Best Gold IRA Custodians (2026): Fees Compared From Their Own Schedules
The best gold IRA custodians for 2026, judged on the fee schedules they publish themselves, are Equity Trust and STRATA Trust, which charge a flat $235 and $265 a year with non-segregated storage. GoldStar Trust is close behind. Vantage and The Entrust Group charge partly by account value, so they cost more as your balance grows. Below are every custodian's numbers, the yearly cost at $50,000 and $100,000, and the one question most buyers forget to ask: which custodian does your dealer actually use?
What a gold IRA custodian does, and what it does not
A gold IRA has three players, and people mix them up all the time. The dealer sells you the metal. The custodian holds the IRA itself. The depository keeps the coins in a vault. You pay each of them in a different way.
| Role | Who chooses it | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer | You | Sells you the coins or bars and quotes the price | Augusta Precious Metals |
| Custodian | You, usually through the dealer | Holds the IRA, keeps records, reports to the IRS, pays bills from the account | Equity Trust, STRATA Trust |
| Depository | The custodian, with your input | Stores and insures the metal | Delaware Depository, Brink's |
The IRS sets the rule for the middle row: the trustee or custodian of an IRA must be a bank, a federally insured credit union, a savings and loan association, or an entity approved by the IRS. You cannot act as your own custodian, and you cannot keep IRA metal at home. The IRS publishes its list of approved nonbank trustees and custodians, and any custodian should tell you plainly which category it falls under.
For depositories, segregated versus commingled storage and the home-storage court case, see our gold IRA storage guide.
Sources: IRS Publication 590-A; IRS, Approved nonbank trustees and custodians. See also our gold IRA scams and red flags guide on home-storage offers. Which coins and bars qualify: IRA eligible gold.
Best gold IRA custodians compared: 2026 fee table
Every number below comes from the custodian's own published schedule, not from a dealer or a review site. Custodians can change fees with notice, so check the current schedule before you sign.
| Custodian | Setup | Yearly account fee | Storage per year | Buy or sell | Closing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Trust | $50 | $125 flat | $110 non-segregated; $160 segregated | $30 per liquidation | $250 |
| STRATA Trust | $50 (waived if opened online) | $150 flat | $115 commingled; $175 segregated | $40 per transaction | $250 |
| GoldStar Trust | $50 | $150 maintenance (based on account value, per GoldStar) | $125 commingled; $225+ segregated | No fee to buy, sell or exchange | Not listed |
| The Entrust Group | $50 | $219 (one asset) or $329 (two or more), plus 0.17% above $50,000; capped at $2,299 | Depository cost, passed through | No fee to buy, sell or exchange | $250 |
| Vantage IRAs | $50 | $325 flat | 0.20% of account value, $150 minimum | $95 per purchase or sale | $250 |
Sources: Equity Trust, Precious Metals Fee Schedule; Equity Trust, Fee FAQs; STRATA Trust, Fees; GoldStar Trust, Fee Schedule (Rev. 01/2026); The Entrust Group, fee changes effective January 12, 2026; Vantage IRAs, Precious Metals IRA fees. Checked October 2026.
Yearly cost at $50,000 and $100,000
Fee tables are hard to compare because custodians bill in different ways. So we added up the yearly account fee and non-segregated storage for two account sizes. Setup and closing fees are left out because they are paid once.
| Custodian | $50,000 account | $100,000 account | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Trust | $235 | $235 | Flat; non-segregated storage |
| STRATA Trust | $265 | $265 | Flat; add $40 for each purchase or sale |
| GoldStar Trust | About $275 | About $275 | GoldStar says fees are based on account value; confirm your quote |
| The Entrust Group | $329 plus storage | $414 plus storage | Two or more assets; storage billed at depository cost |
| Vantage IRAs | $475 | $525 | Storage is 0.20% of value; add $95 per trade |
Over 10 years on $100,000: Equity Trust's schedule comes to $2,350 in yearly fees, STRATA's to $2,650, and Vantage's to about $5,250 if your balance stays the same. That gap of roughly $2,900 is real money, but it is still smaller than what a few percentage points of dealer markup can cost on the metal itself.
Flat or percentage: a flat fee stays the same if gold doubles. A percentage fee rises with it. If you expect your account to grow, flat-fee custodians get cheaper by comparison every year.
Calculations are ours, from the schedules listed above. GoldStar's figure is an estimate because its schedule says fees are based on account value.
The five custodians, and who each one suits
1. Equity Trust Company
Best for: the lowest flat yearly cost
Equity Trust's precious metals schedule lists a $50 setup fee, a $125 yearly maintenance fee and $110 for non-segregated storage ($160 segregated). Selling metal costs $30 per transaction, an in-kind distribution or transfer out costs $125, and closing the account costs $250. It is the custodian Augusta Precious Metals and several other large dealers work with.
Check first: paper statements add $60 a year, so sign up for electronic ones.
2. STRATA Trust Company
Best for: a flat fee with online setup
STRATA's precious metals tier charges $150 a year, flat, plus $115 for commingled storage or $175 segregated. The $50 setup fee is waived if you open the account online. Each purchase, sale or exchange costs $40, and closing costs $250. Advantage Gold names STRATA as one of its custodians.
Check first: the $40 trade fee adds up if you plan to buy in several small orders.
3. GoldStar Trust Company
Best for: no fees on purchases and sales
GoldStar's January 2026 schedule lists a $50 establishment fee, a $150 yearly maintenance fee, $125 for commingled storage and at least $225 for segregated storage. It charges nothing to buy, sell or exchange. Birch Gold names GoldStar as one of its usual custodians.
Check first: GoldStar says its fees are based on the account's market value, and its schedule also lists other holding charges, so ask for a written estimate at your balance.
4. The Entrust Group
Best for: smaller accounts with one type of asset
From January 12, 2026, Entrust charges $219 a year for a single asset under $50,000, or $329 for two or more, plus 0.17% of value above $50,000, with a cap of $2,299. Metal trades are free, and depository and shipping costs are passed through at cost. Closing costs $250. American Hartford Gold names Entrust as one of its custodians.
Check first: storage is billed separately at the depository's price, so ask for that number too.
5. Vantage IRAs
Best for: people who want a custodian outside the big dealer networks
Vantage charges a $50 setup fee, $325 a year for record-keeping, and storage at 0.20% of account value with a $150 minimum. Each purchase or liquidation costs $95, and full termination costs $250.
Check first: with percentage-based storage and per-trade fees, it is the most expensive of the five on our numbers.
Sources: custodian schedules listed above. Dealer and custodian pairings from our Augusta vs Advantage Gold, Birch Gold review and Augusta vs American Hartford Gold pages.
Why your dealer matters more than your custodian
In practice, very few people pick a custodian first. They pick a dealer, and the dealer opens the account with the custodian it already works with. That is not a bad thing; a dealer that works with the same custodian every day usually gets the paperwork right. But it means the custodian's fees come bundled with the dealer you choose.
It also means the dealer can change your custodian costs. Augusta Precious Metals works with Equity Trust, lists the same $50 setup, $125 custodian and $110 storage fees shown above, and says it may pay the yearly fees for up to 10 years on qualifying accounts. On a $100,000 account, that turns Equity Trust's $2,350 of 10-year fees into $50 of setup.
Source: Augusta FAQ. See our Augusta fees and minimum guide for the full math.
How to choose a gold IRA custodian: six questions
- Is the yearly fee flat, or does it rise with the value of the account?
- What does storage cost, and is it segregated or commingled?
- Is there a fee each time metal is bought or sold?
- What does it cost to take coins out in kind, transfer out or close the account?
- Which depositories can hold my metal, and how is it insured?
- Is the custodian a bank, a chartered trust company or an IRS-approved nonbank trustee?
Get the answers in writing, then add them to the dealer's quote. The total, not either number alone, is what the gold IRA costs you. Our gold IRA fees guide shows how to add it all up, and Best Gold IRA Companies of 2026 compares the dealers.
Gold IRA custodians: frequently asked questions
Who is the best gold IRA custodian?
On published fees, Equity Trust has the lowest flat yearly cost of the custodians we compared: $125 a year plus $110 for non-segregated storage, or $235 in total. STRATA Trust is close at $265. Custodians that charge a percentage of your balance, such as Vantage and The Entrust Group, cost more as the account grows.
What does a gold IRA custodian do?
The custodian holds the IRA, keeps the records, reports to the IRS and arranges storage with an approved depository. It does not sell you the metal; a dealer does. The IRS says an IRA trustee or custodian must be a bank, a federally insured credit union, a savings and loan association, or an entity approved by the IRS.
How much does a gold IRA custodian charge?
Among the five custodians we checked, yearly account and storage fees run from about $235 to $475 or more, plus a one-time setup fee of around $50. Some also charge per purchase or sale, and most charge about $250 to close the account.
Can I choose my own gold IRA custodian?
Usually yes, but most dealers work with one or two custodians they already have a process with. Ask the dealer which custodian it uses before you sign, and compare that custodian's fee schedule with the others.
Which custodian does Augusta Precious Metals use?
Augusta works with Equity Trust Company. Augusta lists a $125 yearly custodian fee and a $110 yearly storage fee, and says it may pay those fees for up to 10 years on qualifying accounts.
Pick the dealer, then check its custodian
If you are moving $50,000 or more, Augusta's free kit explains its Equity Trust setup and the fees it pays before any sales call.
Get the Free Gold IRA Info KitFor balances of $50,000 or more.
Or read our full Augusta Precious Metals review