TSP vs gold IRA: costs and structure side by side
Not affiliated with the Thrift Savings Plan, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB), or any federal agency.
Published · Updated
Which costs less to hold, the TSP or a gold IRA?
The TSP, by a wide margin at each balance compared here, $25,000 to $100,000. In 2025 its C Fund cost 0.035%, about $8.75 a year on $25,000. On Equity Trust's schedule a gold IRA costs $235 a year with pooled storage, or $285 segregated, after a $50 setup fee. That is 0.94% of $25,000 and 0.24% of $100,000. The dealer's markup comes on top, and most dealers don't publish it. Neither structure tells you what the money will earn.
Paid partner
Request Goldco's free Gold & Silver KitA representative usually calls after you request it.
We're paid by Goldco and Augusta when you request information; see how.
Companies that handle the IRA side
| Company | IRA minimum | IRA fees, and whose they are | Free guide | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoldcoPaid partnerOur first pick for TSP rollovers of $25,000 or more | $25,000 | Setup $50 and admin $125 a year (custodian fees, per Goldco's cost page). Storage $110 non-segregated or $160 segregated a year is Equity Trust's schedule, so it applies if Equity Trust is your custodian; Goldco's page shows older, lower figures. | Free Gold & Silver Kit / Ultimate Guide to Gold & Silver | Request Goldco's free Gold & Silver Kit |
| Augusta Precious MetalsPaid partner | $50,000 minimum | Setup $50, admin $125 (Equity Trust's fees) and storage $110 a year, per Augusta's cost article; storage type not stated, segregated rate not published. Qualifying accounts may receive up to ten years of eligible fees paid by Augusta. (Who qualifies isn't published.) | Free Gold & Silver IRA Info Kit (2026 Gold IRA Guide, 4 guides) | Get Augusta's free Gold IRA guide ($50k minimum) |
| Birch Gold Group | $5,000 | An Equity Trust example on Birch's prices page, which says these aren't Birch's own fees: setup $50, custodial $125 and storage $110 a year (type not stated). Segregated storage isn't on Birch's page; Equity Trust's schedule lists $160. Birch covers first year's fees for accounts over $50,000. | Free 24-page 2026 Gold IRA Info Kit | For information only |
| American Hartford Gold | $10,000 | Setup and admin not published. Storage $110 pooled or $160 segregated a year, from its investment guide. | Free 2027 Gold & Silver Information Guide | For information only |
| Noble Gold Investments | $20,000 | Setup $80, admin $125 a year, storage $150 a year, segregated only (Noble's own pages give two storage figures; ask which applies). | Free Gold IRA Kit | For information only |
Side by side
| TSP | Gold IRA | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, an independent federal agency | You, a self-directed IRA custodian, a depository and a dealer |
| What it holds | The G, F, C, S and I Funds, the L Funds built from them, and a mutual fund window | IRS-eligible coins and bullion, held by an approved trustee |
| Yearly cost | 0.034% to 0.051% of the balance (2025 individual funds) | $125 admin + $110 to $160 storage (Equity Trust) |
| Cost to get in | None listed | $50 setup, a $30 wire fee on some schedules, and the dealer's markup |
| Cost to get out | None listed | The dealer's buy-back spread; Equity Trust lists $30 to liquidate and $250 to close the account |
| Income | Whatever the funds' holdings pay, reinvested | None: metal pays no interest or dividends |
| Penalty-free before 59½? | Yes, if you separated in or after the year you turned 55 | No such exception for IRAs |
| RMDs (traditional money) | From 73 or 75, by birth year | Yes; payable from another traditional IRA you own, otherwise by selling metal or distributing coins |
| Duty to you | Fiduciary, per the TSP's leaflet Keeping Score? | The dealer is a seller; the custodian generally doesn't vet what you buy |
The yearly cost in dollars
Percentages hide how different the two fee models are. The TSP charges a share of the balance; a gold IRA charges flat amounts. Here is what each costs to hold for a year at three balances, using the C Fund's 2025 total expense ratio of 0.035% and Equity Trust's precious-metals schedule. The gold IRA figures leave out the setup fee and the dealer's markup.
| Balance | TSP C Fund (0.035%) | Gold IRA, pooled storage | Gold IRA, segregated storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $8.75 | $235 (0.94%) | $285 (1.14%) |
| $50,000 | $17.50 | $235 (0.47%) | $285 (0.57%) |
| $100,000 | $35 | $235 (0.24%) | $285 (0.29%) |
Two things stand out. The gap is large at every size. And because gold IRA fees are flat, they weigh most on small accounts. That is why Goldco, for one, sets a minimum: its FAQ says it asks for $25,000 so the fees don't become too large a share of the account.
The cost nobody lists: the markup
A dealer sells you metal for more than it pays for it, and buys it back for less than it sells it. That spread is usually the largest cost of a gold IRA, and most dealers don't publish it. In our company data, only American Hartford Gold does: its transaction agreement lists 1.00%-19.99% on bullion, up to up to 39.99% on its exclusive and semi-numismatic products and up to up to 59.99% on certain numismatic coins. In those ranges bullion has the lowest ceiling and collector coins the highest. Whatever the dealer, ask for the markup on each product in writing before you agree.
The TSP has nothing like it. Its leaflet Keeping Score? says you can change investments or take withdrawals without surrender fees or back-end charges.
What this comparison leaves out
Returns. We don't compare them and we don't forecast them. Past TSP fund returns are on tsp.gov and metal prices are public, but neither says what comes next, and any site that tells you otherwise is guessing. What you can know in advance is structure and cost, which is what this page covers.
It also leaves out why someone might want metal at all. That is a personal decision; the who it suits page walks through the situations where it tends to fit and where it doesn't.
For one dealer's charges in more depth, Gold IRA Companies Ranked lists Goldco's fees line by line, alongside the company's record. Its goldiracompaniesranked.com rollover page covers the steps from a 401(k).
Verdict
On cost and structure the TSP wins clearly: well under a dollar per $1,000 a year against flat fees of $235 or more plus a markup, a fiduciary against a seller, and an age-55 exception that an IRA doesn't have. A gold IRA offers something different, physical metal in your name at an approved depository, and that is the only reason to pay for it.
For anyone who wants that for part of their savings, the flat fees weigh least on an amount well above the minimum, and written quotes from at least two dealers are how the markup becomes visible. Goldco ($25,000 minimum) is our first call; Augusta ($50,000 minimum) the second. Both pay us when you request their material.
Paid partner
Request Goldco's free Gold & Silver KitA representative usually calls after you request it.
Paid partner
Get Augusta's free Gold IRA guide ($50k minimum)Only if you're moving $50,000 or more: that's Augusta's published minimum.
Paid partner
Request Goldco's free Gold & Silver KitA representative usually calls after you request it.
Questions
Which costs less, the TSP or a gold IRA?
The TSP, by a wide margin. Its individual funds' 2025 total expense ratios ran from 0.034% to 0.051%, cents per $1,000. A gold IRA on Equity Trust's schedule costs $235 to $285 a year in flat fees, plus the dealer's markup on the metal.
Which earns more?
We don't compare returns and we don't forecast them. Past fund returns are on tsp.gov; metal prices are public. Neither tells you what happens next.
Can I hold gold inside the TSP?
The TSP's own funds hold stocks, bonds and government securities. tsp.gov lists a mutual fund window as well; this page doesn't cover it. Physical metal needs a self-directed IRA.
What does the dealer markup add?
Most dealers don't publish it. American Hartford Gold, the one company in our data that does, lists 1.00%-19.99% on bullion and up to up to 59.99% on certain numismatic coins. Ask any dealer for the markup on each product in writing.
Do both have required minimum distributions?
Traditional money does in both, from 73 or 75 depending on birth year. Roth TSP money and Roth IRAs don't during the owner's lifetime.
Sources
- TSP: Expenses and fees checked October 30, 2026
- TSP leaflet: Keeping Score? (TSPLF37A, 6/2026) checked October 30, 2026
- TSP fact sheet: Rollovers from the Thrift Savings Plan to Eligible Retirement Plans (TSPFS5, 11/2023) checked October 30, 2026
- SEC and NASAA Investor Alert: Self-Directed IRAs and the Risk of Fraud (PDF) checked October 30, 2026
- TSP: Withdrawals in retirement checked October 30, 2026
- TSP: Taking money from your account checked October 30, 2026
- TSP: Traditional and Roth TSP contributions checked October 30, 2026
- IRS: Exceptions to tax on early distributions checked October 30, 2026
- IRS: Required minimum distributions (RMDs) checked October 30, 2026
- IRS: Retirement plan and IRA required minimum distributions FAQs (Q5, taking the RMD from one IRA) checked October 30, 2026
- IRS: Investments in collectibles (IRC 408(m)) checked October 30, 2026
- IRS: Roth IRAs checked October 30, 2026
- Equity Trust: Fee FAQs (precious-metals IRA schedule) checked October 29, 2026
- American Hartford Gold: Shipping and Transaction Agreement (PDF) checked October 29, 2026
- Goldco: Gold IRA FAQs (minimum) checked October 29, 2026
- Goldco: How much does a gold IRA cost? checked October 29, 2026
- Augusta Precious Metals: FAQ (minimum) checked October 29, 2026
- Augusta Precious Metals: What a gold IRA costs each year checked October 29, 2026
- Birch Gold Group: FAQs checked October 29, 2026
- Birch Gold Group: Prices checked October 29, 2026
- American Hartford Gold: Gold IRA FAQs checked October 29, 2026
- Noble Gold Investments: Gold IRA checked October 29, 2026
- Noble Gold Investments: Support FAQ checked October 29, 2026
Facts checked . Company fees, minimums and kits are from our verified company record, checked ; confirm them with the company in writing before you act.