Gold IRA Minimum Investment: Each Company's Published Minimum
Published ยท Updated
What is the minimum investment for a gold IRA?
Each company sets its own minimum. No law does. Published IRA minimums run from $5,000 at Birch Gold to $50,000 at Augusta. Goldco's is $25,000. With $10,000, four of the companies we track will take you. Between $25,000 and $50,000, Goldco is open and Augusta isn't. Account fees are flat, so a small account pays a bigger share. At Birch Gold's $5,000 minimum, ten years of account fees would be 48.0% of the money. Start from the amount you have, not from the company's floor.
A representative usually calls after you request it.
We're paid by Goldco and Augusta when you request information; see how.
Minimums by company
Each company sets its own minimum. These are the IRA minimums they publish, with the cash-purchase minimum where one is stated, and what ten years of commingled-storage account fees come to if you invest exactly the minimum.
| Company | IRA minimum | Cash minimum | 10-yr fees at the minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Hartford Gold | $10,000 | Not published | Can't add up |
| Augusta Precious Metals Paid partner | $50,000 | $50,000 | $2,400 (4.8%) |
| Get Augusta's free Gold IRA guide ($50k minimum)Paid partner Augusta's published minimum is $50,000. | |||
| Birch Gold Group | $5,000 | $5,000 | $2,400 (48.0%) |
| Goldco Paid partner | $25,000 | Not published | $2,400 (9.6%) |
| Request Goldco's free Gold & Silver KitPaid partner A representative usually calls after you request it. | |||
| Lear Capital Caution on Lear Capital: NY AG $6M consent order (2022) and 2022 Chapter 11 with multistate $5.5M restitution. | $10,000 | Not published | $2,400 (24.0%) |
| Noble Gold Investments | $20,000 | Not published | $2,830 (14.1%) |
| Patriot Gold Group | Not published | Not published | Can't add up |
| Priority Gold Caution on Priority Gold: Site claims 'fully accredited' BBB A+ and 4.9 Trustpilot; BBB shows NOT accredited and Trustpilot shows 4.8 (2026-10-29). | $10,000 | $5,000 | $2,400 (24.0%) |
Patriot Gold doesn't publish a minimum; its no-fee program is described for qualified accounts of $100,000 and up on one landing page. American Hartford Gold publishes a minimum but not its setup or admin fee, so its last column can't be filled. Noble Gold's cash minimum is listed differently on two of its pages.
Goldco's edge here, and its limits
On account fees Goldco has nothing that sets it apart: its setup and admin are the custodian's standard charges, and it publishes no waiver. On the minimum, it does have something to offer: $25,000 against Augusta's $50,000. A reader with $30,000 or $40,000 can't use Augusta at all, and can use Goldco.
It isn't the lowest minimum, though. Birch Gold publishes $5,000, and American Hartford Gold, Lear Capital and Priority Gold publish $10,000. If a low entry point is the only thing you care about, Goldco is in the middle of the pack. If you want Goldco's company record before you ask for anything, the Goldco review at Gold IRA Companies Ranked covers it.
The minimum is where flat fees hurt most
Look at the last column of the table. At Birch Gold's $5,000 minimum, ten years of account fees would be 48.0% of the money. At Goldco's $25,000, it is 9.6%. At Augusta's $50,000, 4.8%. The dollar fee is the same for all three; the minimum changes what it means.
That doesn't make a low minimum bad. It means the minimum is a floor for opening an account, not a sign that the account makes sense at that size. Our cost examples at $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 show the same effect across ten years. Why Goldco's and Birch Gold's figures use Equity Trust's storage rate rather than one from their own pages is set out company by company in the gold IRA fee table on Gold IRA Companies Ranked.
A practical way to use the minimum: start from the amount you actually have, not from the company's floor. Put that figure into our calculator and look at the share column. If the ten-year figure looks too high, a lower minimum elsewhere doesn't fix it, because the dollar fees are the same at almost every company. Ours stops at ten years; if you expect to hold the account longer, the calculator at Gold IRA Companies Ranked runs the same fees over as many as 40.
Minimums and waivers are different thresholds
Some companies tie fee waivers to amounts well above their minimum. Birch Gold covers first-year fees for accounts over $50,000. Lear Capital's waivers step up at $25,000, $50,000 and $75,000. Priority Gold gives a year of free storage per $50,000. So a company with a low minimum may only waive fees once you're well past it. The fee waiver page has the details.
What to ask about a minimum
- Does the minimum apply to the first purchase, the transferred amount, or the account balance?
- Is it the same for a rollover from a 401(k) as for a transfer from another IRA?
- If the metal later falls below the minimum in value, does anything change?
- Is there a separate minimum for the bonus offer or fee waiver you were told about?
A rollover has tax rules of its own. Talk to a tax professional before moving retirement money.
Verdict
Goldco's $25,000 minimum is its clearest advantage over Augusta, not over the market: lower published minimums exist. Below about $25,000, think hard about the share flat fees will take, whichever company you look at.
With $25,000 or more, Goldco's kit is available. With $50,000 or more, so is Augusta's guide.
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.
Minimum investment questions
Is the gold IRA minimum set by law?
No. It is set by each company, not by law. Among the companies we track, published IRA minimums run from $5,000 at Birch Gold to $50,000 at Augusta.
What is Goldco's minimum investment?
$25,000 for a gold IRA, according to Goldco's FAQ. That is half of Augusta's $50,000 minimum.
What is Augusta Precious Metals' minimum?
$50,000, for an IRA and for a cash purchase, according to Augusta's FAQ.
Can I open a gold IRA with $5,000?
Birch Gold publishes a $5,000 minimum. At that size, the flat yearly account fees are a large share of the money, so run the numbers before deciding.
Do I have to put the minimum in all at once?
Companies set their own rules on this and few publish them. Ask whether the minimum applies to the first purchase, the account balance, or a rollover amount, and get the answer in writing.
Does a higher minimum mean lower fees?
Not on the published figures. Augusta's minimum is twice Goldco's, and both quote the same custodian setup and admin fees. Some waivers do depend on the amount, which is a separate question from the minimum.
Sources
- Goldco: Gold IRA FAQs, checked October 29, 2026
- Augusta Precious Metals: FAQ, checked October 29, 2026
- American Hartford Gold: Gold IRA FAQs, checked October 29, 2026
- Birch Gold Group: FAQs, checked October 29, 2026
- Lear Capital: Gold IRA fee structure, checked October 29, 2026
- Noble Gold Investments: Gold IRA, checked October 29, 2026
- Patriot Gold Group: No Fees for Life landing page, checked October 29, 2026
- Priority Gold: Reviews page (minimums), checked October 29, 2026
- Goldco: How much does a gold IRA cost? (setup and admin), checked October 29, 2026
- Augusta Precious Metals: What a gold IRA costs each year (setup, admin and storage), checked October 29, 2026
- Birch Gold Group: Prices (setup and admin), checked October 29, 2026
- Noble Gold Investments: Support FAQ (setup and storage), checked October 29, 2026
- Priority Gold: Gold IRA fees, checked October 29, 2026
- Equity Trust: Fee FAQs (storage rates used for Goldco and Birch Gold), checked October 29, 2026
Facts checked October 29, 2026