Preferred Trust Company: Precious Metals IRA Fees and Depositories

This profile summarizes what Preferred Trust Company says publicly about its precious metals IRA service. It is one entry in our Gold IRA Custodian Directory. It is not a recommendation, a rating or a ranking. Everything below about the company is the company's own claim unless we name another source. All pages were read on October 13, 2026, and company details can change, so check the current pages before you act.

Who is Preferred Trust Company?

According to its website, Preferred Trust Company is a self-directed IRA custodian. A self-directed IRA lets the owner choose investments beyond the usual stocks and funds, such as real estate, private loans, digital assets and precious metals. The company says it handles the paperwork, funding, valuations and IRS reporting for these accounts (About IRA Custodian).

Its licensing page gives a Las Vegas, Nevada address and names the licensed entity as "Preferred Trust, LLC." The rest of the site uses "Preferred Trust Company." The company does not explain the difference on the pages we read, so ask which legal name will appear on your account papers.

What does a custodian do, and what does it not do?

A custodian is the company that legally holds your IRA and keeps its records. It processes the purchases, sales and transfers you direct. Preferred Trust says its services include "IRS reporting." Our guide to Gold IRA custodians explains the role in more detail.

Preferred Trust describes itself as a "directed (passive) custodian." In its words, that means:

• It does not sell investments.
• It does not give investment, tax or legal advice.
• It does not do due diligence on investments, platforms, sponsors, dealers or service providers.
• On its precious metals page it states that it "does not select, recommend, or evaluate precious metals dealers."

This matters. Because the company says it does not evaluate dealers, any check on the dealer, the metal or the prices is left to you, which is why our page on custodian, dealer and depository roles tells readers to research each party separately.

Is Preferred Trust Company regulated?

The company's licensing page says it is supervised by the Financial Institutions Division of Nevada. It lists License No. TR10025 and describes it as a "retail trust company authorized to act as a directed custodian." Its About page says it "operates under the Nevada revised statute 669 and applicable bank and IRS regulations."

We could not confirm the license number on a state page. The Nevada Financial Institutions Division home page we opened had no license lookup for trust companies. You can ask the Division directly. It lists (702) 486-4120 on its site.

We did not find any statement on the company's pages about regulatory actions, and we did not check other databases for complaints. A lack of findings here is not a clean record.

Does Preferred Trust Company appear on the IRS list of approved nonbank trustees?

This question matters because of how the tax code treats gold and silver. Under federal law, an IRA's trustee must be a bank or another person who shows the IRS it can administer the account properly (26 U.S.C. 408(a)(2)). Companies that are not banks can apply to the IRS for approval, and the IRS publishes the approved nonbank trustees and custodians on a list. The IRS says an applicant must show, among other things, fiduciary experience, audited financial statements, a fidelity bond of at least $250,000 and a net worth of at least $250,000 (application procedures).

The IRS also says its bullion exception works only if a bank or an approved nonbank trustee keeps physical possession of the bullion (IRS collectibles page). Otherwise, an IRA's purchase of a collectible is treated as a distribution of its cost.

What we found:

The IRS page, last reviewed June 28, 2026, says "We will frequently update this list as other nonbank trustees or custodians are added or removed." An entity can be a bank-type trustee through a route other than this list. So this result alone does not tell us the company's legal status or whether its precious metals accounts meet the tax rules. That is a legal question. Ask Preferred Trust, in writing, how its trustee status satisfies the IRS rules for holding bullion in an IRA, and consider asking a tax professional or attorney to review the answer. Check the IRS list yourself on the day you decide, because it changes.

What does Preferred Trust Company charge for a precious metals IRA?

The company publishes a fee schedule on its fee page and as a Precious Metal Fee Schedule PDF. The PDF is marked "As of 1.20.26," although its file name says 1.26.26, so we call it a January 2026 schedule. The company says it may change fees with 30 days' written notice.

Other points from the schedule:

• The $300 rate applies only if the IRA holds nothing but precious metals. If you add other assets, the account moves to the standard schedule.
• The standard annual fee rises with account value, from $300 up to $50,000 to $1,000 above $600,000.
• The IRA must keep a minimum cash balance of $500.
• Storage fees are charged by the third-party depository and, per the schedule, come out of the IRA.

Dealer costs are separate and are not on this schedule. The company notes that dealers set their own prices, which can include a premium over the spot price, and that the gap between a dealer's buy and sell prices can reduce what you receive when you sell. For a wider look at what you may pay, see Gold IRA custodian fees.

A simple example

Suppose an IRA holds only precious metals and the owner buys metal twice in the first year. Using the published amounts, the custodian's own charges would be $50 to open, $300 for the year and $100 for two purchases, or $450. This excludes storage, shipping, dealer markups and any other service fees. It is arithmetic on the posted schedule, not a quote. Your total depends on your choices and the current schedule.

Which depositories does Preferred Trust Company use?

We cannot name any. The company's precious metals page does not list depositories. It says the depository is a separate company that physically stores the metal and tells investors to confirm storage options, fees, insurance and procedures directly.

What the page does say:

• Segregated storage: your specific bars or coins stay separate and individually identified. It may cost more.
• Non-segregated storage: certain bullion may be stored with matching metal owned by other clients. It may cost less.
• Options vary by depository and metal.
• The company says precious metals owned by a self-directed IRA "cannot simply be stored at home by the IRA owner."

For the rules on who must hold the metal, see our requirements guide.

Which metals does the company say it accepts?

The company says eligible products generally must meet minimum fineness levels: gold 99.5%, silver 99.9%, platinum 99.95%, and palladium 99.95%. It adds that a product must also meet its own custody requirements. The IRS says bullion must meet a specified fineness to avoid being treated as a collectible. Ask the custodian to confirm each specific coin or bar in writing before you buy.

How does buying metal through this custodian work?

Per the company's page, the steps are:

1. Open an account and fund it by transfer, rollover or contribution.
2. Choose eligible metals and do your own research.
3. Pick a dealer.
4. Send the paperwork and instructions to Preferred Trust.
5. The metal goes to an eligible third-party depository.

Note that the company is not involved in picking the dealer. If a dealer or a sales agent suggests a custodian to you, that is a business relationship worth asking about.

What should you ask before opening an account?

• Which legal entity will hold my account, and what is its Nevada license number?
• How does your trustee status satisfy the IRS rules for holding bullion? Can you put that in writing?
• Which depositories can I use? What are their fees, insurance and segregation options?
• What is the current fee schedule and its date? What notice do I get before changes?
• What happens to fees if I add another asset type?
• What are the costs to transfer out or close the account?
• How are uninvested cash balances held? (The company's FAQ says they are held in FDIC-insured demand accounts, certificates of deposit or U.S. government-backed securities. That is its own statement, so ask for details.)
• How do I get statements, and who do I call about a problem?

How does this compare with other custodians?

We do not rank custodians. To see how other firms describe themselves, read our profiles of Kingdom Trust and Madison Trust Company, and compare the same questions and the same kinds of published fees.

What we could not verify

• We did not query BBB, FINRA BrokerCheck, SEC EDGAR or court records, so this page says nothing about complaints or lawsuits either way.
• The company's home page shows badges and claims, such as an A+ rating, BBB Accredited and 15+ years. These are the company's own claims. We did not verify them and do not rely on them.
• The Nevada license was not confirmed on a state page.
• The IRS list is read from the April 1, 2026 PDF. A later version may differ.

This page is general information, not tax, legal or investment advice. A qualified tax professional or attorney can address your situation.