GOLD IRA — Education & Provider Information

Education · 8 min read

Taking Money Out of a Gold IRA: Distributions and RMDs Explained

Most Gold IRA guides cover how to get in. This one covers how to get out: selling the metal for cash, taking the coins themselves, required yearly withdrawals, and the taxes and fees that can come with each.

By Adam Zimmerman, Owner of Syl-Lee Antiques & Author of Antique Help

Most of what you read about Gold IRAs is about opening one. Far less is written about the other end: what happens when you want money, or metal, back out. This guide explains your options, the yearly withdrawal rules, and the costs that can come with each choice.

We are a reader-supported publication and may be paid to recommend companies featured on this site. This guide is general education, not tax or investment advice.

First, a few terms

  • IRA (individual retirement account): a tax-advantaged account for retirement savings. A Gold IRA is a self-directed IRA that holds eligible physical metal instead of, or alongside, stocks and funds.
  • Custodian: the IRS-approved company that holds your IRA on paper, keeps the records and processes withdrawals. You don't hold the metal yourself while it's inside the IRA.
  • Distribution: any money or property that leaves the IRA and comes to you.
  • RMD (required minimum distribution): the minimum amount you must take out of a traditional IRA each year once you reach a certain age.

Option 1: Sell the metal and take cash

The custodian arranges a sale of some or all of your metal, usually back to a dealer, and the cash lands in your IRA. You then take that cash out as a distribution. A few things to know:

  • You sell at the dealer's buy price, not the spot price. The difference between what a dealer sells at and buys at is called the spread. It's a real cost, and it varies by dealer and by product.
  • Buyback terms differ. Some companies offer to buy back metal they sold you; others don't. Ask before you sign up, not when you need the money.
  • There may be processing fees from the custodian or depository for the sale and the cash distribution.

Option 2: Take the metal itself

Instead of selling, you can ask the custodian to ship the actual coins or bars to you. This is called an in-kind distribution, and the IRS treats it as a distribution of property.

  • For a traditional IRA, the metal is taxed as if it were cash. Its fair market value on the day it's distributed is generally counted as ordinary income for that year. You'll owe the tax even though you didn't sell anything, so you'll need cash from somewhere else to pay it.
  • The custodian reports it. You'll receive a Form 1099-R showing the value distributed.
  • Shipping and insurance usually cost extra, and the depository or custodian may charge a handling fee.
  • Selling later has its own tax rules. Once the metal is outside the IRA, its value on the distribution date generally becomes your cost basis. If you later sell at a gain, the IRS treats physical gold as a collectible, and long-term gains on collectibles can be taxed at up to 28 percent federally.

Which option fits

Neither option is better for everyone. Cash is simpler and can be split into small amounts. Taking the metal keeps you holding gold, but it adds shipping, storage at home and a tax bill without a sale to pay for it.

Required minimum distributions (RMDs)

If your Gold IRA is a traditional IRA, you can't leave the money in forever. Once you reach your RMD age, you must take out a minimum amount each year.

  • When they start: under current law, RMDs generally begin at age 73. The SECURE 2.0 Act raises this to 75 for people who turn 74 after 2032.
  • Your first RMD can be delayed until April 1 of the year after you reach RMD age. If you do that, you'll take two RMDs in that same year, which can push more income into one tax year.
  • How the amount is worked out: the custodian uses the account's value on December 31 of the previous year, divided by a life-expectancy factor from IRS tables. For a Gold IRA, your metal has to be valued each year, and the custodian does this.
  • Missing one is costly. The penalty on an amount you should have taken but didn't is currently 25 percent of the shortfall, reduced to 10 percent if you correct it within a set window.

Why RMDs can be harder with metal

With stocks or funds, an RMD is a quick sale of a few shares. With physical metal, you can't easily sell a fraction of a coin. A few ways people handle this:

  • Keep some cash in the IRA to cover RMDs, so you don't have to sell metal each year.
  • Take the RMD in-kind by having coins shipped to you, worth at least the required amount.
  • Use another IRA. If you have more than one traditional IRA, the IRS generally lets you add up the RMDs and take the total from any one of them. This doesn't apply across 401(k) plans or between your IRAs and a spouse's.

Taking money out early

If you take a distribution before age 59½, you'll generally owe a 10 percent additional tax on top of regular income tax, unless an exception applies. The IRS lists several exceptions, such as certain disability or medical cases. Early withdrawals from a Gold IRA follow the same rules as any other IRA.

Roth Gold IRAs work differently

If your Gold IRA is a Roth IRA, there are no RMDs while you, the original owner, are alive. Qualified distributions are generally tax-free, including in-kind metal, once you're 59½ and the account has been open at least five years.

The selling costs, the spread and the shipping fees still apply. Only the tax picture changes.

Questions to ask your custodian and dealer

Before you open an account, and again before you take money out, it helps to get answers to these in writing:

  • What fees do you charge to sell metal or to process a distribution?
  • Do you offer a buyback, and how is the buy price set?
  • What do shipping and insurance cost for an in-kind distribution?
  • How and when do you value my metal for RMDs?
  • Can I keep a cash balance in the account to cover RMDs?

The short version

You can take money out of a Gold IRA by selling the metal for cash or by taking the metal itself. Either way, a traditional Gold IRA's withdrawals are generally taxed as income, RMDs start at 73 under current rules, and the spread and fees reduce what you end up with. Knowing these costs up front lets you compare providers on how they handle the exit, not just the entry. Our side-by-side comparison and provider profiles can help you start.

Important: this is not financial, tax or legal advice

This article is for general education only. It is not financial, investment, tax or legal advice, and it doesn't take your personal situation into account. Tax laws and IRS rules change, and the figures above reflect our understanding of current rules at the time of writing, which may not be complete or up to date.

Before you take any distribution, sell metal, or make decisions about your retirement account, talk with a qualified professional, such as a CPA or accountant, a tax advisor, or a licensed financial advisor, and confirm the details with your IRA custodian. You are responsible for your own decisions.

About the author

Adam Zimmerman is the owner of Syl-Lee Antiques in Manhattan and the author of Antique Help. He has spent his career valuing estates — precious metals, art and jewelry — at kitchen tables across New York. The opinions on this site are his own.

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