Precious-metals IRAs follow specific product and purity rules. This page is a plain reference, not tax or legal advice. Confirm any particular product with your custodian before purchase.
What fineness standards apply to IRA metal?
IRA gold generally needs to be at least .995 fine, and silver at least .999 fine. For platinum and palladium, the tax code points to the minimum fineness a regulated futures exchange requires for delivery; the NYMEX delivery rules set that at 99.95 percent, which is where the commonly quoted .9995 figure comes from.
- Gold: at least .995 fine.
- Silver: at least .999 fine.
- Platinum and palladium: the exchange delivery minimum, 99.95 percent under NYMEX rules. How the two metals compare is covered in platinum vs palladium.
What platinum adds as a holding, beyond eligibility, is covered in is platinum a good investment?
Why is the American Gold Eagle an exception?
The American Gold Eagle is .9167 fine, below the .995 threshold, yet is explicitly permitted in a precious-metals IRA by statute. It is a specific recognized exception, not evidence that the fineness rules generally are flexible.
Which products are commonly eligible?
Commonly eligible products include the American Gold Eagle and Gold Buffalo, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, the Austrian Gold Philharmonic, the Australian Gold Kangaroo, approved-refiner bars meeting fineness standards, and the American and Canadian Silver Eagle and Maple Leaf coins.
- American Gold Eagle and American Gold Buffalo.
- Canadian Gold Maple Leaf.
- Austrian Gold Philharmonic and Australian Gold Kangaroo.
- Approved-refiner gold and silver bars meeting the fineness standard.
- American Silver Eagle and Canadian Silver Maple Leaf.
Which products are commonly ineligible?
Pre-1933 US gold coins, most numismatic and collectible coins regardless of metal content, jewelry and decorative items, and bars from refiners that are not on the approved list are commonly ineligible for a precious-metals IRA.
- Pre-1933 US gold coins.
- Most numismatic and collectible coins, regardless of metal content.
- Jewelry and decorative items.
- Bars from refiners not on the approved list.
Who has to hold eligible IRA metal?
IRA metal must be held by a qualified custodian at an approved depository, and home storage of IRA metal is not permitted. Ask which custodian and depository will hold your metal before completing a purchase.
For a closer look at how custody is recorded, see allocated vs. unallocated for what the storage structure means. Our published premium ranges are on the Pricing page, and the products we source for retirement accounts are on the IRA-eligible products page.
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