Subscribe

Rolling a 403(b) Into a Gold IRA: What to Ask Before a Custodian Touches It

How a 403(b) rollover into a gold IRA works, which metals the IRS allows, the costs to get in writing, and the questions to ask before a custodian.

By Michael Hewitt, Founder & Editor-in-Chief. Updated October 26, 2026.

A 403(b) that is leaving the plan comes with a deadline, and the decision in front of you is where the money goes before it is which metal to buy. This guide takes the rollover step by step: your options, what a gold IRA can and cannot hold, the costs to get in writing, and the questions to ask before anyone moves the money. For the full comparison of gold IRA companies and dealers, see Best Gold IRAs & Where to Buy Gold in 2026, linked in the sections below.

Settle where the money goes before the metal

Before you compare gold companies, list the options for the 403(b). You can usually leave the balance in the plan if the plan allows it. You can roll it into an IRA at a brokerage, or into your new employer's plan if it accepts rollovers. You can also take the cash, which is taxed as income and can carry a 10% early withdrawal penalty if you are under 59 and a half. A gold IRA is one of several IRA destinations, not a separate path.

Read the plan's notice closely. Under federal law, a plan can move a small balance without your consent. Balances under $1,000 can be paid to you as a check. Balances from $1,000 up to $7,000 can be rolled automatically into an IRA the plan chooses, and plans may set a lower threshold or none at all. That default IRA is not a fund inside the plan, but it may not be the one you would pick. Choose the destination and the custodian before the notice's deadline, and the default never applies.

How a rollover moves the money

A direct rollover moves the money from the plan straight to the new custodian. You never receive it, so no tax is withheld and the 60-day clock never starts. This is the route to ask for in writing.

An indirect rollover pays the money to you first. The plan withholds 20% for taxes, and you have 60 days to deposit the full amount, including the withheld part from your own pocket, into an IRA. Miss the window or fall short and the shortfall is taxed, with a possible penalty. Most of the paperwork problems people describe come from this route.

In a gold IRA, the custodian receives the rollover, buys the metal you chose, and has it shipped to an approved depository. You hold an account statement, not the coins.

Which metals the IRS allows

A gold IRA can only hold bullion that meets the IRS fineness standard: gold at 99.5% purity or higher, silver at 99.9%, and platinum and palladium at 99.95%. Recognised coins such as the American Gold Eagle and the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf qualify, along with approved bars.

Most of the coins in a home safe do not. 90% silver coins, such as pre-1965 US dimes, quarters and halves, are below the fineness standard. Proof coins and numismatic pieces are collectibles, and the IRS does not allow collectibles in an IRA. Metal you already own can stay in the safe; it cannot be moved into an IRA as it is. To hold it in the account, you would sell it and buy eligible bullion, and the premium you paid for the old coins is usually lost on the sale.

Compare the providers on the fixed costs

The table below sets out the gold IRA companies from our full ranking, with the minimum and the fixed fees each one publishes. For the reasoning behind each rank, and the catch with each company, read the full comparison in Best Gold IRAs & Where to Buy Gold in 2026.

The fixed fees are the easy part to compare. The markup over spot, which is the premium on each coin or bar, is not in this table because none of these companies publishes it. Get that number for the exact coins you want before you agree to anything.

The costs to get in writing

Each cost below is a separate line, and a provider that quotes one number for everything is hiding some of them. Ask for each in writing before you send any money.

Warning signs on the sales call

Two calls that followed a request for a free kit, summarised here without naming either firm, show the pattern. The first rep pushed a coin marketed as exclusive and went vague when asked the spread over spot. The second would not say the word fees. Neither call gave a number that could be checked.

Some other signs to watch for: pressure to decide on the call, a product described as exclusive, a free kit used to start a sales process, and a refusal to send the fee schedule and the markup in writing. A reputable company answers these questions without a fuss, and its numbers are the same on the second call as on the first.

Key Takeaways