A Gold IRA typically costs about $425 in year one and $350 per year after that. This breaks into a one-time setup fee of $50 to $100, an annual custodian fee of $75 to $300, and annual storage with insurance of $100 to $300. On a $100,000 account that is roughly 0.35% per year, comparable to many mutual fund expense ratios.
Key takeaways
- A Gold IRA typically costs about $425 in year one and about $350 a year after that.
- There are three fees: setup ($50 to $100, one time), custodian ($75 to $300 a year), and storage and insurance ($100 to $300 a year).
- On a $100,000 account, that’s roughly 0.35% a year, similar to many mutual fund expense ratios.
- Most fees are flat, so they shrink as a percentage as your account grows.
- Always ask for a written fee schedule before you commit.
Let’s talk about a question every smart investor asks before opening any account: what does this actually cost?
A Gold IRA has a few more moving parts than a regular brokerage account, so it comes with a few costs a regular account does not have. The good news is that they are straightforward, predictable, and smaller than most people expect once you see them laid out.
What Are the Three Types of Gold IRA Fees?
Every recurring Gold IRA cost falls into one of three buckets:
| Fee | Typical range | Frequency | Often waived? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | $50 to $100 | One time | Yes |
| Custodian administration | $75 to $300 | Annual | Sometimes |
| Storage and insurance | $100 to $300 | Annual | Sometimes |
Let’s take them in order.
1. Setup Fees: The One-Time Cost of Opening the Account
When you open a self-directed IRA, the custodian charges a one-time account establishment fee. This covers the application processing, account creation, and initial paperwork.
What’s typical: $50 to $100. Some custodians charge nothing at all.
Worth asking about: whether there are separate transaction fees when you buy or sell within the account, since some custodians charge $25 to $50 per transaction, and whether wire transfer fees apply when funding the account.
The good news: this fee is frequently waived. Anthem Gold Group waives IRA fees for up to five years depending on your initial investment amount, so it is worth asking what your account size qualifies for.
2. Custodian Fees: The Annual Cost of Administration
Your custodian does real work every year: maintaining records, processing transactions, generating statements, and filing the reports the IRS requires, including the annual Form 5498 and fair market valuations.
What’s typical: $75 to $300 per year. Most fall in the $100 to $200 range.
Flat vs. scaled fees, and why it matters: custodians charge one of two ways.
Flat fee: the same amount whether you hold $20,000 or $500,000. Better for larger accounts, since the fee shrinks as a percentage of your holdings.
Scaled (percentage-based) fee: a percentage of your account value, sometimes with tiers. This can look cheap for small accounts and get expensive as your account grows.
Run the numbers for your expected account size.
| Account value | Flat $150 fee | 0.5% scaled fee | Difference per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $150 (0.30%) | $250 | $100 |
| $100,000 | $150 (0.15%) | $500 | $350 |
| $250,000 | $150 (0.06%) | $1,250 | $1,100 |
| $500,000 | $150 (0.03%) | $2,500 | $2,350 |
That difference compounds year after year, so for larger rollovers, flat-fee custodians usually win by a wide margin.
3. Storage and Insurance: The Cost of the Vault
Your metals sit in an IRS-approved depository with around-the-clock security, professional auditing, and full insurance coverage. That protection is billed annually, and honestly, it is one of the better values in the account. Try insuring six figures of precious metals under a homeowner’s policy and you will see why, since most standard policies cap precious metals coverage at just a few hundred dollars.
What’s typical: $100 to $300 per year for most accounts. Larger holdings sometimes pay a small percentage of metal value instead.
| Storage type | What it means | Typical annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Commingled (non-segregated) | Your metals are pooled with identical products from other investors, and your share is credited to you | $100 to $150 |
| Segregated | Your exact coins and bars sit in their own space under your name | $150 to $300 |
Both are fully insured and fully compliant. This is a personal preference, not a compliance issue, so pick based on your comfort level and budget.
One thing to confirm: that insurance is included in the quoted storage fee, not billed separately. At reputable depositories it always is, but it is worth having on the record.
What Does a Gold IRA Cost Per Year? A Worked Example
Let’s make this concrete with a $100,000 account.
Year one:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Setup fee | $75 (often waived) |
| Custodian fee | $150 |
| Segregated storage and insurance | $200 |
| Year-one total | About $425 |
Every year after: $150 custodian plus $200 storage equals $350 per year, or 0.35% of the account.
For perspective, that is in the same neighborhood as the expense ratio on many actively managed mutual funds. And unlike a percentage-based expense ratio, flat fees shrink as a share of your account if your metals appreciate.
Five-Year Total Cost at Three Account Sizes
Here is what the same fee structure looks like over five years at different balances, assuming a $75 setup fee, $150 custodian, and $200 segregated storage.
| Account size | Year 1 | Years 2 to 5 | 5-year total | Average annual % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $425 | $1,400 | $1,825 | 0.73% |
| $100,000 | $425 | $1,400 | $1,825 | 0.37% |
| $250,000 | $425 | $1,400 | $1,825 | 0.15% |
The dollar cost is identical in all three rows. That is the whole point of a flat-fee structure, and it is why the percentage falls sharply as the account grows. With commingled storage instead of segregated, subtract roughly $50 to $100 per year from each row. With fee waivers applied, the first years can drop to zero.
The other thing worth noticing: these fees do not scale with activity. Whether your metals sit untouched for a decade or you rebalance within the account, the annual cost stays flat and predictable. That predictability is part of the appeal for retirement money.
Fee Questions to Ask Any Company Before You Commit
A short list worth bringing to any first call:
What is the total first-year cost, all in: setup, custodian, storage, and anything else?
Are your custodian fees flat or scaled to account value?
Is storage segregated or commingled, and what does each cost?
Is insurance included in the storage fee?
Are there transaction or wire fees when I buy, sell, or fund the account?
Do you have a buyback program if I decide to sell down the road?
Do you have any current fee waivers, and what account sizes qualify?
What is your account minimum?
Any company worth your retirement savings will answer all eight clearly and without hesitation. Straight answers to direct fee questions are one of the best signals of a trustworthy partner in this industry.
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Get My Free Guide Call (888) 444-2948Gold IRA Fees FAQ
How much does a Gold IRA cost per year?
Typically about $350 per year for custodian administration plus storage and insurance, with a one-time setup fee of $50 to $100 in year one. Costs vary by custodian, storage type, and account size.
Are Gold IRA fees higher than a regular IRA?
Yes. A brokerage IRA holding stocks and funds often has no account fee at all, because there is nothing physical to vault. The Gold IRA fee pays for real custody: a secured, audited, insured vault.
Can Gold IRA fees be waived?
Often, yes. Many companies waive setup and first-year costs for qualifying account sizes. Anthem Gold Group waives IRA fees for up to five years depending on your initial investment.
Are Gold IRA fees tax deductible?
Fees paid directly from IRA assets are simply paid with pre-tax dollars inside the account. Miscellaneous itemized deductions for investment fees were suspended through 2025 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, so ask your CPA about the current treatment before assuming a deduction.
Is segregated storage worth the extra cost?
It is a preference, not a compliance requirement. Both types are fully insured and IRS-compliant. Segregated means you get back the exact coins and bars you bought, which some investors value and others do not.
What is the minimum to open a Gold IRA?
Most companies set one, commonly $10,000 to $25,000, largely because flat annual fees are a heavy percentage on a small balance. At $10,000, $350 a year is 3.5%, which is hard to justify.
Do I pay a fee when I sell?
Some custodians charge a transaction fee of $25 to $50. Ask about the company’s buyback program as well, so you understand how selling works before you buy.
The Bottom Line
Gold IRA fees come down to three predictable costs: a small one-time setup fee, an annual custodian fee, and annual storage with insurance included. For most accounts that is roughly $350 a year, a modest price for professional administration, high-security vaulting, and full insurance on your retirement metals, and it gets cheaper as a percentage as your account grows.
Fees are only one part of the decision. If you are still weighing the structure itself, read What Is a Gold IRA? and Gold IRA vs. Physical Gold, and see where each fee lands in the process in How Does a Gold IRA Work?
Request a fee schedule from Anthem Gold Group, or call (888) 444-2948. They will walk you through the complete cost picture for your account size, explain which fee waivers your investment qualifies for, and answer every question on the list above before you commit to anything.
Your retirement deserves that kind of clarity, and the right company will be glad you asked.
About the author: John Murphy
[[ROLE AT ANTHEM GOLD GROUP]]. [[X YEARS]] of experience in [[precious metals / retirement planning / financial writing]]. [[One sentence on relevant background, e.g., number of clients helped, credentials, publications]].Educational content, not financial advice. Fee ranges reflect what is typical across the industry and are not a quote. Ask any company for their current written schedule. Anthem Gold Group is not a licensed financial advisor.
