Gold IRA fees generally fall into three categories, and knowing all three before opening an account avoids surprises later.

A one-time setup fee, typically $50 to $100, covers opening the self-directed IRA with the custodian. An annual custodian fee, commonly $75 to $300, covers account administration, recordkeeping, and IRS reporting — some custodians charge a flat rate, others scale with account size. An annual storage fee, often $100 to $300 (or a percentage of assets at some providers), covers the depository holding your physical metal — this varies depending on whether you choose allocated (segregated) or unallocated (pooled) storage, with allocated typically costing more.

Beyond these three recurring costs, watch for a markup on the metal itself at the time of purchase — dealers charge a premium over the spot price, and that premium varies by product and dealer, sometimes significantly. There may also be a spread when you eventually sell metal back — the buyback price can be lower than the live spot price at that moment.

None of these fees are unusual for this type of account, but they add up differently depending on account size — which is exactly why comparing fee schedules across a few custodians before committing is worth the time.