How to Get Your Gold IRA Fees Waived (2026): Every Company’s Offer
By Mark Sandulli · Founder & editor · Updated October 21, 2026 · Not financial advice
Short answer: most published Gold IRA fee waivers start at $50,000, and the biggest ones reportedly at $100,000 to $250,000. Birch Gold Group pays the first year on transfers over $50,000; Augusta Precious Metals says it may pay up to 10 years of fees; Patriot Gold Group advertises “no fees for life” on storage and insurance for qualifying accounts. The catch: a waiver is worth a few hundred dollars a year, while a higher markup on the metal can cost thousands. Get the waiver and the markup in writing together.
Can anyone get fees waived?
Anyone can ask, at any company and any account size. Asking costs nothing, and the worst answer is no. The published offers below start at $50,000, but companies don’t publish everything, so ask even on a smaller account. Don’t move more money than you planned just to reach a threshold: the waiver is rarely worth it.
Fee waivers by company
| Company | Our score | Offer | Threshold | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch Gold Group | 8.2 | First year’s fees paid | Transfers over $50,000 | Birch’s website |
| Augusta Precious Metals | 8.1 | Says it may pay up to 10 years of custodian and depository fees | Not published | Augusta’s website |
| Patriot Gold Group | 6.3 | “No fees for life” on storage and insurance | Not published; reviewers report $100,000 to $250,000 | Patriot’s website; independent reviewers |
| Goldco | 6.0 | Bonus silver, not a fee waiver: up to 5% (only on its “premium coins”) | $50,000 to $99,999 | Goldco’s website |
| Goldco | 6.0 | Up to 10% bonus silver (only on its “premium coins”) | $100,000 or more | Goldco’s website |
| American Hartford Gold | 5.9 | First year free | $50,000 or more, as reported | Independent reviewers |
| Lear Capital | 4.6 | Setup plus one to three years of fees, on limited-mintage coins only | $25,000 or more (one year), $50,000 (two), $75,000 (three) | Lear’s IRA FAQ |
Noble Gold Investments (7.8) advertises no fee waiver that we found. How Goldco’s bonus silver works →
What a waiver is worth
| Offer | Approximate value |
|---|---|
| First year paid | About $285 to $365 at the companies that publish fees (Birch: $315) |
| Three years waived | About $700 to $900 |
| Ten years waived (Augusta’s maximum) | About $2,350 |
| Storage and insurance waived for life | Depends on fees Patriot doesn’t publish; storage usually runs $100 to $180 a year |
The catch: watch the markup
A company can waive $2,350 in fees and make it back on the metal. On a $250,000 purchase:
| Markup | Cost |
|---|---|
| 2% | $5,000 |
| 5% | $12,500 |
| 10% (common on proof and limited-mintage coins) | $25,000 |
One extra point of markup on $250,000 is $2,500, more than ten years of waived fees. If a waiver only applies when you buy proof or limited-mintage coins, compare that price with plain bullion.
How to ask for a waiver
- Ask directly: “What fees will you waive on a rollover of this size, and for how long?”
- Get it in writing, including what ends the waiver (a smaller balance, selling metal, changing custodians).
- Ask which products qualify. Is the waiver tied to specific coins?
- Get the price over spot for those coins and for plain bullion, the same day.
- Compare two companies. Show the better offer to the other and ask if it can match it.
Or see all seven companies side by side: Gold IRA companies ranked on what they actually charge →
Frequently asked questions
Can Gold IRA fees be waived? Yes, at several companies, usually on accounts of $50,000 or more.
Which Gold IRA company has no fees? None waives every fee as standard. Patriot Gold Group advertises “no fees for life” on storage and insurance for qualifying IRAs, but doesn’t publish what qualifies. Augusta says it may pay up to 10 years of custodian and depository fees.
How much do I need to invest to get fees waived? Birch Gold pays the first year on transfers over $50,000. The biggest offers reportedly start at $100,000 to $250,000.
Is a fee waiver worth choosing a company for? Only if the markup is fair. A waiver is worth a few hundred dollars a year; the markup can cost thousands.
Gold IRA
Top-rated Gold IRA companies
- Our score
- 8.2/10
- Minimum
- $5,000
- BBB complaints
- 9 in 3 yrs
Visit siteon Birch Gold’s website- Our score
- 8.1/10
- Minimum
- $50,000
- BBB complaints
- 1 in 3 yrs
Get free guideon Augusta’s website- Our score
- 7.8/10
- Minimum
- $20,000
- BBB complaints
- 3 in 3 yrs
Get free guideon Noble Gold’s website
Scores from our published formula: fees, minimums, complaints, buyback and transparency. We may earn a commission from these links; it never changes a score.
Sources: Birch Gold Group IRA page and FAQ, Augusta Precious Metals FAQ, Goldco homepage (bonus silver terms) and Noble Gold Investments Gold IRA page, checked October 21, 2026 · Lear Capital IRA FAQ, American Hartford Gold Gold IRA FAQ and Patriot Gold Group “No Fee For Life” IRA page, checked October 21, 2026 · Patriot Gold Group and American Hartford Gold thresholds from independent reviewers, 2024–2026
About this guide
Written by Mark Sandulli, founder of BestGoldPrice.com. Mark is not a financial advisor, tax professional, attorney or precious-metals dealer. This guide is general information based on public sources, not financial, tax or legal advice, and it may contain errors or be out of date. Precious metals can lose value. Confirm prices, fees and rules with the company and a licensed professional before you buy. We may earn a commission from some links. Read our full disclaimer.
