The gold IRA fee calculator adds up every gold IRA cost over 1 to 20 years, from the setup fee to the dealer's markup and the fees to close. It shows up to 3 account setups side by side. Which of those costs is the big one? On $100,000 over 10 years, the dealer's markup is usually larger than all the account fees together.
This gold IRA fees calculator is one of the free gold IRA calculators and tools on SafeOunce, with no sign-up, email or phone number. You pick from 8 dated custodian schedules or type your own fees, then set a markup and a buyback discount.
Two words come up on every line. A custodian is the trust company or bank that holds your IRA and files its tax forms. The dealer markup is what the dealer adds on top of the metal's market value. Every preloaded fee comes from the custodian's own published schedule, with its date, and no company can pay to change what the calculator shows.
Calculator
Gold IRA fee calculator: total cost over the years
Pick up to three account setups. Every preloaded fee is dated and comes from the custodian's own fee schedule.
How Do You Use the Gold IRA Fee Calculator? 5 Inputs#
Fill in 5 inputs to use the gold IRA fee calculator: account value and years, up to 3 setups, a fee increase, the dealer markup and the buyback discount.
Change one input at a time, so you can see which cost moves the total.
1. Account value and years#
Enter the dollar amount you plan to put into metal, from $1,000 to $10,000,000, and how many years you expect to hold it, from 1 to 20.
Years matter because the two kinds of cost behave differently. A flat fee is a fixed dollar charge each year, so flat fees add up the longer you hold. The dealer markup is paid once, when you buy and when you sell.
Flat fees do not change with your balance or the gold price. Only a share-of-value fee does: a charge set as a percentage of what your metal is worth. Entrust adds one above $50,000 and Madison Trust above $100,000; GoldStar segregated storage appears to add one above $125,000.
2. Up to 3 account setups from 8 dated custodian fee schedules#
Pick up to 3 account setups from 8 preloaded custodian fee schedules, each dated and taken from the custodian's own document, or type in fees from your own quote. The 8 schedules, all checked September 29, 2026, are listed below.
- Equity Trust metals-only, segregated storage: schedule FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726.
- Equity Trust metals-only, shared storage: the same schedule.
- GoldStar Trust, shared storage: GTC Rev. 01/2026.
- GoldStar Trust, segregated storage: the same schedule.
- STRATA Trust, shared storage: fee page modified August 31, 2026; setup $0 when opened online ($50 otherwise).
- STRATA Trust, segregated storage: the same page and setup rule.
- Entrust, one asset type, Delaware Depository shared storage: master schedule Rev. 01/09/2026, storage form Rev. 3/7/2024.
- Madison Trust: schedule effective January 1, 2026.
Segregated storage keeps your own coins apart. Shared storage (the industry calls it commingled or non-segregated) keeps your coins with other owners' coins of the same type. You get back the same kind, not the same coins.
"Enter my own fees" takes 4 numbers: setup, yearly fees (custodian plus storage), a fee per purchase and the fees to sell and close. Use it for any other custodian or a written quote.
Each custodian sets its own prices. Setup, yearly and per-trade gold IRA custodian fees are compared schedule by schedule.
The IRS approves no custodian's prices. Its only approval list covers nonbank trustees (Treas. Reg. 1.408-2(e)), 73 entities as of April 1, 2026, and none of these 5 metals custodians is on it.
3. Yearly fee increase and change in account value#
Leave both at 0% to see today's fee schedules; raise the fee increase to test what happens if custodians keep raising prices.
The yearly fee increase runs from 0% to 10%. It raises every yearly fee by the same percentage each year. It is a test input, not a forecast.
The yearly change in account value runs from minus 10% to 15%. It only matters for share-of-value fees: Entrust above $50,000, Madison above $100,000 and, as SafeOunce reads its schedule, GoldStar segregated above $125,000. It is not a gold price forecast, and the calculator suggests no rate.
4. Dealer markup on the metal you buy#
Choose one of 4 dated markup presets or enter your own, because the dealer's markup is usually the largest cost in a gold IRA.
The markup, also called the spread, is the share of the price you pay that is not metal value. Metal value is based on the spot price: the market price for 1 ounce of pure metal. The table below shows the 4 presets and where each comes from.
| Preset | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 5.4% low-cost bullion | Round trip (buy, then sell back at once) on a 1 oz American Gold Eagle at one large online dealer: ask (selling price) $4,280.53, bid (buying price) $4,049.93 | SD Bullion snapshot, September 29, 2026 |
| 12% settlement benchmark | The spread used to compute refunds in the Lear Capital bankruptcy plan | Plan confirmed June 12, 2023 |
| 23.4% one dealer's 2022 average | Lear Capital's own figure, not an industry average | Lear's court-filed Chapter 11 plan (Doc 694, June 5, 2023) |
| 39.99% "exclusive" coin cap | Top of the range for exclusive and semi-numismatic coins; "up to", not a price quote | American Hartford Gold Shipping and Transaction Agreement (September 2026) |
Markup presets in the calculator, as of September 29, 2026.
Regulators give these presets context. The CFTC's 2020 advisory put bullion at 5% to 10% over spot and numismatic coins at 40% to 200% (release 8215-20, August 4, 2020). Numismatic coins are coins sold for rarity or collector appeal. The CFTC calls "semi-numismatic" "a made-up industry term that really has no special meaning."
The CFTC and FINRA "10 Things" advisory (2024) adds a second yardstick. It says legitimate spreads are "less than 20%," while fraudulent dealers charge "more than 300%."
"My own" accepts 0% to 70%, so you can type the markup from your written quote. Gold IRA markups and spreads rarely appear as one number on a quote. How dealers set gold IRA markups and spreads, and how to read them in a contract, is explained separately.
5. Buyback discount when you sell#
The buyback discount is how far below the metal's value a dealer pays when you sell back. The calculator sets it at 4.6875% for the 12%, 23.4% and 39.99% presets.
The bid is the price a dealer pays you. The 4.6875% comes from one example printed in Lear Capital's terms and in Preserve Gold (2025) and Rosland Capital (2024) agreements.
The 5.4% preset uses 0%, because it is already a round trip: a purchase and an immediate sale back. No buyback price is promised. Contracts from American Hartford Gold, Lear, Preserve, Goldline and American Bullion say the law does not let them guarantee a repurchase.
Your first statement shows the gap. Custodians value the metal at a market price without the dealer's premium. After a 20% spread, the statement shows about 80% of what you paid.
What Does the Gold IRA Fee Calculator Count? The Formula#
The gold IRA fee calculator counts two kinds of cost: account fees paid over the years, and the dealer's markup paid once when you buy and sell. A formula is a fixed rule that turns your inputs into one number. The calculator's 3 lines are shown below.
Account fees = setup fee + every yearly custodian and storage fee + fees per purchase + fees to sell and close
Dealer markup (round trip) = account value x markup + account value x (1 minus markup) x buyback discount
Total cost = account fees + dealer markup
Share-of-value fees use the account value you entered, held flat unless you set a yearly change. The total works as a gold IRA cost calculator: it prices the whole account, not one fee. Each of these layers of gold IRA fees is explained with its sources in gold IRA fees.
Account fees: setup, yearly, purchase and exit#
Account fees are the custodian's and the vault's charges, and on $100,000 over 10 years they total $3,180 on Equity Trust's metals-only schedule with segregated storage.
The maintenance fee is the custodian's yearly charge for keeping the account open. A per-purchase fee is a charge each time the IRA buys metal.
The first-year bill is the highest, because it adds the setup fee and the first purchase fee to a year of fees. At $100,000 it runs from $265 (GoldStar shared) to $781 (Madison Trust), as of September 2026.
Purchase fees can repeat. STRATA charges $75 per purchase ($40 plus $35 depository handling) on every buy. On a yearly Roth contribution of $8,600, the 2026 limit at 50 and older (IRS Notice 2025-67), that is 0.87% each time.
Dealer markup: the round trip#
The dealer markup is counted once for the whole round trip: the part of your price that is not metal, plus the discount when you sell the metal back.
The premium is the amount you pay above metal value. Metal value is what the metal itself is worth at spot.
The same math gives $5,400 at the 5.4% preset, $16,125 at 12% and $42,803 at 39.99%. Each of these is a one-time cost, paid whether you hold 1 year or 20.
Your custodian processes the purchase at whatever price you agree. Custodians "generally do not evaluate the quality or legitimacy of any investment in the self-directed IRA or its promoters," says the SEC and NASAA investor alert on self-directed IRAs. In plain English: checking the price is your job.
What the fees to sell and close include#
The fees to sell and close run from $210 to $325 on the preloaded schedules, as of September 2026, and they assume you sell the metal and close the account. A termination fee is the charge to close the IRA. The table below shows what each amount is made of.
| Schedule | Amount in the calculator | Made of | Other exit routes, not modeled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Trust metals-only (FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726) | $280 | $30 liquidation + $250 termination | In-kind distribution: $125 + $10 + pass-through cost (minimum $50); transfer out in kind: $125 per transaction |
| GoldStar Trust (GTC Rev. 01/2026) | $210 | $150 full termination + $50 wire + $10 shipping and handling | Partial transfer or in-kind: $75 + $10 + shipping |
| STRATA Trust (fee page modified August 31, 2026) | $325 | $75 sale ($40 + $35 handling) + $250 closure | In-kind distribution: $35 handling + $10 + depository cost (+ $100 re-registration); transfer in kind: $100 re-registration; cash transfer out: $100 |
| Entrust (Rev. 01/09/2026) | $250 | $250 termination | Not modeled |
| Madison Trust (effective January 1, 2026) | $225 | $225 termination | Not modeled; $75 sale-of-asset fee not included (whether it applies to metals is not established) |
What "fees to sell and close" includes, schedules as of September 29, 2026.
An in-kind distribution means taking the coins themselves out of the IRA. A transfer out moves the metal to another custodian. Both cost a different amount, and the calculator uses the sell-and-close route for every schedule. For another route, pick "Enter my own fees" and type that exit cost.
Termination and transfer-out fees change often, so check the current schedule before you leave. Every custodian's gold IRA termination and transfer-out fees are collected with their dates.
What Do the 8 Preloaded Fee Schedules Cost Over 10 Years?#
On $100,000 over 10 years, the 8 preloaded schedules cost $2,410 to $6,910 in account fees with setup and exit included, as of September 2026, before dealer markup. The table below shows the same 10-year totals at 4 balances, with the account value held flat.
| Setup | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $250,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoldStar Trust, shared storage | $2,410 | $2,410 | $2,410 | $2,410 |
| Equity Trust metals-only, shared storage | $2,680 | $2,680 | $2,680 | $2,680 |
| STRATA Trust, shared storage (opened online) | $3,050 | $3,050 | $3,050 | $3,050 |
| Equity Trust metals-only, segregated storage | $3,180 | $3,180 | $3,180 | $3,180 |
| GoldStar Trust, segregated storage | $3,410 | $3,410 | $3,410 | Value-based above $125,000: ask GoldStar |
| STRATA Trust, segregated storage (opened online) | $3,650 | $3,650 | $3,650 | $3,650 |
| Entrust, 1 asset type, Delaware Depository shared storage | $3,490 | $3,490 | $4,340 | $6,890 |
| Madison Trust | $6,910 | $6,910 | $6,910 | $8,410 |
10-year account fees with setup and exit, dealer markup not included (schedules as of September 29, 2026; value held flat; STRATA opened on paper adds $50). SafeOunce computation with the calculator's own formula; custodians named only as sources of published schedules.
A value-based fee is one charged as a share of what your metal is worth. The order flips as the balance grows: flat schedules cost the same at any balance, while Entrust and Madison add value-based charges. Charters, storage options and complaints of all gold IRA custodians are compared separately.
Per year, the same schedules cost $215 (GoldStar shared) to $656 (Madison Trust) on a $50,000 account, as of September 2026.
Why flat fees hit small accounts hardest#
A flat $285 yearly fee is 5.70% of a $5,000 gold IRA but only 0.28% of $100,000. As a share of savings, the same fee costs the small account 20 times more. That share is called fee drag: the part of your balance that fees take each year.
| Account value | $285 a year as a share |
|---|---|
| $5,000 | 5.70% |
| $10,000 | 2.85% |
| $25,000 | 1.14% |
| $50,000 | 0.57% |
| $100,000 | 0.28% |
| $250,000 | 0.11% |
The lowest flat package in the calculator, GoldStar's $215 a year, still takes 2.15% of $10,000 and 0.86% of $25,000.
A crossover is the balance where two fee setups cost the same. Flat vs scaled gold IRA fees cross at $57,000 for a $285 flat fee and a 0.50%-of-value fee. Below it the percentage fee is cheaper; above it the flat fee is ($215 crosses at $43,000, and $235 at $47,000). Why the order flips is worked through in flat vs scaled gold IRA fees.
When value-based storage fees grow with your account#
Value-based storage and custody fees rise when your metal gains value, while flat fees stay the same whatever gold does.
Two preloaded schedules work this way. Entrust adds 0.17% of value above $50,000 to its $219 base, with a cap (an upper limit) of $2,299 a year. Madison Trust charges $100 a year for storage up to $100,000 of value, then $1 per $1,000 of the whole value.
Gold IRA storage fees differ by vault as well as by custodian. What each vault charges through each custodian is listed in gold IRA storage fees.
How Much Bigger Is the Dealer Markup Than the Account Fees?#
On $100,000 over 10 years, the dealer's markup costs 1.7 to 13.5 times as much as all the account fees, depending on what you buy. The table below sets 10 years of Equity Trust metals-only segregated fees ($3,180) against each markup preset.
| Markup preset | Dealer cost (round trip) | Total cost | Markup vs account fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.4% bullion round trip | $5,400 | $8,580 | 1.7x |
| 12% + buyback discount | $16,125 | $19,305 | 5.1x |
| 23.4% + buyback discount | $26,991 | $30,171 | 8.5x |
| 39.99% + buyback discount | $42,803 | $45,983 | 13.5x |
Account fees vs dealer markup on $100,000 over 10 years (Equity Trust metals-only segregated, $3,180; presets as of September 29, 2026).
Break-even is the rise in the metal's price you need before a sale returns what you paid. With a 5% purchase spread plus the 4.6875% buyback gap, gold must rise about 10.4%. It must rise 31.1% after a 19.99% bullion spread (American Hartford Gold's cap), 37.0% after 23.4% and 74.8% after 39.99%. To test your own quote, work out how much metal must rise to cover the markup and fees.
How long you hold changes the cost per year#
The longer you hold, the less a gold IRA costs per year, because the markup is paid once while the yearly fees keep adding up slowly. The table below uses $100,000 on Equity Trust's metals-only segregated schedule, setup and exit included, as of September 2026.
| Years held | Total at 5.4% round trip | Per year | Total at 23.4% + buyback | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $6,015 | $6,015 | $27,606 | $27,606 |
| 5 | $7,155 | $1,431 | $28,746 | $5,749 |
| 10 | $8,580 | $858 | $30,171 | $3,017 |
| 20 | $11,430 | $572 | $33,021 | $1,651 |
The yearly fees stay the same; the one-time markup is simply spread over more years.
Selling within a year or two turns the markup into nearly the whole cost. At 23.4%, 1 year costs $27,606, or 27.6% of the $100,000. In this arithmetic, money you may need soon is the costliest money to put into metal.
What a "we pay your fees" offer is worth#
A fee waiver is worth only the fees it covers: about $2,900 for 10 years on Equity Trust's segregated schedule, so a markup 3 points higher cancels it on $100,000. The 3 numbers below put fee offers and markups in the same dollars.
- 10 years of fees paid: $2,900 on Equity Trust's metals-only segregated schedule ($50 setup + 10 x $285).
- 1 point of markup: $1,000 on $100,000, which equals 3.5 years of a $285 fee or 4.7 years of GoldStar's $215.
- A "fees for life" offer: U.S. Money Reserve says it pays up to $300 a year for accounts at Equity Trust (effective April 1, 2026). It requires a $200,000 minimum rollover and at least 60% proof coins. At Orion Precious Metals' prices on September 29, 2026, proof 1 oz Eagles cost 13.38% over spot and bullion Eagles 5.90%. Proofs buy 6.6% less gold: $7,917 at bullion-coin prices on $120,000 (about $7,476 of gold at spot), or 24.9 to 26.4 years of the waiver.
The company's page limits the offer to setup, yearly maintenance and non-segregated storage, for first-time customers, with the offer valid for 30 days (read September 29, 2026).
To test any offer, pick "Enter my own fees", set the waived fees to $0 and raise the markup to the quoted one.
Fees paid for life sound large, but they are paid in the smallest cost layer. What fees paid for life offers are really worth is worked through offer by offer.
How Do Gold ETFs and Fidelity's IRA Bullion Compare on Cost?#
A gold ETF in an ordinary IRA costs $1,000 to $4,000 in fund fees over 10 years on $100,000 (September 2026), below the $8,580 low-cost gold IRA total. An ETF (exchange-traded fund) is a fund you buy like a stock. Its expense ratio is the yearly fund fee, taken as a share of what you hold. GLDM, IAU and GLD are gold trusts: funds that hold gold bars in a vault.
| Route | What you own | 10-year cost on $100,000 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLDM (0.10% a year) | Shares of a gold trust | $1,000 | Fund 10-K, 2025-2026 |
| IAU (0.25% a year) | Shares of a gold trust | $2,500 | Fund 10-K, 2025-2026 |
| GLD (0.40% a year) | Shares of a gold trust | $4,000 | Fund 10-K, 2025-2026 |
| Fidelity bullion in a Fidelity IRA | Gold Eagles, 1 oz Buffalos or bars, through FideliTrade | About $6,990 before FideliTrade's unpublished spread | Fidelity FA-FEES-0926: buy 0.99% ($100,000 tier), storage 0.125% a quarter (0.50% a year), sell 1.00% ($50,000 to $249,999 tier) |
| Self-directed gold IRA, Equity Trust segregated + 5.4% bullion round trip | Coins or bars held for your IRA at a depository | $8,580 | FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726; SD Bullion snapshot |
$100,000 for 10 years, fees only (as of September 29, 2026).
A flat fee beats an ETF only at large balances. A $285 flat fee costs less than GLDM's 0.10% only above $285,000, and $215 only above $215,000. Gold ETFs are allowed in ordinary brokerage IRAs, based on IRS private letter ruling 200732026 (an IRS answer to one taxpayer). The calculator lists the 3 ETFs below its results table, fund fee only, since brokerage trading costs vary.
The gold IRA vs gold ETF choice also depends on what you want to own: coins in a vault or shares of a trust. The full gold IRA vs gold ETF cost comparison adds taxes and trading costs.
Taxes differ outside an IRA. There, long-term gains on these gold trusts are taxed as collectibles at up to 28% (26 U.S.C. 1(h)(4)-(5)). Inside an IRA, that rate never applies.
Which Fee Setup Costs Least at Your Account Size?#
The cheapest fee setup depends on your balance: under $25,000 a $285 flat fee takes over 1% a year, while above $57,000 flat fees beat share-of-value fees. The table below matches 7 situations to the setup that usually costs least, as of September 2026. An RMD, or required minimum distribution, is the yearly amount you must take out of a traditional IRA, starting at 73 or 75.
| If you... | What usually costs least | The number that decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Hold under $25,000 | A gold ETF in an IRA you already have, or the lowest flat schedule (GoldStar shared, $215) | A $285 flat fee takes more than 1.14% a year |
| Hold $25,000 to $57,000 | A 0.50% share-of-value fee (for example, Fidelity's IRA storage, 0.125% a quarter) can cost less than a $285 flat fee | Crossover at $57,000 |
| Hold $57,000 to $250,000 | A flat schedule (GoldStar shared $215; Equity Trust metals-only $235 to $285) | Flat fee under 0.5% of value |
| Hold over $250,000 | Flat schedules without value add-ons (Equity Trust metals-only, STRATA) | Entrust and Madison add value charges; GoldStar segregated appears to add one above $125,000 |
| Sell metal for RMDs every year | Custodians with $0 trade fees (GoldStar, Entrust) | STRATA $75 per trade; Equity Trust $30 per liquidation; Madison's $75 sale-of-asset fee, if it applies to metals (not established) |
| Plan to take coins out in kind | Compare in-kind fees | Equity Trust $125 per transaction vs GoldStar $75 |
| Hold a written quote with a markup above 10% | The markup, not the custodian | 1 point = $1,000 on $100,000 |
The table describes situations, not advice for your household. The lowest total cost usually comes from the markup row, not the custodian rows. Companies ranked by lowest total cost, markups included, use the same arithmetic.
Compare the markup first whenever a quote is above 10%. Each extra point costs $1,000 on $100,000. That is more than 10 years of the $70 yearly gap between GoldStar shared ($215) and Equity Trust segregated ($285).
What Fee Traps Does the Calculator Warn You About?#
The calculator flags 4 fee traps: bills that are not prorated, Entrust's asset-type count, GoldStar's segregated fee above $125,000 and fee increases over time. The first 3 appear as warnings under the results, and you test the fourth with the fee-increase input.
Other charges sit outside the calculator. Wire, paper-statement and late fees are hidden gold IRA fees in a simple sense: most fee summaries leave them out. Those hidden gold IRA fees are listed separately.
Billing dates that are not prorated#
Equity Trust bills each January, and GoldStar and STRATA bill on the account anniversary. None of them prorates, so the day you open or close can cost a full extra year. Prorated means cut to match the part of the year you used, and anniversary billing means a bill each year on the date you opened.
Closing works the same way in reverse. Close the day after a GoldStar or STRATA anniversary, and you pay a full year: $215 on GoldStar shared storage or $325 on STRATA segregated storage.
Entrust's asset-type count#
Entrust charges $329 instead of $219 a year when you hold two or more asset types, according to its fee schedule (Rev. 01/09/2026). An asset type is a kind of holding on the custodian's books. As SafeOunce reads Entrust's schedule, each product and year counts as a separate asset type. Entrust's own example: $62,350 in one type costs $240 a year, and the same amount in three types costs $350.
The calculator's Entrust row assumes one asset type. For more, pick "Enter my own fees" with $329 as the base.
GoldStar segregated storage above $125,000#
GoldStar's segregated storage costs at least $225 a year, and its fee schedule (GTC Rev. 01/2026) appears to add $1.80 per $1,000 of metal value above $125,000. The PDF's layout makes the placement of that charge unclear. The calculator uses the $225 minimum plus $1.80 per $1,000 above $125,000 and shows a warning. SafeOunce prints no GoldStar segregated figure above $125,000; ask GoldStar in writing.
Fee increases over time#
A $285 yearly fee that rises 3% a year costs $3,267 over 10 years instead of $2,850.
Schedules do change. Equity Trust's metals schedule is now at Rev. 081726. GoldStar's fee changes take effect "on the 30th day after mailing the notice" (GTC Rev. 01/2026). Directed IRA's yearly fee went from $295 (2021 to 2023) to $395 (September 2024) to $495 (2026). The 3% is a test input, not a forecast.
What Do Other Gold IRA Fee Calculators Leave Out?#
None of the 5 top-ranking gold IRA fee pages adds exit fees or the dealer's buyback discount to its total, and none names a custodian schedule with a date. The table below checks the top 5 Google results for "gold ira fee calculator", read September 29, 2026.
| Page | Working fee calculator | Markup in the math | Buyback in the math | Exit fees in the math | Dated custodian schedule | Lead form or affiliate links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 directory page | No | No | No | No | No | Affiliate links |
| #2 press release | No | No | No | No | No | Promotional |
| #3 content-site estimator | Yes | Yes (3% to 10%) | No | No | No | Email-gated PDF |
| #4 affiliate calculator | Yes | Yes (optional) | No | No | No | Affiliate links |
| #5 finance portal article | No | No | No | No | No | None |
| SafeOunce fee calculator | Yes | Yes (0% to 70%) | Yes | Yes | Yes (8, dated) | None |
The #1 page says its own calculators "do not take into consideration management fees and other charges." The #4 page mentions exit fees but leaves them out of its math. The #3 estimator's markup slider stops at 10%. American Hartford Gold's agreement (September 2026) sets caps of up to 19.99% on bullion, 39.99% on "exclusive" coins and 59.99% on limited numismatics.
Their fee ranges run low. The #1 page says gold IRAs cost "$80-$250/year," and the #2 release names "$200 and $750 in annual fees." The published schedules run $215 (GoldStar shared) to $656 (Madison) a year at $50,000, as of September 2026.
The #5 article's 20-year fee table ($4,000 to $12,000) leaves out the dealer premium. On $100,000, a 23.4% spread round trip ($26,991) costs about 4.5 times 20 years of Equity Trust segregated fees ($6,030).
Four of the 5 pages also state IRA rules wrongly. Two call something "IRS-approved": the #2 release cites "IRS-approved metals requirements," and the #4 page says metal must sit in an "IRS-approved depository." The IRS approves no coin or depository. Its only approval list covers nonbank trustees: firms other than banks allowed to act as IRA trustees (Treas. Reg. 1.408-2(e)).
The #5 article says gold needs "99.5% purity to qualify." IRA-eligible means allowed in an IRA under the tax code. The American Gold Eagle, 91.67% gold, is IRA-eligible because 26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3)(A) names it. The #1 page still prints 2023 contribution limits; the 2026 limit is $7,500, or $8,600 at 50 and older (IRS Notice 2025-67).
What Does the Gold IRA Fee Calculator Not Include?#
The gold IRA fee calculator leaves out taxes, gold price changes, the dealer's actual buyback price, fees not on the 8 schedules and any advice about what to buy. The 5 gaps are listed below.
- Taxes: traditional IRA withdrawals are ordinary income, taxed at your normal income-tax rate. The 28% collectibles rate, the maximum rate on long-term gains from metal held outside an IRA, never applies inside one (26 U.S.C. 1(h)(4)-(5)).
- Gold price changes: the tool counts costs only and makes no forecast.
- Your dealer's real bid: the 4.6875% discount is a contract example, not a quote.
- Fees not on the schedules: wires ($30 to $50), paper statements ($40 to $60 a year) and late fees ($50), schedules as of September 2026. Whether Madison's $30 a quarter per additional asset applies to metals is not established, so it is left out.
- Who pays the fees: IRS guidance does not settle whether storage can be paid from outside the IRA, and custodians disagree. Ask yours.
To project value after costs with real gold returns, use the gold IRA calculator for growth.
This is arithmetic, not advice.
Which Other Gold IRA Costs and Tools Should You Check Next?#
The fee calculator totals the costs; 6 other SafeOunce pages explain where each cost comes from and what to do before you pay it. The table below matches 6 questions to the page that answers each.
| Your question | Where it is answered |
|---|---|
| Where is my metal stored, and what does the vault charge? | Gold IRA depositories |
| Which company facts can I compare side by side? | Gold IRA company comparison tool |
| What should I ask a gold IRA company before I pay? | Choose a gold IRA company |
| Why does my first statement show less than I paid? | Gold IRA statement |
| What does it cost to move to another custodian? | Switching gold IRA custodians |
| Can I buy bullion in a Fidelity IRA instead? | Fidelity gold IRA |
Next: every fee layer with its sources is on the gold IRA fees hub.
Questions readers ask about gold IRA fees#
The 7 short answers below cover common questions about gold IRA fees, each with its number and date.
What are typical fees for a gold IRA?#
Published custodian and storage fees for a metals IRA run $215 to $656 a year on $50,000 (September 2026), plus a one-time dealer markup that is usually larger. Every gold IRA fee differs by company, custodian and vault. Each layer, with sources, is in every gold IRA fee compared.
How much money do you need to start a gold IRA?#
The IRS sets no minimum for a gold IRA, but sellers do: Birch Gold $5,000, Noble Gold $20,000 and Goldco $25,000, as of September 29, 2026. Fidelity's IRA bullion starts at a $1,000 purchase (fee schedule FA-FEES-0926). Augusta lists $50,000, according to Augusta's FAQ (last updated September 23, 2026). American Hartford Gold, Lear, Preserve, Priority and Patriot publish no minimum. Company by company, how much money you need to start a gold IRA is listed with dates.
Is a gold IRA worth it after fees?#
A gold IRA can be worth its costs only for money you hold in metal for years. A 5.4% bullion round trip plus $285 a year costs about $858 a year over 10 years on $100,000, and far more at higher markups. Fees are one test of whether a gold IRA is a good investment. Whether a gold IRA is a good investment at all is weighed with 55 years of data.
Is it cheaper to hold physical gold outside an IRA?#
Holding coins outside an IRA avoids custodian fees, but cashing out a traditional IRA to buy them is taxable. Long-term gains on coins held outside an IRA are taxed as collectibles at up to 28% (26 U.S.C. 1(h)). The gold IRA vs physical gold choice turns on taxes more than fees. The tax math of gold IRA vs physical gold is worked through with 2026 brackets.
What is the rate of return for a gold IRA after costs?#
$10,000 of gold bought at the LBMA PM price of $603.00 on September 28, 2006 was worth about $68,732 on September 28, 2026, before costs. The LBMA PM price is London's official afternoon gold benchmark. Inside a gold IRA with a $50 setup, a 5% premium, $250 a year in fees and sales 1% below spot, the same $10,000 became about $49,929. These are past results, not a forecast. Year-by-year gold IRA returns since 1971 are in the returns table.
Does the fee calculator work for silver, platinum and palladium IRAs?#
Yes: the calculator counts dollars, not ounces, so it works for any IRA metal, but check whether your custodian and vault price storage differently for silver. Entrust at Delaware Depository and STRATA segregate only gold, platinum and palladium; through GoldStar, Delaware segregates only 1,000 oz silver bars. Shared storage is still allocated storage: metal held for you by type. Markups differ too: 2026 Silver Eagles at 16.1% over spot vs 3.1% for 2026 Silver Britannias (SD Bullion, September 29, 2026 snapshot). Costs and eligible coins for a silver IRA are covered on the silver hub.
Does SafeOunce see or save the numbers you type?#
No: the fee calculator runs entirely in your browser, makes no network calls and asks for no name, email or phone number. SafeOunce checked the calculator code on September 29, 2026. Nothing you type is sent to SafeOunce or anyone else.