In a direct vs indirect rollover, the difference is who gets the check. A direct rollover pays your new gold IRA custodian, so nothing is withheld. An indirect rollover pays you first, which starts a 60-day clock and, from a 401(k), a 20% tax withholding. The right method for a gold IRA rollover depends on where the money sits today, and it is almost never a check in your own name.
A rollover moves retirement money from one account to another without tax. A custodian is the trust company or bank that holds your IRA. Withholding is tax the payer keeps back and sends to the IRS for you.
Every gold IRA rollover uses one of 3 methods: a trustee-to-trustee transfer, a direct rollover or an indirect rollover. This page compares them, matches each account to its method, prices the 20% trap in dollars and covers the IRA 10% rule, the tax forms and the fees. Every rule names its IRS or statute source.
What Is the Difference Between a Direct and Indirect Rollover?#
A direct rollover pays your retirement money straight to your new IRA custodian; an indirect rollover pays you first and gives you 60 days to deposit it. A third method, the trustee-to-trustee transfer, moves money between two IRAs and is not a rollover at all under IRS Publication 590-A.
Two terms appear in the table. A trustee is the firm that holds an IRA; the IRS uses "trustee" for the same job this page calls custodian. FBO means "for the benefit of": a check to "[Custodian] FBO [your name] IRA" belongs to your IRA, not to you.
The table compares the 3 methods on the 10 points that decide what you pay.
| Point | Trustee-to-trustee transfer | Direct rollover | Indirect (60-day) rollover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Typical source | An IRA: traditional, Roth, SEP, or SIMPLE (to another SIMPLE in the first 2 years; to any IRA after) | 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), TSP, pension lump sum | Any IRA or plan |
| 2. Who is paid | The new custodian | The new custodian, "FBO" you | You |
| 3. Federal withholding | None | None | 20% mandatory from a plan; 10% default from an IRA, and you can elect out |
| 4. 60-day clock | No | No | Yes |
| 5. Once-per-12-months limit | No | No | Yes, for IRA-to-IRA rollovers only |
| 6. Same property must go back | Not applicable | Not applicable | Yes from an IRA; a plan payment may be sold and the cash rolled |
| 7. Form 1099-R | None for IRA to IRA | Code G, $0 taxable (code H for Roth) | Normal distribution code; you show the rollover on Form 1040 |
| 8. Form 5498 | None for IRA to IRA | Box 2 | Box 2 |
| 9. Tax if done right | $0 | $0 | $0, only if the full amount, including anything withheld, goes back within 60 days |
| 10. Risk | Lowest | Low | Highest |
Sources: IRS Publication 590-A (2025), 26 U.S.C. 3405(c), IRS Announcement 2014-32, 2026 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498. Rules as of September 2026.
The 3 Ways to Move Money Into a Gold IRA, From Safest to Riskiest#
The 3 ways to move money into a gold IRA are a trustee-to-trustee transfer, a direct rollover and an indirect rollover, from safest to riskiest. A gold IRA is an ordinary traditional or Roth IRA whose custodian allows metal held in a depository, a private vault, so the same 3 methods apply to it as to any IRA. The 3 methods are listed below.
- Trustee-to-trustee transfer: IRA to IRA, no check.
- Direct rollover: workplace plan to the IRA custodian.
- Indirect rollover: a check to you, 60 days to redeposit.
1. Trustee-to-trustee transfer: IRA to IRA#
A trustee-to-trustee transfer moves money from one IRA custodian directly to another, and the IRS does not treat it as a rollover. So there is no withholding, no 60-day clock and no once-a-year limit.
An IRA to gold IRA transfer takes 3 moves: you open the new gold IRA, you sign its transfer request, and the new custodian asks the old one for the money. Cash usually moves, but metal can also move in kind, meaning without being sold, when both custodians accept it. The full steps for an IRA to gold IRA transfer are on their own page.
Is a direct rollover the same as a trustee-to-trustee transfer?#
No: a direct rollover moves money out of a workplace plan such as a 401(k), while a trustee-to-trustee transfer moves money between two IRAs. Both avoid withholding and the 60-day clock, but they show up differently on your tax forms. A direct rollover produces a Form 1099-R with code G and a Form 5498 entry in box 2; an IRA-to-IRA transfer produces neither. Gold IRA pages that call a direct rollover "also called a transfer" mix up two different events.
2. Direct rollover: what qualifies#
A direct rollover qualifies when an eligible payment from a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), TSP or pension plan goes straight to your IRA custodian. Federal law requires the plan to offer it (26 U.S.C. 401(a)(31)(A)).
Not every plan payment qualifies. IRS Publication 590-A lists 7 kinds of payment that can never be rolled over, shown below.
- Required minimum distributions (RMDs), the yearly withdrawals the law requires from 73 or 75
- Hardship distributions, paid out because of a serious money need
- Installments over your life expectancy or over 10 years or more
- Corrective distributions, which refund money put in above the limit
- Deemed loan distributions, from plan loans that defaulted while you worked there
- Dividends on employer stock held in the plan
- The cost of life insurance coverage
Before paying you, the plan sends a Special Tax Notice, also called the 402(f) notice, that explains your rollover choices. It arrives 30 to 180 days before payment, and you can waive the 30-day minimum (IRS Notice 2007-7). Publication 590-A still prints the old 90-day limit.
Is a check made out to your new custodian still a direct rollover?#
Yes, for IRA money: a check made payable to your new custodian for your benefit is still a direct move, even if it is handed to you to deposit. No 60-day clock or once-a-year limit applies.
For plan money, the paperwork should say "direct rollover" too. A letter of acceptance is the new custodian's form telling the old plan where to send money. A sample J.P. Morgan form (33482_CYI v5.0) shows the payee as "[Custodian] FBO [your name] IRA", your account number and "Direct Rollover" on the memo line. The letter of acceptance that tells the plan who the check is payable to is explained line by line.
3. Indirect rollover: a check paid to you#
An indirect rollover happens when the plan or IRA pays the money to you, and you must redeposit it within 60 days to avoid tax.
Withholding comes out before you see the money: 20% from a plan and 10% by default from an IRA. Day 1 is the day after the check arrives, and day 60 is your rollover deadline. A free rollover deadline calculator counts the 60 days and moves a weekend or holiday deadline to the next business day.
Which Rollover Method Should You Use for Each Retirement Account?#
Use a trustee-to-trustee transfer for money already in an IRA and a direct rollover for money in a workplace plan. An indirect rollover is the fallback only when neither is possible.
The table matches 9 kinds of account to the method to ask for, the trap and the rule behind it.
| Where your money is | Method to ask for | The trap | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional, Roth or SEP IRA | Trustee-to-trustee transfer | A check to you counts toward the once-a-year limit | IRS Announcement 2014-32 |
| 401(k), 403(b) or TSP | Direct rollover | A check to you loses 20% up front | 26 U.S.C. 3405(c) |
| Governmental 457(b) (state and local government workers) | Direct rollover | Rolling to an IRA adds a 10% penalty on withdrawals before 59 1/2 that the 457(b) did not have | IRS Notice 2020-62 |
| Pension lump sum | Direct rollover | Your spouse must consent in writing, witnessed by a notary or plan representative | 26 U.S.C. 417(a)(2) |
| Non-governmental 457(b) (hospital, nonprofit) | None: cannot go into any IRA | Not applicable | 26 U.S.C. 457(e)(16) |
| Nonqualified annuity (bought with after-tax savings outside any plan) | None: cannot go into an IRA | Not applicable | IRS Publication 590-A |
| IRA inherited from someone other than your spouse | Transfer to an inherited IRA only | A check is fully taxable and cannot be undone | IRS Publication 590-A |
| SIMPLE IRA (employers with 100 or fewer employees) in its first 2 years | Only to another SIMPLE IRA | Up to a 25% additional tax | 26 U.S.C. 72(t)(6) |
| Roth 401(k) or Roth TSP (the Roth part of a plan) | Only to a Roth IRA; a direct rollover is the safe way | Cannot go into a traditional gold IRA | IRS Rollover Chart |
Rules as of September 2026.
Pre-tax plan money has one more catch. Plan withdrawals skip the 10% penalty after you leave your job in or after the year you turn 55, but IRA withdrawals do not (26 U.S.C. 72(t)(3)(A)). Money you plan to spend before 59 1/2 keeps that break only while it stays in the plan.
A 401(k) to gold IRA rollover also gives up plan features such as loans; whether to move at all is weighed on the 401(k) to gold IRA rollover page.
What Is the 20% Withholding Trap?#
The 20% withholding trap is the rule that a 401(k) or other workplace plan must keep 20% of any rollover-eligible payment made out to you. You then have to replace that 20% from savings within 60 days or pay tax on it. A direct rollover avoids the trap entirely, because the plan withholds nothing.
Why did my 401(k) withhold 20% if I am rolling it over?#
Your 401(k) withheld 20% because the check was paid to you, and federal law makes the plan withhold 20% even when you plan a rollover.
The withheld money is not lost. It counts as a tax credit, meaning tax you have already paid, on your return for the year of the payment. Payments that total under $200 in the year are exempt from the 20%.
The 20% withholding trap on a $250,000 401(k), in dollars#
On a $250,000 401(k) paid out by check, the plan keeps $50,000, and depositing only the $200,000 check costs about $16,000 in tax and penalty.
The owner in this example is 52, left the job at 50 and is in the 22% federal tax bracket, the rate on the top dollars of income. Leaving before 55 rules out the age-55 exception, so the 10% additional tax, often called the early-withdrawal penalty, applies before 59 1/2 (26 U.S.C. 72(t)(1)). This owner has 3 options.
| Option | What happens | Tax and penalty |
|---|---|---|
| A. Deposit only the $200,000 check within 60 days | $50,000 counts as income | $11,000 tax + $5,000 penalty = $16,000 |
| B. Deposit $200,000 plus $50,000 from savings within 60 days | The full $250,000 is rolled over | $0; the $50,000 withheld comes back as a tax credit when you file, 4 to 16 months later |
| C. Direct rollover | $250,000 goes straight to the custodian | $0 withheld, $0 tax, nothing to replace |
Federal tax only; state tax not included. SafeOunce computation from 26 U.S.C. 3405(c) and IRS Publication 590-A, Table 1-5.
The same mistake costs $17,000 in the 24% bracket. Take a $100,000 401(k) at age 58 for someone who left the job before 55, in the 22% bracket. The check is $80,000, $20,000 must come from savings, and $6,400 is at stake.
The penalty reaches the withheld money too. Publication 590-A, Table 1-5, applies the 10% additional tax to the part not rolled over "(including an amount equal to the tax withheld)".
How much to add back: the 25% rule#
To finish an indirect rollover from a plan, add back 25% of the check you received. The 20% withheld from the gross amount, the full payment before withholding, equals 25% of the net check, the amount that reached you. Three check sizes show the math.
| Check received (net) | Add from savings | Full amount to deposit (gross) |
|---|---|---|
| $8,000 | $2,000 | $10,000 (IRS example) |
| $80,000 | $20,000 | $100,000 |
| $200,000 | $50,000 | $250,000 |
Formula: full amount = check ÷ 0.8.
The IRS uses the same math on its rollovers page (updated May 31, 2026). In its example, Jordan receives a $10,000 distribution with $2,000 withheld. Rolling over only the $8,000 makes $2,000 taxable. Adding $2,000 from other money makes the whole $10,000 tax-free, in the IRS's words.
Taking part of the money in cash and rolling the rest#
Taking part of a plan payment in cash and rolling the rest directly means the plan withholds 20% only from the cash part. Only that cash part is taxed, and you choose the split.
The table splits a $250,000 plan into a $200,000 direct rollover and $50,000 in cash (age 52, 22% bracket).
| Part | Withheld | You receive | Tax and penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200,000 direct rollover | $0 | $0 (it goes to the IRA) | $0 |
| $50,000 paid to you | $10,000 | $40,000 | $11,000 tax + $5,000 penalty = $16,000, minus $10,000 already withheld = about $6,000 more at filing |
SafeOunce computation; assumes no other withholding or exceptions.
Do IRA Distributions Have 20% Withholding?#
No: IRA distributions paid to you have 10% federal withholding by default, not 20%. You can choose a different rate, including none, on Form W-4R.
The 20% rule comes from 26 U.S.C. 3405(c) and covers only workplace plans, such as 401(k), 403(b) and governmental 457(b) plans and the TSP. The 2026 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498 settle the point: "For purposes of withholding, distributions from any IRA are not eligible rollover distributions." A gold IRA rollover page that ranked on Google in September 2026 says IRA custodians "often withhold 20%", which applies the plan rule to IRAs.
A $100,000 IRA check with 10% withheld#
A $100,000 IRA check with the default 10% withheld arrives as $90,000, and depositing only that $90,000 costs about $3,200. The owner here is 57 and in the 22% federal bracket. The age-55 exception never applies to IRAs, so the 10% penalty does. This IRA money can move 4 ways.
| Option | What happens | Tax and penalty |
|---|---|---|
| A. Deposit only the $90,000 check | $10,000 counts as income | $2,200 tax + $1,000 penalty = $3,200 |
| B. Deposit $90,000 plus $10,000 from savings | The full $100,000 is rolled over | $0; the $10,000 withheld is credited when you file |
| C. Elect 0% on Form W-4R | The check is $100,000, with $0 withheld | $0 if redeposited, but the 60-day deadline and the once-a-year limit still apply |
| D. Trustee-to-trustee transfer | No check, no withholding, no deadline | $0 |
SafeOunce computation; federal tax only.
Electing out removes the withholding, not the risk: option C still starts the 60-day clock.
What Are the IRS Rules for an Indirect Rollover? 5 Rules#
The IRS sets 5 rules for an indirect rollover: the 60-day deadline, the full amount, once a year for IRAs, the same property, and payments that never qualify. The 5 rules are listed below in the order they usually trip people up.
- The 60-day deadline. Deposit the money by day 60 after you receive it (26 U.S.C. 402(c)(3)(A); 408(d)(3)(A)(i)). A deadline on a weekend or holiday moves to the next business day (26 U.S.C. 7503, applied in Estate of Caan, 161 T.C. No. 6, 2023). A December payment not redeposited in time is taxed in the year you received it (IRS Publication 590-A).
- The full amount. Deposit the whole payment, including anything withheld, or the shortfall is taxed; before 59 1/2 it also owes the 10% additional tax (Publication 590-A, Table 1-5). You may deposit less, such as 80%, and only the part left out is taxed.
- Once a year for IRA checks. You get one IRA-to-IRA 60-day rollover in any 12 months, "regardless of the number of IRAs you own" (IRS rollovers page; IRS Announcement 2014-15, after Bobrow v. Commissioner, from January 1, 2015). The limit counts traditional, Roth, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs together, and the IRS cannot waive it. Transfers and plan-to-IRA rollovers do not count. A second $50,000 IRA check within 12 months costs a 62-year-old $11,000 of tax at 22%. Deposited anyway, it is an excess contribution (money above what the law allows in an IRA), taxed 6%, or $3,000, a year until removed.
- The same property. What leaves an IRA must go back as the same property. A plan may sell property it paid you and roll the cash (26 U.S.C. 402(c)(6)). An IRA may not: in Estate of Caan (2023), an investment paid out in kind was sold and the cash put back. The Tax Court said "there is no similar exception for IRAs governed by section 408" and that the IRS "cannot waive the same property requirement". The IRS had determined a $779,915 tax bill plus a $155,983 penalty. Coins and bars must go back as the same coins and bars, and cash cannot come back as newly bought coins (26 U.S.C. 408(a)(1); Lemishow v. Commissioner, 110 T.C. 110, 1998).
- Payments that never qualify. The 7 kinds of payment listed above, such as RMDs and hardship distributions, can never be rolled over (Publication 590-A).
How to count the days, and what the 60-day rollover rule means for coins, is worked through with dated examples.
Why Would Anyone Do an Indirect Rollover?#
People end up with an indirect rollover mostly by accident, because a payment was already made to them, not because it saves money. A direct rollover or transfer does the same job with less risk.
Four situations lead to an indirect rollover, listed below with what to do in each.
- A payment already made to you. Deposit the full amount, including anything withheld, within 60 days.
- An old firm that only issues checks. Ask for the check payable to the new custodian FBO you; for IRA money, Publication 590-A still treats that as a transfer.
- An unpaid 401(k) loan when you leave a job. The plan subtracts the loan from your balance, called a qualified plan loan offset. You can replace that amount with your own cash until your tax-return due date, including extensions (26 U.S.C. 402(c)(3)(C)); the custodian reports it with code PO on Form 5498.
- Property paid out by a plan, such as company shares. A plan payment in property may be sold and the cash rolled over (26 U.S.C. 402(c)(6)).
The first situation has a hidden cost for IRA money: a check still counts toward the one-rollover-per-year rule, so a second one within 12 months is taxable.
A missed deadline has a free fix when the cause was outside your control. Self-certification means you tell the receiving custodian in writing that one of 12 reasons listed in IRS Revenue Procedure 2020-46 caused the delay, and it costs $0. Reason (k) covers a payer that "delayed providing information that the receiving plan or IRA required". You must deposit within 30 days after the reason ends, and an IRS audit can still question the claim.
Self-certification fixes only the missed deadline. It cannot rescue an RMD, a non-spouse heir's rollover, a second IRA rollover within 12 months or a change of property, such as cash put back in place of coins (Rev. Proc. 2020-46, section 3.04(1)). The most you can deposit is the amount you received.
How Does Each Method Show Up on Your Tax Forms?#
A direct rollover shows up as a Form 1099-R with code G and $0 taxable, plus a Form 5498 from your gold IRA custodian. An IRA-to-IRA transfer shows up on neither form. An indirect rollover looks taxable until you report the rollover on Form 1040.
Form 1099-R reports money paid out of a plan or IRA; its distribution code, in box 7, tells the IRS what kind of payment it was. Form 5498 reports money paid into an IRA. The table shows what Forms 1099-R, 5498 and 1040 record for each method.
| Method | Form 1099-R (old plan or IRA) | Form 5498 (new custodian) | Form 1040 (you) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer, IRA to IRA | None | None | Nothing to report |
| Direct rollover from a plan | Box 1 amount, box 2a $0, code G (code H for Roth 401(k) to Roth IRA) | Box 2 | Line 5a amount, line 5b $0, box 1 checked on line 5c |
| Direct rollover of pre-tax plan money to a Roth IRA | Code G with the taxable amount in box 2a | Box 2 | Taxable (a conversion) |
| Indirect rollover from a 401(k) or other plan | A taxable distribution, usually code 1 or 7, with the 20% shown as tax withheld | Box 2 | Line 5a total, line 5b the part not rolled, box 1 checked on line 5c; the 20% withheld counts as tax already paid |
| Indirect rollover from an IRA | A normal distribution code (7, or 1 before 59 1/2), amount shown as taxable | Box 2 | Line 4a total, line 4b $0 if all rolled, box 1 checked on line 4c |
| Late rollover under a waiver or exception | Not applicable | Box 13a, with code SC, PO or FD in box 13c | As above |
2026 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498; 2025 Form 1040 instructions (the form filed in 2026). For a 2026 rollover, the 1099-R is due to you by February 1, 2027 and the 5498 is filed by May 31, 2027.
A rollover finished in the next calendar year needs one more step. For a 2025 payment rolled over in 2026, the 2025 Form 1040 instructions ask for "a statement explaining what you did".
A 1099-R that looks taxable without the rollover entry can trigger an IRS mismatch notice (a CP2000), a letter proposing tax because your return and the forms disagree. The Tax Court case Estate of Caan began with one. Every box on Forms 1099-R, 5498 and the other gold IRA forms is decoded separately.
Does a trustee-to-trustee transfer generate a 1099-R?#
No: an IRA-to-IRA trustee-to-trustee transfer does not generate a Form 1099-R or a Form 5498, because no money is paid to you.
What Does Each Method Cost? Plan, Custodian and Transfer-Out Fees#
The IRS charges nothing for any of the 3 methods, but the plan or custodian you leave can charge $0 to $250 to send the money, as of September 2026. The dealer's spread on the metal, the gap between what you pay and the metal's market value, is a separate cost.
A termination fee is what a custodian charges to close your account. An in-kind transfer moves the metal itself without selling it, and re-registration retitles that metal in the new custodian's name. The table lists published charges with the date of each source.
| Who charges | What | Amount | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workplace plan (Empower-recordkept examples) | Distribution or rollover processing | $0 by ACH, $40 wire, $30 to $50 express check, $25 digital notarization, $25 to $75 per distribution in one plan | Empower participant fee notices, 2023 to October 24, 2025 |
| Gold IRA custodian you leave: Equity Trust, metals-only schedule | Transfer out or in-kind, per transaction; full termination; liquidation (selling the metal) | $125; $250; $30 | FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726 |
| GoldStar Trust | Partial transfer or in-kind; full termination; wire | $75; $150; $50 | GTC Rev. 01/2026 |
| STRATA Trust | Cash transfer out; account closure; asset re-registration "due to transfer out, distribution, or reinstatement" (whether it applies to metal is not confirmed) | $100; $250; $100 | Fee page modified August 31, 2026 |
| A dealer, if you roll money in and buy no metal | "No-purchase IRA processing fee" | Greater of $250 or 0.50% of the transferred funds | American Bullion Shipping and Transaction Agreement (October 2024), read September 29, 2026 |
Fees change; each is the published figure on the date shown. Custodians and the dealer are named only as sources of published documents. Equity Trust lists its $125 and $250 fees separately; whether both apply to one full exit is not established.
The receiving custodian charges setup and yearly fees whichever method you use; fee schedules for all gold IRA custodians are compared side by side.
The dealer fee in the table is a reason to sign nothing with a dealer until you have its written price, spread and cancellation terms. Custodians do not check the dealer for you: an SEC and NASAA investor alert says custodians "generally do not evaluate the quality or legitimacy of any investment ... or its promoters". FINRA, the regulator of US brokers, warns: "Even if there are no costs associated with a rollover itself, there will almost certainly be costs related to account administration, investment management or both."
Transfer-out fees come back when you later leave a custodian. Every custodian's termination and transfer-out fees are tracked in one dated table.
Special Cases: Inherited IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, Roth Money and RMD Years#
Four situations change which method you may use: an inherited IRA, a SIMPLE IRA under 2 years old, Roth money and a year in which you owe an RMD.
Inherited IRAs: a transfer is the only method#
An IRA inherited from anyone other than your spouse can move to a gold IRA custodian only by trustee-to-trustee transfer into an inherited IRA. A check paid to you is fully taxable and cannot be put back.
The 10-year rule and yearly minimums for an inherited gold IRA, which holds metal under the same rule, are covered on their own page.
SIMPLE IRAs in the first 2 years#
A SIMPLE IRA can move only to another SIMPLE IRA during the first 2 years of participation. Moving it into a regular gold IRA earlier counts as a distribution and can carry a 25% additional tax instead of 10% (26 U.S.C. 72(t)(6)). The custodian reports an early move as a regular contribution in box 1 of Form 5498.
Roth 401(k) and Roth IRA money#
Roth 401(k) money can go only to a Roth IRA, and a direct rollover is the safe way to move it. A Roth IRA, in turn, can move only to another Roth IRA (IRS Rollover Chart). The plan reports a Roth direct rollover with code H on Form 1099-R.
The plan's Roth 5-year clock, the waiting period before Roth earnings come out untaxed, does not carry over to the Roth IRA. Pre-tax plan money sent directly to a Roth IRA is a conversion: you pay income tax on it now, shown as code G with a taxable amount. Roth money needs a Roth gold IRA, where qualified withdrawals owe no tax.
In an RMD year, the RMD comes out first#
In a year you owe a required minimum distribution, the RMD comes out before any rollover, because no rollover, direct or 60-day, can move an RMD into an IRA (26 U.S.C. 408(d)(3)(E)). A rolled RMD becomes an excess contribution, taxed 6% a year until removed (IRS Publication 590-B). From a plan, a $100,000 payout in a year with a $10,000 RMD leaves $90,000 that can be rolled.
An IRA-to-IRA transfer works differently. A transfer is not a distribution, so the whole balance can move, but it does not count toward your RMD either. You still owe the RMD by December 31 and can take it from any of your traditional IRAs, because their RMDs may be totaled and taken from one: for example, all of it from a brokerage IRA and $0 from the gold IRA.
How Do You Start a Direct Rollover or Transfer Into a Gold IRA?#
Start a direct rollover or transfer into a gold IRA by opening the new account first, so the old firm has a payee and account number. The 5 steps are listed below in order.
- Choose a custodian and open a gold IRA of the same tax type, traditional or Roth, as the money you are moving.
- Get the new custodian's letter of acceptance with the exact payee "[Custodian] FBO [your name] IRA".
- Ask the plan for a direct rollover, or let the new custodian request a transfer from the old IRA.
- Buy metal only after the cash posts, and only metal that is IRA-eligible under 26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3), meaning a named US coin or bullion of the required purity.
- Check next year's Forms 1099-R and 5498 against the tax-form table above.
You can cancel a new IRA within at least 7 days of opening it and get your money back (Treasury Regulation 1.408-6). This revocation right runs against the custodian, not the dealer. SafeOunce takes no money from any company named on this page.
Sibling guides cover each account and problem in depth, as listed below.
| Where your money is | Guide |
|---|---|
| Thrift Savings Plan (federal workers) | TSP to gold IRA rollover |
| Governmental 457(b) | 457(b) to gold IRA rollover |
| A plan you still contribute to at 59 1/2 | in-service rollover |
| An annuity | annuity to gold IRA |
| A check you could not redeposit in time | If you missed the 60-day rollover deadline |
| Leaving a brokerage or plan | what it costs to leave your brokerage or 401(k) |
| Anything that went wrong | All 16 gold IRA rollover mistakes and their fixes |
Questions readers ask about rollovers and transfers#
Six questions readers ask about rollovers and transfers are answered below.
Is there a limit on trustee-to-trustee transfers?#
No: the IRS sets no yearly limit on the number or size of trustee-to-trustee transfers, because a transfer is not a rollover or a contribution (IRS Publication 590-A). The practical limit is the sending custodian's fee, shown in the cost table above.
Which is better, an IRA rollover or a transfer?#
For money already in an IRA, a trustee-to-trustee transfer is better than a 60-day rollover because it has no withholding, no deadline and no once-a-year limit. For 401(k) and other plan money, the direct rollover plays the same role.
How long does a direct rollover take?#
No law or primary source sets how long a direct rollover takes. The fixed dates are the plan's notice window of 30 to 180 days and, for an indirect rollover only, the 60-day deadline. Ask the plan and the custodian for their processing times in writing. Provider data on how long a gold IRA rollover takes is collected as it is published.
Can you move a gold IRA to another custodian without selling?#
Yes: a gold IRA can move to another custodian in kind by trustee-to-trustee transfer, without selling the metal, when the new custodian accepts those coins or bars. Switching gold IRA custodians this way triggers the sending custodian's in-kind fee: $75 at GoldStar (GTC Rev. 01/2026) and $125 per transaction at Equity Trust (FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726), as of September 2026. Selling first and moving cash costs $30 to liquidate at Equity Trust or $50 per wire at GoldStar, plus the dealer's spread on the sale. Exit fees and in-kind rules for switching gold IRA custodians are compared.
Should you transfer one of your IRAs to gold?#
A transfer from an IRA you already have is the cleanest way to fund a gold IRA, if you decide to hold metal at all; that choice depends on the spread, the yearly fees and how long you can hold. How to transfer an IRA to gold without a check is explained step by step.
What is the downside of a gold IRA?#
A gold IRA has 3 main downsides: metal pays no interest or dividends, spreads and flat fees weigh most on small balances, and traditional withdrawals are taxed as income. The 28% collectibles tax rate applies only outside an IRA (26 U.S.C. 1(h)). None of these real downsides depends on the rollover method. The real downsides are weighed with 55 years of data.