Flat vs Scaled Gold IRA Fees: The Math of Which Costs Less
Published · Updated
Are flat or percentage gold IRA fees cheaper?
It depends on your balance. A flat fee costs the same dollars at any size. A percentage fee grows with the account. To find the break-even, divide the flat yearly fee by the quoted rate. Above that balance, flat costs less. Below it, the percentage costs less. Every company we track charges flat, about $235 a year for admin and commingled storage. At $10,000 that is 2.35% a year. At $250,000 it is under a tenth of a percent. So the question only matters if someone quotes you a percentage.
A representative usually calls after you request it.
We're paid by Goldco and Augusta when you request information; see how.
Two ways to charge for the same account
A flat fee is a dollar amount: $125 a year for administration and $110 a year for commingled storage on Equity Trust's published schedule. It doesn't care whether the vault holds one coin or a pallet.
A scaled fee is a percentage of the value held. It grows when the balance grows, falls when it falls, and is billed on whatever valuation the provider uses. The SEC's alert on self-directed IRAs notes that fees vary among custodians and asks investors to understand them before opening an account; a percentage fee is one of the variations to look out for.
The companies in our calculator all say, one way or another, that they charge flat:
- Goldco: fees are not a percentage of assets and are the same "whether you have $30,000 or $3 million".
- Noble Gold: a flat annual fee regardless of account value.
- Lear Capital: flat storage, no extra charge for adding metals.
- Augusta and Birch Gold: the fees are the custodian's and depository's flat charges, not theirs.
Caution on Lear Capital: NY AG $6M consent order (2022) and 2022 Chapter 11 with multistate $5.5M restitution.
The break-even formula
break-even balance = flat yearly fee ÷ percentage rate
Below that balance, the percentage fee is cheaper. Above it, the flat fee is. With a $235 flat fee, a rate of r percent breaks even at $235 × 100 ÷ r. You don't need anyone's rate to use it; plug in the one you are quoted.
The table below does the same sum the other way round. It shows what a flat $235 (commingled) or $285 (segregated) yearly fee works out to as a percentage, at different balances. If a provider quotes a percentage lower than the figure in your row, its scaled fee would be cheaper at that balance; higher, and the flat fee wins.
| Balance | $235 a year is | $285 a year is |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | 2.35% | 2.85% |
| $25,000 | 0.94% | 1.14% |
| $50,000 | 0.47% | 0.57% |
| $100,000 | 0.24% | 0.29% |
| $250,000 | 0.094% | 0.11% |
| $500,000 | 0.047% | 0.057% |
On a small account the flat fee is an expensive way to pay. At $10,000, $235 is 2.35% a year. By $250,000, it is under a tenth of a percent. The gold IRA fees compared page on Gold IRA Companies Ranked runs the same comparison at $25,000 and $100,000 in its section on flat and percentage fees.
What changes over time
A flat fee stays the same dollar amount however the metal moves, as long as the provider keeps its schedule. A scaled fee moves with the value of the account. If the metal rises, you pay more; if it falls, you pay less. Neither is a bet on the price of gold, and we make no forecast of it; it only changes which fee structure costs less in a given year.
Two smaller points. A percentage fee is only as clear as the valuation behind it, so ask how and when the account is valued. And a flat fee can still rise if the custodian changes its schedule, so ask when it last did. Schedules do move: Goldco's older pages quote lower admin and storage figures than Equity Trust charges today, and the notes on Goldco's fees at Gold IRA Companies Ranked list the old and current numbers.
To see the numbers for a quoted rate, the calculator on our home page takes an optional percentage and sets it next to the flat schedules.
Why it matters for picking a company
Because every company we track charges flat, flat versus scaled doesn't separate them. It matters in two other situations: if you are comparing a gold IRA with a different kind of account that charges a percentage, or if a provider outside this list quotes you a percentage. In both cases, use the break-even formula and decide with the actual numbers in front of you.
Since the fee structure won't separate the companies, other things have to. For Goldco, the Goldco review on Gold IRA Companies Ranked goes through its buyback terms and complaint record.
Verdict
Flat fees favour larger accounts and cost a small account a lot in percentage terms. Every company we cover charges flat, Goldco included, so the structure won't help you choose between them. It will tell you whether the account size you have in mind makes sense at all.
Goldco's minimum is $25,000; Augusta's is $50,000.
A representative usually calls after you request it.
Augusta's published minimum is $50,000. Below that, it isn't an option.
A representative usually calls after you request it.
Flat and scaled fee questions
What is a flat gold IRA fee?
A fixed dollar amount each year, whatever the account is worth. At the companies we track that is about $235 a year for admin and commingled storage.
What is a scaled gold IRA fee?
A fee charged as a percentage of the account or metal value, so it rises and falls with the balance. None of the eight companies we track publishes a scaled account fee.
When is a scaled fee cheaper than a flat one?
When the percentage times your balance comes to less than the flat fee. For a $235 flat fee, divide $235 by the quoted rate to find the balance where the two are equal; below that balance the scaled fee is cheaper, above it the flat fee is.
Are flat fees better for large gold IRAs?
They cost a smaller share of a large account, because the dollar figure doesn't grow. Whether a gold IRA of any size suits you is a separate question, best taken to a tax professional or fee-only adviser.
Does Goldco charge flat or scaled fees?
Flat. Goldco's FAQ says its fees are not a percentage of assets and are the same whether you have $30,000 or $3 million.
Sources
- Goldco: Gold IRA FAQs, checked October 29, 2026
- Noble Gold Investments: Gold IRA, checked October 29, 2026
- Lear Capital: Gold IRA fee structure, checked October 29, 2026
- Augusta Precious Metals: What a gold IRA costs each year, checked October 29, 2026
- Birch Gold Group: Prices, checked October 29, 2026
- Equity Trust: Fee FAQs, checked October 29, 2026
- SEC Investor.gov: Investor Alert, Self-Directed IRAs and the Risk of Fraud, checked October 30, 2026
Facts checked October 29, 2026