Gold IRA Fee Calculator

How the calculator works

All numbers are in today’s dollars. We use your inputs and these formulas:

1. Year-one fees = setup + admin + storage
2. Total account fees = setup + (admin + storage) × (years − waived years)
3. Spread cost = amount × spread %
4. Metal value on day one = amount − spread cost
5. Total cost = total account fees + spread cost
6. Break-even rise = total cost ÷ metal value on day one, shown as a percentage
7. Value at the end = metal value on day one × (1 + your yearly price change) ^ years − total account fees

A worked example with the Goldco preset (Equity Trust’s $50 setup, $125 admin and $110 non-segregated storage), $50,000 for 10 years, and a 5% spread you entered yourself:

• Year-one fees: $50 + $125 + $110 = $285
• Account fees over 10 years: $50 + $235 × 10 = $2,400
• Spread cost: $50,000 × 5% = $2,500
• Metal value on day one: $50,000 − $2,500 = $47,500
• Total cost: $2,400 + $2,500 = $4,900
• Break-even rise: $4,900 ÷ $47,500 = 10.3% over 10 years
• Value at the end with 0% price change: $47,500 − $2,400 = $45,100

The 5% spread in that example is only an illustration. It is not Goldco’s spread, which Goldco doesn’t publish.

Assumptions and limits

We’d rather you know exactly what this tool leaves out.

• Fees stay the same every year. They can rise. Equity Trust’s storage rates, for example, are now $10 higher than the figures on Goldco’s February 2025 cost page.
• The spread is up to you. Most dealers don’t publish one. American Hartford Gold is the exception: 1% to 19.99% on bullion and up to 59.99% on certain numismatic coins. Ask your dealer for the figure on the exact product, in writing, and enter it.
• Spread is counted once, on the way in. In real life, the price you get when you sell is usually the dealer’s bid, which can be lower than the market price. That’s another cost we don’t model.
• Price change is your assumption. We set it to 0%. We don’t suggest a number, because past gold prices have swung both ways for long periods.
• No taxes. Withdrawals from a traditional IRA are taxed as income. Taxes depend on your situation.
• No small fees. Wire fees ($30), paper statements ($60 a year at Equity Trust), liquidation ($30 at Equity Trust) and account closure ($250 at Equity Trust and Noble) are left out.
• Waivers only count if you have them in writing. Enter the number of years from the offer you were actually given.
• No RMDs. From age 73 you’ll generally have to take withdrawals, which may mean selling metal and paying the spread again. See our rollover guide.

Where the presets come from

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Goldco’s own cost page shows $100 and $150 storage, and an older Goldco FAQ says “around $80” for admin. To test those figures, choose Custom.

We have no preset for American Hartford Gold or Patriot Gold Group because they don’t publish a full fee schedule. Choose Custom and enter what they quote you. For more on each company’s fees, see gold IRA fees.

How to use the results

• If total cost is more than 10% of what you put in, the metal has to gain more than 10% in value before you’re back to even. Weigh that number against your own plans.
• Compare two dealers on the same spread. The fee difference between the cheapest and dearest published schedules is about $50 a year. The spread can be thousands.
• Check the break-even line. If gold must rise 15% just to cover costs, that is the hurdle before you make a cent.