Last reviewed September 7, 2026

Gold IRA Rollover Guide

Moving retirement money is a tax-and-account transaction first. The precious-metals purchase comes after the funds reach the receiving IRA.

Direct rollover

If you receive an eligible distribution from a retirement plan, the IRS says you can ask the administrator to make payment directly to another eligible plan or IRA. No taxes are withheld from the transfer amount.

Trustee-to-trustee transfer

For IRA assets, you can ask the current financial institution to transfer funds directly to another IRA or eligible plan. The IRS treats this differently from a rollover paid to you.

60-day rollover

If eligible funds are paid directly to you, the IRS generally gives 60 days to deposit the amount in another eligible account. Retirement-plan distributions paid to you generally have withholding, which can complicate rolling over the full gross amount.

Practical approach: verify distribution eligibility, receiving-custodian requirements and tax consequences before authorizing a movement of funds.

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Sources & further reading