Welcome to gold IRA rollover & transfer explained. In this guide, we will explain the difference between a gold IRA rollover and transfer, what are the rules and regulations, how to store your IRA gold, when you can take physical possession of your gold, and more.
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One of the best ways to protect and diversify your assets is to open a precious metals IRA. It allows you to take advantage of a simple and easy IRS loophole that lets you hold physical gold and other precious metals with the money you have already saved in your retirement account, completely tax and penalty-free.
All you need to do is roll over or transfer funds from your existing 401(k) or similar retirement account, or start a new Individual Retirement Account (IRA).
Let’s take a look at the differences between a gold IRA rollover and transfer.
A gold IRA rollover is a term for an IRA that is funded by moving funds from a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or similar retirement account into an IRA.
The main difference between a 401(k) and an IRA is that an IRA is normally opened by the individual rather than being offered by an employer.
This type of Individual Retirement Account allows alternatives to stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). And among those alternatives are gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
When performing an IRA rollover, funds from existing tax-advantaged accounts can be rolled over into a new IRA completely tax-free.
Investors can even roll over funds from multiple retirement accounts into a single self-directed IRA, making it easier to consolidate and manage their retirement savings.
Additionally, a traditional IRA can be rolled over into a gold IRA, and investors who invest in a Roth gold IRA (physical gold bullion), will not be taxed at all on the gains on their gold investments.
Note that in a rollover, the money being moved is paid to you, and you then deposit the funds in the other account.
There is another way to fund your IRA, which is called a gold IRA transfer.
In a funds transfer, the original custodian of the IRA transfers the funds directly to the new IRA custodian you designated to receive the funds. You basically never see the money.
This is something you can do at any time with your existing IRA, as long as the assets go from custodian to custodian. Meaning that the distribution check from the old IRA custodian must be made out in the name of the trustee or custodian of the new IRA account that receives the funds.
Transfers may be made as often as you want. You can find more information in our guide on how to buy gold with your 401(k).
In the processing of starting a gold IRA rollover, you would receive the money from your current custodian, and you would have 60 days from the date you receive the funds to deposit the money in the Gold IRA Company or custodian of your choice.
If you do not complete the transaction within this period, the money becomes a taxable withdrawal and you will face the 10% early withdrawal penalty if you are under 59 1/2.
If you are withdrawing from a personal IRA for a rollover to another IRA, there is no tax withholding, but you can do only one rollover per year.
A transfer is a custodian to custodian move. You do not receive any money, which simplifies the process and helps you avoid possible penalties.
In a direct custodian-to-custodian IRA transfer, you do not have to worry about the 60 day transfer rule since you never receive the money. The transfer is usually accomplished by wire transfer directly between the respective IRA custodians.
The original IRA custodian can also accomplish the transfer by issuing a check made out to the custodian of the receiving IRA and mailing it out.
This is the easiest way to invest in gold through your IRA since it is all handled in the background by your existing and new custodian.
At the end of your IRA term, you can take possession of your gold. Once you are 59 ½ years old, you can liquidate the gold in your self-directed IRA for cash or take physical possession of your gold and other precious metals without penalty.
You have complete control over the precious metals that are purchased, as long as they are IRS-approved bullion. All precious metals must be produced by manufacturers accredited by NYMEX/COMEX, LME, BMA, NYSE/LIFFE/CBOT, and ISO-9000, or a national mint to be held in a retirement account.
The minimum fineness requirements for bullion to be included in a gold IRA are:
The IRS maintains a list of acceptable forms of precious metals for IRAs. You can be certain that a reputable gold IRA company offers a variety of metals for IRAs within IRS guidelines.
Here are some popular examples of IRA-approved gold and silver bullion:

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Your IRA gold must be stored in an IRS-approved depository. You cannot store your gold at home or in a local security deposit box.
Storing your IRA gold at home can be considered a distribution, which means you may lose your tax-deferred benefits and could get hit with a penalty if you’re under 59 ½ years old.
What is more, if the IRS determines that the day your IRA gold entered your home was the date of “distribution,” you could end up paying additional penalties and back taxes owed from the time of distribution.
You can take possession of your gold at the end of your IRA term.
To learn more about the benefits of investing in a gold IRA and how to get started, please request the FREE Gold IRA Guide, or find more information here.
We believe it is. Throughout history, gold and silver prices have moved in the opposite direction of paper assets and can, therefore, provide a good hedge against inflation. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future gains, but the numbers show that the weaker the dollar has become in the past, the better gold generally has performed. In fact, the relationship between gold and the dollar is often seen as an inverse one.
Traditional IRA accounts may not be enough to provide for you and your loved ones, post-retirement. Not if the economy remains as uncertain as it has looked recently.
For eons, investors have looked to gold to help them potentially offset losses due to economic turmoil. A gold IRA or precious metals IRA permits you to diversify a portion of your retirement portfolio — including pre-existing IRAs and former 401k(s) with previous employers — by actually owning physical gold (and silver) within a retirement plan. As a result, you can securely possess physical precious metals in a tax-deferred account.
Indirect forms of investing in gold are much riskier than physical metal. You are relying on any third party individual or company to look after your wealth for you, and depending on the company’s success or failure, you risk losing your investment. With physical gold, you are in control of your wealth. Physical gold offers you that layer of protection and security which Gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), gold mining stocks and funds do not.
When investing in a gold IRA, you will get the same tax benefits as a traditional IRA, while actually owning physical gold coins or gold bars.
While some coins can be included in precious metals IRAs, only certain coins are IRS approved for inclusion in IRAs. In fact, not all bars or bullion are IRS approved. The IRS maintains a list of acceptable forms of precious metals for IRAs. You can be certain that a reputable gold IRA company offers a variety of metals for IRAs within IRS guidelines.
Yes. While established gold IRA companies often recommend Equity Trust as their preferred custodian and Delaware Depository for storage, you can choose your own custodian and storage companies.
Non-IRA precious metals, yes. Not metals for an actual IRA. IRS rules forbid keeping your IRA precious metals at home or in a standard safety security box. They must be held by an approved non-bank trustee or a bank within IRS guidelines that restricts access. In other words, just like a traditional IRA, the access to the precious metals in your precious metals IRA must be restricted in specific ways to ensure deposit and disbursement laws are followed.
No. Like all investments, the future value of precious metals is not guaranteed and can rise or fall based on a variety of market influences. But we believe physical precious metals are your safest bet to hedge against a stock market crash, inflation, and the debasing of the dollar.
At age 59½, you or the beneficiary of your precious metals IRA can start taking penalty-free distributions from the account, according to the IRS.
Usually around two-three weeks, although each application is different and the amount of time varies on a case-by-case basis.
The customers will receive top-notch service and specialized account setup knowledge provided by the gold IRA company’s IRA Processing Department throughout the process from start to finish. They do 95% of the paperwork with them. Customers can feel safe knowing they will be kept up to date every step of the transfer process by daily calls or e-mails from the IRA Processing team with any gold IRA company listed on How To Invest Gold. These companies also often provide lifetime account support.
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