years in a SIMPLE IRA, the money can move only to another SIMPLE IRA. The once-a-year limit does not cover transfers: IRS Announcement 2014-32 says "such a transfer is not a rollover." The forms and the edge cases are in IRA to gold IRA transfer.

2. Direct rollover: for 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), TSP and pension money#

Money in a workplace plan, such as a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), the TSP or a pension lump sum, moves by direct rollover payable to the new custodian.

A 403(b) serves school, hospital and nonprofit workers, a governmental 457(b) serves state and local government workers, and the TSP (Thrift Savings Plan) serves federal workers and the military.

Federal law requires plans to offer a direct rollover unless your expected payouts for the year total under $200 (26 U.S.C. 401(a)(31)). A direct rollover has no withholding under 26 U.S.C. 3405(c)(2). The payee line reads "[Custodian] FBO [your name]": FBO means "for the benefit of", so the money belongs to your IRA, not to you. The plan reports the move on Form 1099-R with code G and $0 taxable.

Two things can slow the move down. The plan gives you its "Special Tax Notice" (the 402(f) notice that explains your choices) 30 to 180 days before it pays, unless you waive the 30-day wait. A pension under joint-and-survivor rules, and most TSP withdrawals under FERS (the Federal Employees Retirement System), also need your spouse's written consent (26 U.S.C. 417(a)(2); 5 CFR 1650.61).

Direct and indirect rollovers differ only in whose name is on the check, and that name decides the withholding. The details are in direct vs indirect rollover.

3. 60-day rollover: the method to avoid#

Avoid it if you can: a 60-day rollover pays you, and you owe no tax only if the full amount is back in an IRA by day 60.

Four more rules sit on top of the 60-day deadline:

1. A plan check loses 20% to withholding, which you must replace from savings to roll the full amount (worked example below).
2. An IRA check loses 10% by default.
3. From an IRA, you get only one 60-day rollover in any 12 months.
4. From an IRA, the same property must go back: cash out means cash in, and coins out means the same coins in. Property paid out by a workplace plan is different: you may sell it and roll the cash (26 U.S.C. 402(c)(6)).

How to count the days is in the 60-day rollover rule.

Which method fits your money? 6 questions#

IRA money moves by transfer and plan money by direct rollover; six yes-or-no questions, in order, catch the exceptions.

1. Is the money in an IRA (traditional, SEP, SIMPLE after 2 years, or Roth)? Ask for a transfer.
2. Is it in a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), the TSP or a pension lump sum, and may the plan pay you now? Ask for a direct rollover. If not, the money must wait.
3. Is it in a non-governmental 457(b), common at hospitals and nonprofits, or in an annuity bought with after-tax savings? It cannot go into any IRA.
4. Is a required minimum distribution (RMD), the yearly withdrawal the law requires from age 73 (75 if born in 1960 or later), due this year? Take it first; an RMD can never be rolled.
5. Is it Roth money? Roth gold IRA only.
6. Is anyone offering to send the check to you? Say no. Use a 60-day rollover only when there is no other way, and never twice in 12 months for IRA money.

Which Retirement Accounts Can You Roll Into a Gold IRA? 13 Accounts Checked#

Of the 13 accounts checked below, 11 can fund a gold IRA in some form, 1 cannot (a non-governmental 457(b)), and 1 depends on its type (an annuity). A qualified annuity, one held inside a retirement plan or IRA such as a 403(b) annuity, can move; a nonqualified one cannot.

In-service means while you still work for that employer. The table gives each account's method and the rule that trips people up.

Can you roll over a 401(k) into a gold IRA?#

Yes, you can roll a 401(k) into a gold IRA by direct rollover, with no tax or withholding, once the plan may pay you out. That happens when you leave the job, when the plan ends, or at 59 1/2 while still working if the plan allows it. The 401(k) itself cannot buy coins: if a plan account you direct buys them, the tax code treats their cost as money paid out to you (26 U.S.C. 408(m)(1)).

Every 401(k) to gold IRA rollover also gives up the plan protections listed under "7 protections" below. The steps are in 401(k) to gold IRA rollover.

Which money can never go into a gold IRA?#

Six kinds of retirement money can never be rolled into a gold IRA, from required minimum distributions to an inherited IRA paid to a non-spouse heir.

• Required minimum distributions (RMDs): the amount you must withdraw each year from 73, or 75 if born in 1960 or later (26 U.S.C. 408(d)(3)(E)).
• Hardship distributions: payouts a plan makes for an immediate financial need.
• Long installment payments: equal payments over your life, or installments over 10 years or more.
• Non-governmental 457(b) money: only state and local government 457(b) plans can roll to an IRA (26 U.S.C. 457(e)(16)).
• Nonqualified annuities: annuities bought with after-tax savings outside any plan.
• An inherited IRA paid to a non-spouse heir: a 60-day rollover is not allowed for it (IRS Publication 590-A).

Where is your money now? Gold IRA rollover guides by provider#

Of the 7 brokers SafeOunce checked, only Fidelity holds physical gold inside an ordinary IRA. Their exit fees run $0 to $125 (September 2026); Morgan Stanley can add its yearly IRA fee on the same day, and Robinhood can take back a bonus.

At the other brokers, you can buy a gold ETF, a fund traded like a stock that tracks the gold price, or move the money to a gold IRA custodian.

The firm you leave charges the exit fee, on its own fee schedule. The table lists what 13 providers allow and what a full transfer out costs.

SafeOunce rechecks these schedules every quarter. For the 5 firms not yet checked, ask for the fee schedule in writing.

Should You Roll Over Retirement Savings Into a Gold IRA?#

A gold IRA rollover fits large balances you want in physical metal for years. Small balances, money you need before 59 1/2 and TSP money often cost less left where they are.

The dealer's spread, the gap between what you pay and what the metal is worth, matters most in every case. The table matches 9 situations to the number that decides each one. It is general information, not a recommendation for your account.

On $100,000 over 10 years, the custodian and vault cost about $3,200. The spread costs about $5,400 to over $42,000: the cost table's 10-year totals minus those fees. You should see that spread in writing before any money moves.

No sourced rule says how much of your savings belongs in gold. The "5% to 10%" figure in one sponsored rollover article (for "alternative assets") cites no source, so this guide gives the data, not a rule.

What can a rollover out of a 401(k) take away? 7 protections#

Rolling money out of a 401(k) or similar plan can take away 7 protections; the costliest are the age-55 rule and penalty-free 457(b) access.

1. The age-55 rule. If you leave work in or after the year you turn 55 (50 for public safety workers), plan withdrawals avoid the 10% additional tax. IRA withdrawals do not (26 U.S.C. 72(t)(2)(A)(v), 72(t)(3)(A)). Leave work at 56 and take $105,000 before 59 1/2: $0 of additional tax from the plan, up to $10,500 from an IRA. Every difference is weighed in gold IRA vs 401(k).
2. Penalty-free 457(b) access. Governmental 457(b) money has no 10% additional tax after you leave the job, at any age; in an IRA, withdrawals before 59 1/2 carry it (Notice 2020-62). Retire at 52 and draw $40,000 a year until 59 1/2, $300,000 in all: $0 of additional tax in the plan, up to $30,000 (10%) from an IRA.
3. Plan loans. Vested means the part of your balance that is yours to keep. A plan can lend you up to the lesser of $50,000 or the greater of half your vested balance or $10,000 (26 U.S.C. 72(p)(2)(A)). That is $15,000 on a $30,000 vested balance and $50,000 on $200,000; IRAs have no loans.
4. Creditor protection. ERISA, the 1974 law protecting workplace plans, says benefits "may not be assigned or alienated" (29 U.S.C. 1056(d)(1)). In plain English: creditors generally cannot take them. Outside bankruptcy, state law decides whether a gold IRA is protected from creditors. In bankruptcy, IRA money is protected up to $1,711,975, and plan rollover money does not count toward that cap (11 U.S.C. 522(n), cases filed from April 1, 2025).
5. The still-working RMD delay. A plan can let you delay RMDs while you still work there, unless you own 5% or more of the company; an IRA cannot.
6. The NUA tax break on company stock. NUA (net unrealized appreciation) is a tax break on employer stock taken out of the plan as shares. If you roll the stock, or the cash from selling it, into an IRA, you lose that break (Notice 2020-62).
7. Low plan costs. The TSP C Fund costs 0.035% a year, $105 on $300,000 (TSP fund sheet, May 2026).

The usual pattern is to leave the money you may need before 59 1/2 in the plan and roll only the rest.

What are your gold options for a 401(k)? 4 routes compared#

A 401(k) saver has 4 gold routes: a gold fund in the plan, a gold ETF in an IRA, bullion in a Fidelity IRA, or a self-directed gold IRA. On $100,000 over 10 years with gold flat, these top gold rollover options for a 401(k) cost from about $1,000 to over $45,000.

No 401(k) can hold coins, so the only way to hold gold in a 401(k) is through a fund. Route A depends on whether your plan lets you hold gold in a 401(k) through a gold fund or a brokerage window. A fund's expense ratio is its yearly cost as a share of your money.

Only routes C and D put coins in your name inside an IRA.

The costs shown for routes B and C do not include any dealer spread. Route D uses the same custodian fees and spreads as the 10-year cost table below. The gold IRA vs gold ETF choice turns on whether you want coins or only the price; the ETF route is priced in full in gold IRA vs gold ETF.

How Do You Do a Gold IRA Rollover? 7 Steps#

A gold IRA rollover takes 7 steps, from checking that the money can move to checking your first statement and tax forms. In between, you choose a custodian and a dealer separately, open the IRA, send the paperwork, wait for the cash and buy eligible metal.

The steps follow the path the money travels: old account, new custodian, dealer, vault. The order matters most in the middle, because the custodian must hold the cash before anyone agrees on a price for metal.

Step 1: Check that the money can move and what it costs to leave#

Before you open anything, confirm that the money may be paid out, whether an RMD or a spouse's signature comes first, and what leaving costs. Plan money moves only after you leave the job, reach 59 1/2 where the plan allows it, or the plan ends.

An unpaid 401(k) loan becomes a loan offset when you leave: the unpaid balance counts as paid out. You can roll that amount over with your own cash until your tax-return due date, extensions included (26 U.S.C. 402(c)(3)(C)).

Exit fees ran from $0 to $125 at the 7 brokers checked in September 2026, or up to $250 at Morgan Stanley with its yearly IRA fee due on exit. Every provider's fee is in what it costs to leave your brokerage or 401(k).

Step 2: Choose the gold IRA custodian and the dealer separately#

Pick the custodian, which holds your IRA and files your tax forms, separately from the dealer, which sells the metal and sets its price. Custodians do not check dealers or their prices.

The SEC once argued that the custodian Equity Trust should answer for fraud by promoters who used its accounts. A judge dismissed the case (Initial Decision No. 1030, June 27, 2016), so checking the dealer is your job. Custodians do publish their own fees, and every published schedule is compared in gold IRA custodians.

Let no dealer pick the custodian for you. In CFTC v. Moran (N.D. Tex. 3:23-cv-02077, filed 2023), the CFTC alleged fraudulent invoices sent to custodians "hand-picked by the defendants." Choose the custodian yourself, then run the 5 seller checks in the warning-signs section.

Step 3: Open a self-directed IRA of the same tax type#

Open a self-directed IRA at the custodian with the same tax type as the money you are moving: traditional money into a traditional IRA, Roth money into a Roth IRA. Setup costs about $50 at Equity Trust and GoldStar (2026 schedules). Name your beneficiaries on the custodian's form at the same time.

See how a self-directed IRA for gold differs from your broker's IRA.

A new IRA can be revoked for at least 7 days after opening, for a full refund from the custodian (Treas. Reg. 1.408-6).

Step 4: Send the rollover paperwork, payable to the custodian#

Ask the new custodian to request the transfer, or ask your plan for a direct rollover made payable to the custodian "for the benefit of" you, never to you. A check in your own name turns the move into a 60-day rollover, with 20% withheld from a plan. For IRA money, the new custodian usually sends its own transfer form to your old custodian. For plan money, you fill in the plan's distribution form and choose "direct rollover".

The gold IRA rollover paperwork comes down to one line: the payee. It reads "[Custodian] FBO [your name] IRA #[number]", with the memo "Direct Rollover". The custodian's letter of acceptance, a letter confirming it will take the money, gives the payee and delivery details. A filled-in example is in gold IRA rollover paperwork.

A medallion signature guarantee is a bank or broker stamp, not a notary stamp, usually needed only when the sending firm asks for it.

Step 5: Wait for the cash, then get the price and spread in writing#

Agree on a price only after the cash has reached your gold IRA custodian, and get the price per coin and the dealer's same-day buyback price in writing first. The buyback price is what the dealer pays if you sell the coins back.

Gold IRA markups and spreads are the largest cost in the chain. The CFTC's 2020 advisory said bullion sells for 5% to 10% over spot, the market price for one ounce of pure metal. It said numismatic coins, valued as collector's items rather than for their metal, sell for 40% to 200% over spot (advisory 8215-20). How to read a quote is in gold IRA markups and spreads.

You should know your break-even before you sign. Assume the dealer buys back about 4.69% below its own cost: after a 5% spread, gold must rise about 10.4% just to get back to even (table below).

Step 6: Buy IRA-eligible precious metals and confirm the vault holds them#

Direct the custodian to buy only metal the tax code allows, such as American Gold Eagles or gold bars at least 99.5% pure, and check that the depository confirms receipt. You sign a purchase direction, the custodian pays the dealer, and the dealer ships to the depository.

Metal qualifies in one of 2 ways. Named US coins qualify by name: the Gold Eagle is only 91.67% gold but is named in the statute. Bullion must meet a minimum purity: 99.5% (.995) for gold, 99.9% (.999) for silver, 99.95% (.9995) for platinum and palladium (26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3)).

The Krugerrand, the Sovereign and Britannias made before 2013 do not qualify, and the Gold Buffalo qualifies only as bullion. The full list shows which precious metals the tax code allows.

You also choose how the vault stores the metal. Segregated storage keeps your own coins apart; commingled storage keeps them with other customers' coins of the same kind, still allocated to you. Segregated costs more: $160 against $110 a year of storage at Equity Trust (FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726), and a $225 minimum against $125 at GoldStar (GTC Rev. 01/2026). The 10-year cost table below assumes segregated storage.

"Exclusive" or premium coins are where markups hide. A premium is the amount you pay above the metal's value, and one large seller's September 2026 agreement allows spreads up to 39.99% on "exclusive" coins. The metal should show on your custodian statement within about 28 days (a fraud-case benchmark, not a law).

Step 7: Check your first statement and Forms 1099-R and 5498#

Your first statement values the metal near its market price, not what you paid. A clean direct rollover shows on Form 1099-R with code G and $0 taxable. Form 1099-R reports money paid out of a plan or IRA; Form 5498 reports money paid into an IRA.

A direct rollover also shows on Form 5498 box 2, and an IRA-to-IRA transfer usually produces no form. For a 2026 move, your copy of Form 1099-R arrives by February 1, 2027, and Form 5498 reaches the IRS by May 31, 2027. Every box on Forms 1099-R and 5498 is explained.

Custodians value metal at spot or at a bid price and leave out the dealer's premium. A gold IRA statement near $97,000 after paying $100,000 is normal, not a custodian error. Why a gold IRA statement shows less than you paid is explained line by line.

Call the plan before you file if a form shows tax you did not expect.

How Much Does a Gold IRA Rollover Cost?#

A gold IRA rollover costs $0 in tax when done custodian to custodian, but you can pay 6 kinds of fees, and the dealer's spread is usually the largest. The other 5 are the exit fee, setup, yearly account fees, the fee to sell or take coins out, and the fee to close.

The table shows who charges what at each step.

The IRS charges nothing for a rollover done right, and a late-rollover self-certification letter is free too (Rev. Proc. 2020-46). Every other cost comes from a firm, and gold IRA fees differ widely between them. Every layer is compared across companies in gold IRA fees.

What does a $100,000 rollover cost over 10 years?#

A $100,000 gold IRA rollover held for 10 years costs about $8,580 with plain bullion coins, but about $30,171 to $45,983 when the dealer's spread is 23.4% to 39.99%. The table adds setup, yearly fees, exit fees and the spread for 3 purchases at 2 balances.

Gold price flat; 2026 custodian schedule and dealer terms as listed below. The last column is how much gold must rise for the account to be worth what you put in, after all costs.

The table rests on these assumptions:

• Custodian: Equity Trust's 2026 metals-only schedule (FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726), segregated storage: $50 setup and $285 a year. Leaving costs $280 ($30 to sell plus $250 to close), paid from savings outside the IRA.
• A: plain bullion coins, 5.4% round trip.
• B: Lear Capital's own 2022 average spread of 23.4%, stated in its court-filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan (Doc 694, June 5, 2023); not an industry average.
• C: the "up to" 39.99% cap on "exclusive" coins in American Hartford Gold's September 2026 agreement; a cap, not what every buyer pays.
• Same-day loss: with the dealer's buyback gap, 27.0% for B and 42.8% for C.

Change the numbers to your own quote in the gold IRA fee calculator.

How much must gold rise to cover the spread?#

Gold must rise about 10.4% before you break even after a 5% spread and the dealer's buyback gap, and about 37.0% after a 23.4% spread. The spread works against you twice: once when you buy above the metal's value, and again when the dealer buys it back for less. The table shows 5 spreads.

The buyback gap is SafeOunce's standard assumption that the dealer buys back about 4.69% below its own cost. The same-day loss combines the spread and that gap, so it is a little less than the two added together. Plain Gold Eagles sit below the first row: their 5.39% is the whole ask-to-bid round trip, gap included, which is why cost table row A needs only a 9.1% rise. Test your own quote in the gold IRA break-even calculator.

Which Gold IRA Rollover Rules Cost Money? 6 Traps in Dollars#

Six gold IRA rollover rules cause the costliest mistakes, and 4 of the 6 start with a check made out to you instead of the new custodian. The other 2 involve coins shipped home and an RMD rolled by mistake.

A self-certification is a signed letter to the new custodian explaining a late deposit. A private letter ruling is a paid IRS decision on your own case. The same-property rule says that what left an IRA, cash or coins, is what must go back. The table prices each trap and its fix.

Sources: 26 U.S.C. 408, Rev. Proc. 2020-46, Announcement 2014-15, McNulty docket.

For traps 3 and 4, prevention is the only fix. The IRS can excuse a missed deadline for listed reasons, but never the once-a-year rule or the same-property rule (IRS Publication 590-A; Rev. Proc. 2020-46 sec. 3.04(1)). In Estate of Caan v. Commissioner (2023), the court held that the IRS "cannot waive the same property requirement."

All 16 ways a rollover goes wrong, each with its rule and fix, are in gold IRA rollover mistakes.

How Do You Spot a Bad Gold IRA Rollover Pitch? 7 Warning Signs#

Seven signs mark a bad gold IRA rollover pitch, and the costliest is being steered from plain bullion into "exclusive" or "premium" coins. One large seller's September 2026 agreement allows spreads up to 39.99% on such coins. The 7 signs are listed below, each with its source.

1. "Free rollover" or "no fees". FINRA warns that "there will almost certainly be costs related to account administration, investment management or both." Its advice: "Don't roll over your retirement funds solely based on the word 'free.'"
2. A price or bonus locked before your money arrives. Agree on a price only after the cash reaches the custodian, and get the price per coin in writing (Step 5).
3. "IRS-approved" coins, dealers or vaults. No such approval exists: the IRS says "there is no list of approved investments" (Retirement Plan Investments FAQs). Its only approval list covers nonbank trustees (Treas. Reg. 1.408-2(e)): 73 as of April 1, 2026, one of them a metals business (Lone Star Tangible Assets, LP). It keeps no depository list.
4. "Move everything." The CFTC lists "Putting all your retirement savings in precious metals is safe and secure" as a lie (Precious Metals IRA Lies vs Facts, 2024).
5. "Exclusive", "premium" or "semi-numismatic" coins for the rollover. The CFTC calls "semi-numismatic" "a made-up industry term that really has no special meaning." In 2024 it said spreads "can range anywhere from 30 to 300 percent or more."
6. "Keep your IRA gold at home." The Tax Court taxed home-stored IRA coins as a distribution in McNulty v. Commissioner, 157 T.C. No. 10 (2021).
7. No metal on your custodian statement within about 28 days. Treat it as a stop sign and call the custodian. The 28 days is a benchmark from past fraud cases, not a legal deadline.

Before you sign, run 5 checks on any seller:

1. Legal name: the Secretary of State's business search.
2. Enforcement record: NFA BASIC, SEC Action Lookup, your state regulator (through NASAA), CourtListener or PACER, and your state attorney general.
3. Advisers: FINRA BrokerCheck or the SEC's IAPD database for anyone giving advice.
4. Custodian: the IRS nonbank trustee list or a state banking roster, plus the custodian's list of depositories.
5. In writing: spot, the per-coin quote and the same-day sell-back quote, plus the contract's spread caps, cancellation terms, arbitration clause and claim deadline.

"Not registered" is normal for metals dealers and proves nothing. The cases behind each sign are in gold IRA scams.

On September 29, 2026, SafeOunce read the 6 readable top-ranking or AI-cited rollover pages. All 6 came from sellers or were paid by them: 2 dealers, a sponsored article, a paid ranking, and 2 pages with paid links to sellers. None mentions the same-property rule or cites a statute, and 5 of the 6 say "IRS-approved".

FINRA also warns that leaving money in the TSP "likely results in little or no compensation" for the person recommending the rollover (FINRA, Rolling over the TSP).

No company can pay to change its place in SafeOunce's rankings, which follow published criteria. Firms that publish spreads and contract terms are ranked on them in best gold IRA rollover companies.

What Changes the Rollover Rules? Special Cases and Related Moves#

Five situations change the normal gold IRA rollover rules: an RMD year, Roth plan money, inherited or spousal accounts, moving a gold IRA you own, and a Roth conversion. Nine common reader questions follow them.

Rolling over at 73 or older: take the RMD first#

Take this year's required minimum distribution before the rollover if you are 73 or older (75 if born in 1960 or later), because an RMD can never be rolled. People born in 1959 start at 73 under proposed IRS regulations (REG-103529-23), which are not final.

The plan pays the RMD before the rollover (see the TSP example above). At 73 the IRS table divides your balance by 26.5, so a $265,000 IRA balance on the prior December 31 means a $10,000 RMD.

An IRA-to-IRA transfer does not count as your RMD. You must still take it by December 31 from one of your traditional IRAs (by April 1 of the next year for your first RMD). The full rules are in gold IRA required minimum distributions.

Roth 401(k) and Roth TSP money: Roth gold IRA only#

Roth 401(k) and Roth TSP money can roll only into a Roth IRA, so a Roth gold IRA needs its own account next to any traditional one. The plan reports that rollover on Form 1099-R with code H (2026 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498).

Some traditional 401(k)s also hold after-tax money, which you put in after paying tax on it. That part can go to a Roth IRA while the pre-tax part goes to a traditional IRA (Notice 2014-54).

For Roth TSP money, "the starting date for satisfying the 5-year rule for qualified distributions does not carry over" (TSPBK26, April 2026). In plain English: your Roth IRA's own 5-year clock applies, not the TSP's. Qualified withdrawals are tax-free; see how a Roth gold IRA is taxed.

Inherited IRAs and a spouse's IRA#

A non-spouse heir can move an inherited IRA into gold only by direct transfer to an inherited IRA; a check in the heir's name is taxed in full. An inherited IRA is an IRA an heir receives after the owner dies, kept apart from the heir's own IRAs.

That check cannot be undone (26 U.S.C. 408(d)(3)(C)), and most non-spouse heirs must empty the account within 10 years (26 U.S.C. 401(a)(9)(H)). A surviving spouse can instead roll the IRA into their own IRA. A transfer to a former spouse under a divorce decree is not taxed (IRS Publication 590-A).

An inherited gold IRA follows its own withdrawal timetable: see the 10-year rule for an inherited gold IRA.

Moving a gold IRA you already own to a new custodian#

Moving a gold IRA to a new custodian is a transfer, not a rollover; the metal can usually move in kind, without being sold, for an exit fee. Equity Trust's metals-only schedule lists $125 per in-kind transfer out and $250 for full termination as separate fees (FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726). GoldStar lists $75 for an in-kind or partial transfer and $150 for full termination (GTC Rev. 01/2026).

Switching gold IRA custodians has its own fees and delays, compared in switching gold IRA custodians.

Converting gold IRA metal to a Roth IRA#

You can convert gold IRA coins to a Roth IRA without selling them, but you pay tax on their value that year and cannot undo it if the price falls. The same coins must go in, and the once-per-year limit does not apply. Recharacterization, the old way to undo a conversion, ended in 2018 (IRS Publication 590-A).

Paying that tax from outside the account works best; see the full tax bill for a Roth conversion of a gold IRA.

Gold IRA rollover questions#

Nine questions readers ask about gold IRA rollovers are answered below.

How long does a gold IRA rollover take?#

Plan on about 2 to 6 weeks from request to metal in the vault (SafeOunce estimate, based on provider transfer processes); no law sets a total time. Between two brokers, the electronic transfer system finishes in about 4 business days (FINRA Rule 11870). Most gold IRA custodians receive money by paper transfer instead, which E*TRADE says "generally take three to six weeks." Each stage is laid out in how long a gold IRA rollover takes.

Can you roll a 401(k) into a gold IRA while still working?#

Only if your plan allows in-service withdrawals. The law permits them from 59 1/2 for money you put into a 401(k) from your paycheck (deferrals). The TSP allows 4 a year from 59 1/2, at least $1,000 each (5 CFR 1650.31). Ask your plan for its in-service rollover rules in writing.

Found an old 401(k) in an automatic rollover IRA?#

It can move by transfer, because an automatic rollover IRA is already an IRA. A former employer may place a balance of up to $7,000 in one without asking you (26 U.S.C. 401(a)(31)(B)). Ask its custodian for the transfer-out fee first. See how to find and move an automatic rollover IRA.

What is the downside of a gold IRA?#

The real downsides of a gold IRA are the dealer's spread, fixed yearly fees, price swings, no income and slower access. Gold fell in 19 of the 55 years from 1971 to 2025. Its yearly volatility (a measure of price swings) was 27.1%, against 16.9% for the S&P 500, an index of 500 large US stocks.

The London benchmark gold price (LBMA PM) fell from its record $5,405.00 on January 29, 2026 to $4,144.55 on September 28, 2026, a 23.3% drop. Each is weighed in the real downsides of a gold IRA.

What if you invested $1,000 in gold 10 years ago?#

$1,000 of gold at the LBMA PM price of September 28, 2016 ($1,322.50) was worth about $3,134 on September 28, 2026 ($4,144.55), 12.1% a year before costs. Inside a small gold IRA, fees turned that gain into a loss (assumptions in the table).

Past gold IRA returns do not predict future ones; every year is in gold IRA returns since 1971.

Is it better to have physical gold or a gold IRA?#

For money already in a 401(k) or IRA, a gold IRA usually costs less, because cashing out to buy coins yourself triggers tax first. A married 62-year-old with $80,000 of other taxable income who cashes out $100,000 in 2026 owes $19,920 of extra federal tax. The $80,080 left buys $77,724 of gold, against $97,059 inside a low-cost gold IRA. The comparison of gold IRA vs physical gold runs the full tax math.

Can you put gold you already own into a gold IRA?#

No: new contributions must be cash, so coins you own must be sold first, and you cannot sell them to your own IRA. Such a sale is a prohibited transaction, a deal the tax code bans between you and your IRA (26 U.S.C. 4975). IRS Publication 590-A says "Property can't be contributed" (26 U.S.C. 408(a)(1)). The only coins that can go back into an IRA are the same coins that came out of one, within 60 days.

Can you cancel a gold IRA after the rollover?#

Yes: the IRA itself can be revoked for at least 7 days after opening, for a full refund from the custodian. The refund covers "the entire amount ... without adjustment for such items as sales commissions, administrative expenses or fluctuation in market value" (Treas. Reg. 1.408-6).

The dealer's metal order has its own, usually shorter, terms. Lear Capital's December 2025 terms allow 24 hours after the invoice (longer in some states). American Hartford Gold's September 2026 agreement allows 7 days, only for coins that are not plain bullion. Here is how to cancel a gold IRA in writing.

Does rolling a 401(k) into a gold IRA change ERISA protection?#

Yes: ERISA shields 401(k) benefits from creditors, while an IRA outside bankruptcy depends on state law. The plan must keep your benefit from being "assigned or alienated." In plain English: the plan cannot let your benefit be signed over or taken by others.

In bankruptcy, rollover money does not count toward the $1,711,975 federal cap on protected IRA money (11 U.S.C. 522(n), cases filed from April 1, 2025). Read what ERISA protects in your 401(k) and what changes after a rollover.