The core tax treatment of a Gold IRA is the same as any traditional or Roth IRA — the “gold” part changes what’s inside the account, not how the IRS taxes contributions, growth, or withdrawals. But a few specifics get less attention than they should.

With a Traditional Gold IRA, contributions may be tax-deductible depending on your income and whether you have access to a workplace plan, and the account grows tax-deferred — you don’t pay tax on gains until you take distributions in retirement. With a Roth Gold IRA, you contribute after-tax dollars, but qualified withdrawals in retirement, including any gains, are entirely tax-free.

One detail people often miss: a rollover from an existing 401(k) or traditional IRA into a Gold IRA is not a taxable event, as long as it’s done as a direct or properly-completed indirect rollover. You’re not “cashing out” and re-investing — you’re moving funds between tax-advantaged accounts, so no tax is due at the time of the rollover itself.

Another: required minimum distributions (RMDs) apply to a Traditional Gold IRA starting at age 73, the same as any other traditional IRA, but the IRS lets you satisfy an RMD with either cash or an in-kind distribution of the physical metal itself — useful to know if you’d rather take possession of the gold at that point than sell it inside the account first.