Eligibility is a tax-code question, not a market-value question. A coin can hold a full ounce of gold, trade
freely, and still be barred from a retirement account. These five tools cover what qualifies, why, and what
it costs. New to the topic?
Start with what a gold IRA is.
.995minimum gold fineness, with a short list of named exceptions
Every product below is judged against the same statute. Search by product, mint, or refiner, or filter to
the exclusions to see what a dealer can sell you that a custodian cannot hold.
Quick lookups
Showing all 18 products
Gold · Bullion coinEligible
American Gold Eagle
Fineness
91.67% (.9167)
Mint or refiner
US Mint
Reached by the coin exception in IRC 408(m)(3)(A)
Eligible despite sitting below the .995 gold standard, because the statute permits it by name.
Section 408(m)(3)(A) permits specific US coins by cross-reference to 31 U.S.C. 5112. The Gold Eagle denominations sit inside that cross-reference, so the 22-karat alloy of gold, silver, and copper is not disqualifying. A one-ounce Eagle still contains a full troy ounce of gold; the alloy adds durability and gross weight.
Common formats
1 oz
1/2 oz
1/4 oz
1/10 oz
Gold · Bullion coinEligible
American Gold Buffalo
Fineness
99.99% (.9999)
Mint or refiner
US Mint
Clears the .995 gold-fineness threshold on purity alone, with no statutory exception needed.
Introduced in 2006 as the US Mint 24-karat bullion coin, built to compete with foreign .9999 issues. Because it clears the fineness bar outright, it qualifies under the general bullion rule rather than the named-coin exception.
Common formats
1 oz
Gold · Bullion coinEligible
Canadian Gold Maple Leaf
Fineness
99.99% (.9999)
Mint or refiner
Royal Canadian Mint
High-purity sovereign bullion from a government mint, widely carried by custodians.
One of the most heavily traded bullion coins in the world. The earliest issues from 1979 to 1982 were .999 rather than .9999, which still clears the .995 gold minimum. Soft 24-karat surfaces mark easily, so condition matters more here than on a 22-karat coin.
Common formats
1 oz
1/2 oz
1/4 oz
1/10 oz
Gold · Bullion coinEligible
Austrian Gold Philharmonic
Fineness
99.99% (.9999)
Mint or refiner
Austrian Mint
A European sovereign coin that meets the gold purity rule with room to spare.
Struck by the Austrian Mint in Vienna and denominated in euros. It satisfies both halves of the general bullion test: fineness above .995, and production by a national government mint.
Common formats
1 oz
1/2 oz
1/4 oz
1/10 oz
Gold · Bullion coinEligible
Australian Gold Kangaroo
Fineness
99.99% (.9999)
Mint or refiner
Perth Mint
Sovereign coin from the Perth Mint with an annually changing reverse design.
Backed by the Australian government and struck above the .995 minimum. The design changes each year, which occasionally attracts a collector premium on older dates. That premium is a pricing question, not an eligibility question.
Common formats
1 oz
1/2 oz
1/4 oz
1/10 oz
1 kg
Gold · Bullion coinEligible
British Gold Britannia, 2013 and later
Fineness
99.99% (.9999)
Mint or refiner
The Royal Mint
Eligible for 2013 and later dates, when the Royal Mint raised the purity to .9999.
The Royal Mint moved the Britannia from 22 karat to 24 karat starting with the 2013 issue. Date matters here: an otherwise identical-looking coin from 2012 or earlier fails the purity test. Check the date before you instruct a purchase.
Common formats
1 oz
Gold · ExcludedNot eligible
British Gold Britannia, pre-2013
Fineness
91.67% (.9167)
Mint or refiner
The Royal Mint
Not eligible. The 22-karat composition misses .995 and no statutory exception covers it.
Britannias dated 1987 through 2012 are 91.67% fine. That is the same purity as an American Gold Eagle, but the Eagle is permitted by an explicit statutory cross-reference and the Britannia is not. Purity alone does not decide the question; the statute does.
Common formats
1 oz
Gold · ExcludedNot eligible
South African Krugerrand
Fineness
91.67% (.9167)
Mint or refiner
Rand Refinery and the South African Mint
Not eligible. A 22-karat coin with no equivalent of the Gold Eagle exception.
The most widely traded bullion coin in the world is still barred from an IRA. It contains a full troy ounce of gold, but the copper alloy puts fineness at 91.67%, and Section 408(m) does not reach foreign coins by name. This is the most common mismatch between what a dealer can sell you and what a custodian can hold.
Common formats
1 oz
1/2 oz
1/4 oz
1/10 oz
Gold · ExcludedNot eligible
Pre-1933 US gold coins
Fineness
90.00% (.9000)
Mint or refiner
US Mint, historic issues
Not eligible. Below the purity threshold and generally treated as collectibles.
Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles, Liberty Head issues, and their smaller denominations are 90% fine. They fail the purity test outright, and the collector premium above melt value puts them outside the bullion definition the exception was written around. These coins are a frequent upsell target because the markup is larger than on standard bullion.
Common formats
Double Eagle, $20
Eagle, $10
Half Eagle, $5
Gold · ExcludedNot eligible
Rare and graded numismatic coins
Fineness
Varies
Mint or refiner
Various
Not eligible. Rarity, grading, and dealer markup put these outside the bullion exception.
Collector value is exactly what the collectibles rule in Section 408(m) was written to keep out of a retirement account. Proof versions of approved bullion coins are a different case and can qualify, but the premium over spot still deserves the same scrutiny you would give any other markup.
Common formats
Graded and slabbed coins
Certified rarities
Gold · Bar or ingotEligible
Accredited gold bars and rounds
Fineness
99.5% or better (.995+)
Mint or refiner
LBMA, COMEX, or ISO 9000 accredited refiner
Eligible when hallmarked for weight and fineness and produced by an accredited refiner.
Bars from LBMA Good Delivery refiners, COMEX and NYMEX approved refiners, or ISO 9000 certified manufacturers satisfy the general bullion exception. Common names include PAMP Suisse, Valcambi, Argor-Heraeus, and the Royal Canadian Mint. Keep the assay card intact; a broken seal turns a routine intake into an assay dispute.
Common formats
1 gram
10 gram
1 oz
10 oz
1 kg
Gold · Bar or ingotCheck the custodian
Unaccredited private-mint bar or round
Fineness
Marked .999, unverified
Mint or refiner
Private mint, accreditation unknown
Depends entirely on the refiner. A .999 stamp means nothing without accreditation behind it.
The purity marking is a claim made by the producer. Custodians and depositories rely on refiner accreditation because it is what lets them accept weight and fineness without paying for an independent assay on every intake. If the producer is not on an approved exchange list and holds no ISO certification, expect the item to be refused regardless of what is stamped on it. Verify the refiner before you buy, not after.
Common formats
1 oz round
10 oz bar
Gold · Bullion coinCheck the custodian
Chinese Gold Panda
Fineness
99.9% (.999)
Mint or refiner
China Gold Coin Corporation
Clears the purity rule, but individual custodian product lists vary. Confirm before buying.
Purity is not the obstacle here. The Panda sits above the .995 gold minimum and is struck by a state mint. Since 2016 it has been issued in metric gram weights rather than troy ounces, so a 30 gram coin is slightly under a full ounce. Some custodians and depositories carry it and some do not, which makes this a product-list question rather than a statutory one.
Common formats
30 g
15 g
8 g
3 g
Silver · Bullion coinEligible
American Silver Eagle
Fineness
99.9% (.999)
Mint or refiner
US Mint
Reached by the coin exception in IRC 408(m)(3)(A)
Eligible on both counts: reached by statutory cross-reference and above the .999 silver bar.
The official silver bullion coin of the United States, reached through the same statutory cross-reference that covers the Gold Eagle. It also clears the .999 silver fineness requirement independently, so it qualifies twice over.
Common formats
1 oz
Silver · Bullion coinEligible
Canadian Silver Maple Leaf
Fineness
99.99% (.9999)
Mint or refiner
Royal Canadian Mint
Exceeds the .999 silver fineness requirement.
A sovereign silver coin struck above the minimum silver standard. Milk spotting is a known cosmetic issue on silver of this purity, and it is a condition question at intake rather than an eligibility question.
Common formats
1 oz
Silver · ExcludedNot eligible
Pre-1965 US 90% silver coins
Fineness
90.00% (.9000)
Mint or refiner
US Mint, historic issues
Not eligible. 90% fine falls short of the .999 silver threshold.
Circulating dimes, quarters, and half dollars struck before 1965 are 90% silver and 10% copper. Widely traded as bulk silver, often sold in face-value bags, but the composition misses the silver fineness rule by a wide margin.
Common formats
$1,000 face-value bags
Individual coins
Platinum · Bullion coinEligible
American Platinum Eagle
Fineness
99.95% (.9995)
Mint or refiner
US Mint
Reached by the coin exception in IRC 408(m)(3)(A)
Eligible. Reached by statutory cross-reference and above the .9995 platinum threshold.
The official platinum bullion coin of the United States. Platinum carries a stricter fineness bar than gold because the standard is tied to the quality required for delivery on a regulated futures contract.
Common formats
1 oz
1/2 oz
1/4 oz
1/10 oz
Palladium · Bar or ingotEligible
Accredited palladium bars and coins
Fineness
99.95% (.9995)
Mint or refiner
LBMA or COMEX accredited refiner
Eligible at .9995 or better from an accredited refiner, held at an approved depository.
Palladium must satisfy the same .9995 minimum as platinum. The market is thinner than gold or silver, so bid-ask spreads and buyback terms deserve a closer look before you commit an account to it.
Common formats
1 oz bar
10 oz bar
1 kg bar
No products match that filter.
Product lists differ between custodians and depositories. Confirm a specific item in writing with your own
custodian before you instruct a purchase, and see the
fee and growth calculator for what the surrounding costs do to a balance
over time. If you are comparing both metals in one account, read the
gold and silver IRA guide for the differences in purity, storage volume,
and premiums.
The four-point test
Four separate checks decide whether an item can sit inside an IRA, and failing any one of them is enough.
Describe an item below to see which check it runs into first.
01
Fineness, or a named exception
Gold at .995, silver at .999, platinum and palladium at .9995. A handful of US coins are permitted below those thresholds because the statute reaches them directly.
02
Producer accreditation
Bars and rounds must come from a national mint or an accredited refiner. A purity stamp is a claim by the producer, and accreditation is what makes it verifiable.
03
Form and condition
Depositories verify weight and fineness on intake. Broken assay seals, damaged mint packaging, and heavy wear can each stall or block acceptance.
04
Trustee custody
The metal must sit in the physical possession of an IRS-approved trustee. Personal possession is the failure mode that costs the most, because it is treated as a distribution.
Describe the item
Clears all four checks
Eligible
As described, this item satisfies the fineness rule, comes from an accredited producer, arrives in a
form a depository can verify, and stays in trustee custody.
· Fineness or named exception
· Producer accreditation
· Form and condition
· Trustee custody
This tool reads the description you supply. It does not verify a real item, and it is not a substitute for
written confirmation from the custodian that will actually hold it.
Home storage and what it costs
Buying an eligible coin is only half of the rule. Section 408(m)(3) also requires the metal to stay in the
physical possession of an IRS-approved trustee, and the Tax Court has already tested what happens when it
does not.
McNulty v. Commissioner, 157 T.C. No. 10 (2021)
The checkbook-LLC arrangement did not survive review
What was marketed
That an IRA owner could form a single-member LLC, direct the IRA to fund it, buy American Eagle coins
through the LLC, and hold them personally as its manager without triggering a distribution.
What the court held
That taking physical possession of the coins was a taxable distribution in the year it happened. An
owner cannot serve as their own trustee for statutory-custody purposes by routing the metal through an
entity they control.
Model the exposure
If a home-storage arrangement is recharacterised as a distribution, the whole balance is generally
treated as income in that year, with an additional 10% on top if you are under 59 and a half. Enter your
own assumptions.
$
%
Income tax$36,000 At 24% on the full balance
Additional tax$15,000 10% early-distribution tax
Total assessed$51,000 34.0% of the balance
On a $150,000 position, a recharacterised distribution would put roughly $51,000 of tax in a single year,
against metal that has not been sold and produces no cash to pay it.
A simplified illustration using the figures you enter. It ignores state tax, the effect of a large
distribution pushing income into higher brackets, interest, and accuracy-related penalties, each of which
would raise the number. Talk to a CPA before acting on any home-storage proposal.
What the premium costs you
Two eligible coins can hold the same ounce of gold and cost very different amounts. The gap between spot
and what you pay is the dealer premium, and on a proof or collectible it is rarely recovered on sale.
$
Look up the current spot price and enter it. The starting value is a round placeholder, not a quote, and
every figure below moves with whatever you put here.
Premium—
Premium—
Premium—
Heads up
Total ounces7
Value at spot$21,000
What you would pay$22,050
Premium over spot$1,0505.0%
Premium is only half of the spread. Ask what the same dealer would pay to buy the item back today, because
the gap between those two numbers is the real round-trip cost of the position.
Fineness thresholds and accreditation
The statutory minimums under Internal Revenue Code Section 408(m), and the credentials custodians rely on
when they accept a bar without paying for an independent assay.
Gold99.5% .995 fineness The American Gold Eagle is permitted at .9167 by statutory cross-reference.Silver99.9% .999 fineness Applies to coins and accredited bars alike. Pre-1965 90% silver misses it.Platinum99.95% .9995 fineness Sovereign mints and accredited refiners. The American Platinum Eagle is reached by statute.Palladium99.95% .9995 fineness Must meet the fineness required for delivery on a regulated futures contract.
Approved producer credentials
To qualify under the general bullion rule, a bar or round has to come from a national mint or an accredited
refiner. These are the credentials that satisfy that requirement.
LBMA Good DeliveryRefiners on the London Bullion Market Association list, including PAMP Suisse, Valcambi, and Argor-Heraeus.COMEX and NYMEX approvedRefiners licensed to produce bars deliverable against exchange-traded futures contracts.ISO 9000 certifiedManufacturers holding a recognised quality-system certification covering precious-metal production.Sovereign national mintsGovernment mints such as the US Mint, the Royal Canadian Mint, the Austrian Mint, and the Perth Mint.
Common questions
What gold is IRA-eligible?
Gold bullion must be at least 99.5% fine (.995) and come from a national government mint or an accredited refiner. The American Gold Eagle is the well-known exception: it is 91.67% fine but is permitted because Section 408(m)(3)(A) reaches it by statutory cross-reference. Common qualifying products include the American Gold Buffalo, Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, Austrian Philharmonic, Australian Kangaroo, and hallmarked bars from LBMA or COMEX accredited refiners.
Is a South African Krugerrand IRA-eligible?
No. A Krugerrand is 91.67% fine, which falls below the .995 gold standard, and unlike the American Gold Eagle it is not reached by the statutory coin exception. It contains a full troy ounce of gold and trades freely outside a retirement account, but a custodian cannot hold it inside one.
Can I store gold IRA metal at home?
No. Section 408(m)(3) requires bullion to be held in the physical possession of an IRS-approved trustee. In McNulty v. Commissioner, 157 T.C. No. 10 (2021), the US Tax Court held that an IRA owner who took American Eagle coins into her home safe through a self-managed LLC had received a taxable distribution in the year she took possession. Have a qualified tax professional review any home-storage or checkbook-LLC proposal before you act on it.
Are pre-1933 US gold coins allowed in an IRA?
No. Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles, Liberty Head issues, and similar historic US gold coins are 90% fine, below the .995 threshold, and they carry collector premiums that place them outside the bullion exception. They are a common upsell because the dealer markup is larger than on standard bullion.
Does 90% junk silver qualify for an IRA?
No. Pre-1965 US dimes, quarters, and half dollars are 90% silver, and the silver standard requires .999 fineness. Bulk bags of circulated 90% silver are a common physical-silver holding, but not an IRA-eligible one.
Do proof coins qualify for a gold IRA?
Proof versions of approved bullion coins can qualify, but they carry substantially higher premiums over spot than the standard bullion version of the same coin, and that premium is generally not recovered on sale. Original mint packaging and the certificate of authenticity are usually required at intake, and damaged packaging can trigger rejection at the depository.
Educational disclaimer. This page is general education, not investment, legal, or tax advice.
It summarises how the eligibility rules are commonly applied; it is not a legal opinion, and it does not verify
any specific item. Every figure in the tools above is an assumption you supply, not a projection. Confirm product
eligibility in writing with your own custodian, and speak with a licensed financial advisor or CPA before moving
retirement funds.