Five self-directed IRA custodians publish precious-metals fee schedules with dates a reader can check: Equity Trust Company, STRATA Trust Company, Preferred Trust Company, GoldStar Trust Company, and Madison Trust Company. On a hypothetical $50,000 metals-only account in commingled storage, their scheduled first-year fees run from $265 to $781, and each later year from $215 to $656. The spread comes mostly from how each custodian prices its annual fee. The dealer’s premium over spot, which the custodian does not set, appears on none of the five schedules. Every figure below is as printed on the five schedules, whose dates appear under the comparison table.
What a custodian charges for
A custodian’s schedule prices four things: opening the account, keeping it open, storing the metal, and moving money or metal in and out. IRS rules require an IRA to be held by a trustee or custodian. The custodian holds the assets, files the tax reports, and follows the owner’s investment directions. It does not pick the metals or set the dealer’s price. For how custodians differ beyond fees, see gold IRA custodians.
- Setup. A one-time establishment fee: $50 on four of the five schedules. STRATA waives it when the account is opened electronically and charges $50 on paper.
- Annual fee. The line that differs most in shape. Equity Trust, STRATA, GoldStar, and Preferred print flat annual figures: $125, $150, $90, and $300, with Preferred’s applying to an IRA that holds only precious metals. Madison bills quarterly: $139 a quarter, $556 a year, including one asset, plus $30 a quarter for each additional asset.
- Storage. Metal sits at a depository; see gold IRA depositories. Four custodians bill storage on their own schedules: Equity Trust $110 commingled and $160 segregated; STRATA $115 and $175; GoldStar $125 and $225 minimum; Madison $100 minimum covering the first $100,000 of metal at Delaware Depository, then $1 per $1,000 of value. Preferred Trust passes storage through: its schedule lists a depository fee that varies by depository and is billed separately.
- Transactions and exits. Purchase fees appear on three schedules: STRATA $40, Preferred $50, and Madison $75, which Madison calls an investment fee charged each time an investment is placed. Sale or liquidation fees run from $30 at Equity Trust to $200 at Preferred; GoldStar charges none. In-kind distributions or transfers out cost $125 at Equity Trust, $100 at STRATA (asset re-registration), $200 at Preferred, and $75 at GoldStar. Wires run $30 to $50. Full termination runs $150 to $300.
Five schedules, side by side
The table lists each fee as printed. A cell reading “Not listed” means the schedule shows no separate line for that charge.
| Fee | Equity Trust | STRATA | Preferred Trust | GoldStar Trust | Madison Trust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | $50 | Waived electronically; $50 on paper | $50 | $50 | $50 |
| Annual fee | $125 | $150 | $300 (metals-only IRA) | $90 | $556 ($139 a quarter; one asset included) |
| Storage, commingled | $110 | $115 | Varies by depository; billed separately | $125 | $100 minimum, then $1 per $1,000 of value † |
| Storage, segregated | $160 | $175 | Varies by depository; billed separately | $225 minimum, no maximum * | Not stated separately † |
| Purchase | Not listed | $40 | $50 | None | $75 investment fee |
| Sale or liquidation | $30 | $40 | $200 | None ‡ | $75 |
| In-kind distribution | $125 | $100 asset re-registration § | $200 | $75 ‡ | Not listed |
| Wire | $30 | $35 outgoing | $30 | $50 | $30 outgoing |
| Termination or closure | $250 | $250 | $300 | $150 | $225 |
Schedule dates, as printed:
- Equity Trust Company — form FS-0004-05, revision printed 081726 (fee schedule PDF)
- STRATA Trust Company — fee page checked September 21, 2026; the page prints no date (fee page)
- Preferred Trust Company — schedule dated January 20, 2026 (fee schedule PDF)
- GoldStar Trust Company — schedule revision 01/2026 (fee schedule PDF)
- Madison Trust Company — schedule effective January 1, 2026 (fee schedule PDF)
* GoldStar’s schedule prints “$1.80 per $1000 of precious metals value greater than $125,000 (18 basis points)” beside its segregated storage line. The schedule does not label which charge that line scales. Confirm with GoldStar.
† Madison’s schedule says the $100 minimum covers the first $100,000 of metal at Delaware Depository, then $1 per $1,000 of value. The schedule prices storage as a single line and does not print separate commingled and segregated rates. Confirm the reading with Madison.
‡ GoldStar charges $10 plus shipping cost on liquidations and in-kind distributions.
§ STRATA lists a $100 asset re-registration fee for a transfer out or distribution, and precious-metals shipping at $10 plus the depository’s cost.
The Equity Trust schedule also prices coin shipping at cost plus $10 (minimum $50).
What $50,000 costs in year one and after
On a hypothetical $50,000 account — one purchase, commingled storage, no sale — the five schedules total $265 to $781 in year one and $215 to $656 in each later year. GoldStar’s schedule produces the low end of both ranges and Madison’s the high end. That order holds only under these assumptions; the next section shows where it changes.
| Custodian | Year one | Each later year |
|---|---|---|
| Equity Trust | $285 ($50 + $125 + $110) | $235 ($125 + $110) |
| STRATA | $305 opened electronically ($0 + $150 + $115 + $40); $355 on paper | $265 ($150 + $115) |
| Preferred Trust | $400 plus the depository’s storage fee ($50 + $300 + $50) | $300 plus storage |
| GoldStar | $265 ($50 + $90 + $125) | $215 ($90 + $125) |
| Madison | $781 ($50 + $556 + $100 + $75) | $656 ($556 + $100) |
Three caveats sit under these totals:
- Preferred Trust’s figures exclude the depository’s storage fee, which its schedule does not price. Its actual invoices will run above the figures shown by whatever the depository charges.
- STRATA’s year one depends on how the account is opened: $305 electronically, $355 on paper.
- These are scheduled figures, not invoices. Confirm each one against the custodian’s current schedule before funding.
To rerun the arithmetic at a different balance, see the gold IRA calculator.
Where the totals move
Four levers rearrange the totals: segregated storage, larger balances, added purchases, and a sale.
Segregated storage
Segregated storage raises the storage line on three schedules and leaves two unchanged on paper. Equity Trust moves from $110 to $160, STRATA from $115 to $175, and GoldStar from $125 to a $225 minimum. Preferred Trust bills storage through the depository either way. Madison’s schedule prices storage as a single line, so its figure does not change. On the $50,000 account, those moves add $50, $60, and $100 a year to the three totals, enough to reorder them.
Larger balances
Two schedules tie a printed charge to account value: Madison’s storage line and a line on GoldStar’s. Madison’s storage is $100 minimum for the first $100,000 of metal at Delaware Depository, then $1 per $1,000 of value. At $200,000, Madison storage would be $100 plus $100 for the second $100,000, or $200 — if the $1 per $1,000 applies to value above $100,000. That is the schedule’s wording; confirm the reading with Madison. GoldStar’s schedule prints “$1.80 per $1000 of precious metals value greater than $125,000 (18 basis points)” beside its segregated storage line and does not label which charge it scales; confirm that with GoldStar. Equity Trust and STRATA print flat storage figures, with no value tiers, on the schedules reviewed. Preferred Trust’s storage depends on the depository it uses.
More purchases
Each added purchase adds a transaction fee where the schedule prices one, and on Madison’s schedule it can also raise the annual fee. STRATA charges $40 per purchase, Preferred $50, and Madison $75. GoldStar charges no buy, sell, or exchange fee, and Equity Trust’s reviewed schedule lists no purchase line. Madison’s custodial fee also adds $30 a quarter, $120 a year, for each additional asset the account holds.
A sale
A sale triggers the sale or liquidation fee on four schedules: $30 at Equity Trust, $40 at STRATA, $200 at Preferred, and $75 at Madison. GoldStar charges none but adds $10 plus shipping cost to a liquidation. If the metal leaves in kind instead of as cash, the schedules price $125 at Equity Trust, $100 at STRATA, $200 at Preferred, and $75 at GoldStar; Madison lists no in-kind line. A wire out runs $30 to $50.
Schedules left out
Two custodians publish precious-metals fee schedules this comparison does not use: New Direction Trust Company and Choice (formerly Kingdom Trust). Both publish schedules dated 2021. A schedule that old may not reflect current pricing, so neither custodian’s figures appear in the tables above. If you are evaluating either one, ask for its current dated schedule and apply the same checks used here.
What the schedule does not show
None of the five schedules prices the dealer’s premium over spot or the dealer’s buyback spread. The premium is the gap between the spot price and what the dealer charges the IRA for metal. The buyback spread is the gap between the spot price and what the dealer pays when the IRA sells. Both are set by the dealer, not the custodian, and both apply at purchase and again at sale. A low custodian schedule says nothing about them. The spread and buyback explainer shows how to measure both, and gold IRA fees places them in the full cost stack.
What to ask
Four questions close the gaps the schedules leave. Ask them before funding the account.
- Which schedule is current, and what date does it print? A schedule without a date cannot be checked against a later invoice. STRATA’s fee page prints none; ask for a dated copy.
- Which depository holds the metal, and who bills storage? Preferred Trust’s storage is a depository charge billed separately. Ask what the depository charges before treating $400 as its year-one figure.
- What does a purchase cost, and what does a sale cost? On the five schedules, purchase fees run from none at GoldStar to $75 at Madison, and sale fees from none at GoldStar to $200 at Preferred. Ask whether shipping attaches to either.
- What does closing cost? Full termination runs $150 at GoldStar to $300 at Preferred on these schedules. Partial transfers and in-kind distributions carry their own lines: $75 at GoldStar, $100 at STRATA, $125 at Equity Trust, and $200 at Preferred. Ask which applies if the metal moves to another custodian.
The gold IRA due-diligence checklist gathers the documents to request alongside the schedule.