Gold IRA Fees Explained: Account Fees, Markups and Spreads

A gold IRA costs more than its account fees. There are three layers: the fees to open and hold the account, the dealer's markup when you buy metals, and the spread when you sell. Most fee comparisons focus on the first layer because it's the easiest to publish. The second is often the larger number. This page explains each layer, shows what the published fees look like across several companies, and works through the arithmetic so you can see how the pieces compare.

Layer 1: Account Fees

A gold IRA involves three separate parties, and each one charges for its role:

You may also see smaller charges, such as wire transfer fees, and fees when you close the account, transfer it elsewhere, or take metals out. These aren't always published, so ask.

Flat fees vs percentage-based fees

Some providers charge flat dollar amounts that stay the same whatever the account is worth. Others charge fees that scale with the account's value. The structure matters more than the headline number. A flat $235 a year is 0.47% of a $50,000 account and 0.047% of a $500,000 account. A percentage-based fee grows in dollar terms as the account grows. Neither structure is automatically better; it depends on the account size.

What Each Company Puts in Writing

Fee comparisons usually mix published fees with figures from reviews and phone calls. This one uses only what each company states about its own gold IRA on its own website, so you can see what you'd know before you call. Choose an account size and a time frame. Where a company doesn't state a figure, or its own pages disagree, you'll find the question to ask instead.

Each figure links to the page it came from, checked on October 15, 2026; "not on its website" means we didn't find it on the pages linked. Totals add the one-time fees to the yearly fees for the time frame you pick. Promotions are quoted as each company states them and aren't included, because their conditions vary and can change. None of these account fees include the dealer's markup on the metals, which the next section covers. Oxford Gold Group, which appears in our gold IRA company ratings, isn't included here.

For more on each company next to Augusta, see our comparisons with Birch Gold Group, American Hartford Gold, and Goldco, and our Augusta fees breakdown.

Layer 2: The Dealer's Markup

When you buy a coin or bar, you pay more than the value of the metal it contains. That difference is the dealer's markup, and it's how a dealer earns money on the sale. Every physical metals dealer charges one; the question is how much.

Regulators say the range is wide. According to the CFTC and FINRA, "a dealer will always sell metal above the spot price and buy it back below." The same advisory notes that "some fraudulent dealers have charged spreads of more than 300 percent," while other dealers may charge less than 20 percent.

The markup is often the largest single cost in a gold IRA, but it rarely appears in a fee table. Here's what different markups mean on a $50,000 purchase, next to flat account fees of $235 a year:

This is arithmetic, not a projection. It says nothing about what metal prices will do, which nobody can predict. What it shows is that a difference of a few percentage points in markup can outweigh many years of account fees, so the markup deserves as much attention as the fee schedule.

The high end of that table isn't hypothetical. In 2024, a CFTC consent order found that customers of Red Rock Secured paid "over $69 million for silver and gold Canadian Red-Tailed Hawk (RTH) coins worth only $30 million, reflecting mark-ups of between 91.89% and 129.97%." In a separate case, the CFTC found that Safeguard Metals customers "paid an average markup of 71% when the customer agreement stated the defendants would charge a maximum markup of 23% on silver coins."

Layer 3: The Spread When You Sell

The spread is the difference between a dealer's buy and sell prices on the same day. It matters when you sell: the price a dealer pays you will be below its selling price for the same product that day. And the price on the day you eventually sell will be different from the price on the day you bought. It could be higher or lower.

Ask any dealer what it would pay to buy back a product today, alongside what it charges to sell it. The gap tells you how much of your purchase price you couldn't recover by selling the same day.

Promotions: Fee Waivers vs Bonus Metals

Gold IRA promotions usually take one of two forms: waived account fees, or bonus metals on larger purchases. They aren't directly comparable. A fee waiver reduces layer 1. A bonus adds metal to your account, but it doesn't tell you anything about the markup on the rest of the purchase. In either case, compare the full written cost of the transaction rather than the promotion.

How to Compare Total Cost

The CFTC and FINRA advise asking for "all fees, costs, commissions, and agreed retail price in writing BEFORE signing," and they call it a red flag if that isn't available. Before you open an account, ask every company you're considering for written answers to these:

1. Account fees: What are the setup, annual administration, and storage fees, and are they flat or based on account value?
2. Other fees: What does it cost to wire money in, close the account, transfer it elsewhere, or take metals out?
3. Markup: What is the price over melt value on each specific product you're proposing?
4. Spread: What would you pay to buy that product back from me today?
5. Storage: Which depository holds the metals, is storage segregated or commingled, and does that change the fee?
6. Promotions: What exactly does the promotion cover, for how long, and what are the fees after it ends?

One more point from regulators: your IRA custodian doesn't check whether the price you're paying is fair. A joint alert from the SEC, FINRA, and NASAA says self-directed IRA custodians "DO NOT evaluate the quality or legitimacy of any investment." That job is yours.

The Bottom Line

Account fees are the visible part of a gold IRA's cost, and at the companies we checked that publish them, they run from about $225 to $285 a year after setup. The dealer's markup is less visible and often larger: a few percentage points on the purchase can outweigh a decade or more of account fees. Compare companies on the full written cost, markup and spread included, not on the fee schedule alone.