02/28/2026
TYPES OF GOLD IRAs
GENERAL RULES
General Limit: The maximum you can contribute to all your traditional and Roth IRAs for 2025 is $7,000, or your taxable compensation for the year, whichever is less.
Catch-up Contribution: If you're age 50 or older by the end of 2025, you can contribute an additional $1,000, bringing your total contribution limit to $8,000.
Deadline: You can make contributions for a given year up until the federal tax filing deadline of the following year ( April 15)
TRADITIONAL GOLD IRA
Traditional Gold IRA Contributions are made with pre-tax money, and growth is tax-deferred until withdrawals in retirement are taxed as ordinary income. A traditional Gold IRA is a type of self-directed IRA that allows individuals to invest in physical gold and other precious metals like silver, platinum, and palladium as part of their retirement savings. Unlike traditional IRAs that typically hold paper assets like stocks and bonds, a gold IRA lets investors own physical gold, providing a way to diversify their retirement portfolios and potentially hedge against inflation and economic instability. Anyone with taxable compensation can contribute to a traditional IRA, regardless of age.
Contributions may be tax-deductible, reducing your taxable income for the year. The amount you can deduct depends on whether you or your spouse are covered by a retirement plan at work and your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI).
For example, if you're single and covered by a workplace retirement plan, your deduction is phased out if your MAGI is between $79,000 and $89,000. If your MAGI is $89,000 or more, you can't deduct your contribution.
If neither you nor your spouse is covered by a workplace retirement plan, your deduction is allowed in full, regardless of your income.
Withdrawals: You can withdraw from a traditional IRA at any time. However, withdrawals before age 59½ are generally subject to a 10% penalty tax, in addition to ordinary income tax.
Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): You must begin taking distributions by April 1 of the year following the year you reach age 73 (for those reaching age 73 in 2023 or later).
ROTH GOLD IRA
ROTH IRA contributions are made with after-tax money, leading to tax-free withdrawals in retirement if certain conditions are met. A Roth Gold IRA allows you to invest in physical gold within a tax-advantaged retirement account. It combines the benefits of a Roth IRA, specifically tax-free withdrawals in retirement, with the potential advantages of holding physical gold, such as diversification and hedging against inflation. The value of your gold grows tax-free within the Roth Gold IRA. When you take qualified withdrawals in retirement (after age 59½ and meeting the five-year rule), both your contributions and earnings are tax-free. In 2025, to make a full Roth IRA contribution, your MAGI must be less than $150,000 for single filers and less than $236,000 for those filing jointly.
Your contribution limit is reduced if your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) falls within certain ranges ( between $150,000 and $165,000 for single filers in 2025).
You are ineligible to contribute if your MAGI is above those ranges ($165,000 or more for single filers in 2025).
Non-deductible Contributions: Roth IRA contributions are made with after-tax dollars and are not deductible.
Tax-Free Growth & Withdrawals: Your investments grow tax-free, and qualified distributions (withdrawals) in retirement are also tax-free.
No RMDs: Roth IRA owners are not required to take withdrawals during their lifetime.
SEP Gold IRA
Many types of businesses can establish a SEP IRA plan, but it's best suited for self-employed individuals and small businesses with no employees or many employees. With these plans, small business owners can contribute toward their employees' retirement, as well as their own retirement savings. This is a traditional IRA designed for self-employed individuals and small business owners, featuring higher contribution limits. SEP gold IRA allows individuals to invest in physical gold and other precious metals like silver, platinum, and palladium as part of their retirement savings.
Only the employer can make contributions to the SEP IRAs. Employees cannot contribute. The employer can contribute up to the lesser of 25% of each employee's compensation or a specific dollar amount, which is subject to cost-of-living adjustments. For 2025, the limit the employer can contribute is $70,000.
Self-Employed Individuals: Self-employed individuals can contribute to their own SEP-IRA based on their net earnings, typically 20% of net profit minus one-half of the self-employment tax, up to the annual limit. This amount is tax deductible to the business.
Contribution Deadline: Contributions must be made by the employer's tax filing deadline, including extensions.
Follow Traditional IRA Rules: SEP-IRA distributions are subject to the same rules as traditional IRAs.
Taxation: Distributions are typically taxed as ordinary income.
Early Withdrawal Penalty: Distributions taken before age 59 ½ are generally subject to a 10% penalty, unless an exception applies.
Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): Owners and employees must begin taking RMDs at age 73 if born after December 31, 1950. The initial RMD deadline depends on when the individual reaches age 72.
No Employee Deferrals: Employees cannot make their own contributions to a SEP-IRA.
No Catch-Up Contributions: There are no specific "catch-up" contributions for those age 50 and older with SEP IRAs, unlike some other retirement plans.
Tax Deductible: Employer contributions are tax deductible for the business.
Investment Decisions: Employees are responsible for the investment decisions within their SEP-IRA accounts. You can choose silver and gold.
A gold IRA is a specific type of individual retirement account (IRA) that allows individuals to hold physical gold and other precious metals as retirement investments. Unlike traditional IRAs that hold assets like stocks and bonds, Gold IRAs permit i...
