Gold IRA Storage Fees: Segregated vs Commingled Costs
Storage fees pay for keeping IRA metal in an approved vault. They may be a flat dollar amount or a percentage of value, and segregated storage, where your metal is kept apart and identified as yours, may cost more than commingled storage. Amounts vary, so get the schedule and what insurance covers in writing.
Metal in a Gold IRA must be kept by an approved trustee, so storage is a cost you pay for as long as you hold metal. This page explains how storage fees are built and what to ask. It is not a price list. Amounts vary by provider and change, and we found no regulator source for a typical storage cost, so we do not state one. It is part of Gold IRA Fees and Costs.
Why does a Gold IRA have storage fees?
The IRS describes the bullion exception to the collectibles rule as covering "Any gold, silver, platinum, or palladium bullion of a certain fineness if a bank or approved non-bank trustee keeps physical possession of it" (IRS). FINRA and the CFTC say metals in a self-directed IRA must be held by the IRA trustee or custodian (FINRA). As one example, STRATA says its clients' metals are held at depositories and names Delaware Depository Services Company and Texas Precious Metals Depository (STRATA). The IRS bullion exception refers to a bank or approved non-bank trustee keeping physical possession (quote above), so home storage raises separate rule questions; see home storage and the IRA rules.
FINRA and the CFTC list "storage, insurance, administrative fees" among the potential costs of buying metal (FINRA). For the whole picture of where IRA metal is kept, see Gold IRA storage.
What is the difference between segregated and commingled storage?
We use STRATA Trust Company's published descriptions as one example. Other providers may define the terms differently, so ask for theirs.
- Commingled: per STRATA, "Your precious metals will be held in a segregated storage area for STRATA customers but will be commingled with other STRATA customers within the storage area."
- Segregated: per STRATA, "Your precious metals will be held in a segregated storage area for STRATA customers and will be segregated, marked, and stored with your name and IRA account number."
(STRATA, accessed 2026-10-06.) In plain terms, commingled means your coins or bars are pooled with other customers' metal of the same kind, while segregated means your specific items are kept apart and identified. According to the same page, one of the two depositories it lists offers segregated storage only, and segregated silver is not offered at the other. Availability depends on the depository and the metal.
How records are kept and what happens if a depository fails are not covered by the sources we read. Ask each provider to explain them in writing.
How are storage fees charged?
| Method | How it works | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat dollar fee | A set amount per year; in STRATA's schedule, for example, the amount differs for commingled and segregated | Is it the same for every account size? |
| Percentage of value | For example, a rate, often stated in basis points, applied to the value of the metal | Which value, and measured when? |
| Tiered percentage | In the example schedules, the rate falls on higher slices of value | How are the slices defined? |
| Minimum charge | A floor under a percentage fee | Does the minimum make a small account effectively flat? |
A basis point is one hundredth of one percent, so 20 basis points is 0.20%. With a percentage fee, a rise in the metal's value raises the dollar fee, and a fall lowers it. In the example schedules, a flat fee does not move with value.
What do published storage fees look like?
These are three examples taken from custodians' own published schedules, read on 2026-10-06. They show different structures. They are not a sample of the market and not recommendations, the order means nothing, and the numbers are not comparable, because each provider bundles services differently and may bill storage or other fees in other ways.
| Provider (published schedule) | Storage fee as written |
|---|---|
| STRATA Trust Company | Under the heading "Annual Precious Metals Storage Fees": commingled $115; segregated $175, which the page says "applies to gold, platinum, and palladium; depository exceptions may apply" (STRATA fees) |
| American Estate & Trust | 50 basis points per year for the first $100K, 25 basis points from $100K to $500K, 10 basis points beyond $500K; $12 monthly minimum (fee schedule V12162025) |
| Vantage IRAs | 20 basis points of total account value based on your depository renewal date, for a minimum of $150 (Vantage fees) |
STRATA lists its figures under the heading "Annual Precious Metals Storage Fees"; confirm the billing period with each provider. American Estate & Trust says its storage fees "will be collected from funds held in the account," so they reduce the IRA's cash. STRATA says its fees "are subject to change without notice."
Do not compare one row with another without converting each to a dollar amount for your own metal value and holding period.
Does storage include insurance?
Maybe, maybe not. FINRA and the CFTC name insurance as a separate possible cost. We did not find an insurance statement on the fee schedules we read, and we did not verify any provider's coverage. Ask in writing:
- Is insurance included in the storage fee or charged separately?
- What does the coverage protect against, and who is the insured party?
- Is metal in segregated and commingled storage covered the same way?
- Can you receive a statement or audit report confirming your holdings?
What other storage-related charges can there be?
Storage is often not the only line. The schedules we read list charges for handling, shipping and distribution. For example, Vantage lists shipping fees with a $50 minimum (Vantage), and American Estate & Trust lists a $75 handling fee for in-kind distribution of metals (AET). If you later take metal out, see in-kind distributions. Custodian-side charges are covered in Gold IRA custodian fees, and the dealer's price layer in dealer premiums, markups and spreads.
Which storage questions should I ask before I choose?
- Which depository will hold my metal, and can I choose?
- Is storage commingled or segregated, and what exactly does each mean here?
- How is the fee calculated, on what value, and how often is it billed?
- Is there a minimum, and is the first year prorated?
- What happens to the fee when the metal's value changes?
- Is insurance included, and what does it cover?
- Who bills me: the depository, the custodian or the dealer?
What are common storage-fee mistakes?
- Assuming the price gap between segregated and commingled is the same everywhere. One schedule we read lists a higher segregated price than commingled price; we did not check others, so ask each provider for both.
- Paying for metal you can't confirm. FINRA and the CFTC warn "Some fraudulent dealers have charged storage and insurance fees for metal that never existed" (FINRA).
- Taking unwritten answers. The CFTC says "If fees are not available in writing before your purchase, that is a red flag" (CFTC).
- Forgetting that storage repeats every year. One-time price costs matter less over a long hold, while yearly fees keep adding up.
This page is general education, not advice on which storage arrangement suits you.
Sources
- Investor Bulletin: 10 Things to Ask Before Buying Physical Gold, Silver or Other Metals, FINRA and CFTC. Accessed Invalid Date.
- Customer Advisory: 10 Things to Ask Before Buying Physical Gold, Silver, or Other Metals, Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Accessed Invalid Date.
- Investments in collectibles in individually directed qualified plan accounts, Internal Revenue Service. Accessed Invalid Date.
- Where/How Are My STRATA IRA-Owned Precious Metals Stored?, STRATA Trust Company. Accessed Invalid Date.
- Strata Fees, STRATA Trust Company. Accessed Invalid Date.
- IRA Fee Schedule & Disclosure - V12162025, American Estate & Trust, Inc.. Accessed Invalid Date.
- Fee Schedule for Precious Metals IRA, Vantage IRAs. Accessed Invalid Date.
This guide is general education, not personalized financial, tax or legal advice. See our financial disclaimer, editorial policy and advertising disclosure.