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A gold IRA has the same required minimum distribution (RMD) rules as any traditional IRA: you must start withdrawing a minimum amount each year once you reach age 73. You can meet it by selling metal for cash, by taking the coins or bars themselves, or by taking the full amount from another traditional IRA you own.
2026–2027 Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Calculator
Estimate the minimum amount you may need to withdraw from a traditional IRA, including a Gold IRA, using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. No personal information is collected or transmitted by this calculator.
Questions About RMDs From a Gold IRA?
CGE's retirement-account team can explain the precious-metals liquidation process and help coordinate a transaction with your IRA custodian. We do not provide individualized tax or legal advice.
Call 800-300-0715Always confirm the RMD from our calculator with your IRA custodian before you take a distribution. Your custodian’s figure is the official one. This page is general information, not tax advice.
Gold IRA RMD Questions People Ask Most
Do you have to take RMDs from a gold IRA?
Yes, if it’s a traditional, SEP or SIMPLE IRA. Holding gold doesn’t change the rules: the IRS requires a minimum withdrawal every year, just like any other IRA.
What age do you have to start RMDs on a gold IRA?
Age 73 if you were born from 1951 through 1959. If you were born in 1960 or later, RMDs start at age 75.
How do you calculate the RMD on a gold IRA?
Divide your gold IRA’s value on December 31 of last year by the IRS life-expectancy factor for your age. At 73 the factor is 26.5, so a $250,000 gold IRA has an RMD of $9,434.
Can I take my RMD in physical gold instead of cash?
Yes. Your custodian can ship coins or bars to you, and their value on the day they leave the IRA counts toward your RMD.
Do I have to sell my gold to take my RMD?
No. You can take the coins or bars themselves, or take your full RMD from another traditional IRA you own and leave the gold alone.
Can I take my gold IRA RMD from another IRA?
Yes. If you own more than one traditional IRA, you can add up their RMDs and take the total from any one of them.
Does a Roth gold IRA have RMDs?
No. The original owner of a Roth IRA never has to take RMDs, whether it holds gold or anything else.
What happens if I miss my RMD on a gold IRA?
The IRS can charge a 25% excise tax on the amount you didn’t take. If you fix it within the correction window, generally about two years, the tax drops to 10%.
When is the deadline for a gold IRA RMD?
Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you turn 73. Every RMD after that is due by December 31.
Is taking gold coins out of my IRA taxable?
Yes. Coins or bars you take from a traditional IRA are taxed as ordinary income, based on their value on the day they’re distributed.
How to Calculate Your Gold IRA RMD from the Year-End Value of Your Metal
Your RMD for this year is based on what your IRA was worth on December 31 of last year, divided by a life-expectancy factor from the IRS. Most people use the Uniform Lifetime Table in IRS Publication 590-B.
For a gold IRA, the year-end value is the value your custodian puts on your coins and bars on December 31, plus any cash in the account. Most custodians calculate it simply: the ounces you hold multiplied by the spot price of the metal. Your custodian reports that value to you early in the year.
Example: You’re 73, and your gold IRA was worth $250,000 on December 31. The IRS factor for age 73 is 26.5. Your RMD is $250,000 ÷ 26.5 = $9,434.
Two things are different with gold:
- The gold price on December 31 sets the RMD for the whole year. If gold rose sharply last year, your RMD is bigger this year, even if the price has since come down.
- If your spouse is your only beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger than you, you use a different IRS table that produces a smaller RMD.
Gold IRA RMD Table: IRS Factors and Withdrawal Percentages by Age
These factors come from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. The last column shows the RMD on a $250,000 gold IRA.
| Age | IRS factor | Share of account you must withdraw | RMD on $250,000 |
| 73 | 26.5 | 3.77% | $9,434 |
| 74 | 25.5 | 3.92% | $9,804 |
| 75 | 24.6 | 4.07% | $10,163 |
| 76 | 23.7 | 4.22% | $10,549 |
| 77 | 22.9 | 4.37% | $10,917 |
| 78 | 22.0 | 4.55% | $11,364 |
| 79 | 21.1 | 4.74% | $11,848 |
| 80 | 20.2 | 4.95% | $12,376 |
| 85 | 16.0 | 6.25% | $15,625 |
| 90 | 12.2 | 8.20% | $20,492 |
The percentage rises every year. By 90, you’re withdrawing more than twice the share you took at 73.
Gold IRA RMD Deadlines: April 1 for Your First Year, December 31 After That
- Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you turn 73.
- Every RMD after that is due by December 31.
Be careful with the April 1 option. If you wait until April 1 for your first RMD, you’ll also owe your second RMD by December 31 of the same year. That’s two RMDs, and two chunks of taxable income, in one tax year.
Don’t wait until December. With a regular IRA, a withdrawal can happen in a day. With a gold IRA, metal may have to be sold or shipped from a depository, and custodians are swamped with RMD requests in the last weeks of the year. Start in the fall, or earlier.
Three Ways to Take a Gold IRA RMD: Sell Metal, Take Coins or Use Another IRA
Option 1: Sell enough gold to cover your RMD in cash
Your custodian has the depository release the metal for sale, the proceeds go into your IRA, and the cash is sent to you. This is the simplest choice if you need the money, and it makes tax withholding easy.
What you own matters here. Widely traded coins and bars like American Gold Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs and standard bullion bars sell quickly at a fair price. See why in our guide to the best gold IRA products.
When you sell through us, Verified Fair Pricing applies: we check current buyback prices at two major national online dealers on the same products and quantity, and work to beat the better one. Our guide to selling a gold IRA walks through the process.
Option 2: Take your gold coins or bars “in kind”
Your custodian has the depository ship specific coins or bars to you. Their fair market value on the distribution date counts toward your RMD and is taxed as ordinary income, just like cash.
This option suits clients who want to keep their gold and are happy to hold it outside the IRA. Two cautions:
- The value is set on the day the metal leaves the account, not the day you ask. If the gold price drops in between, you may fall short. Take a little extra, or add a small cash distribution to cover any gap.
- You’ll owe tax on metal you didn’t sell. Plan to pay that tax from other money.
Option 3: Take your full RMD from another traditional IRA
If you have a traditional IRA at a bank or brokerage, you can calculate the RMD for each IRA, add them up, and take the total from that other account. The IRS confirms you don’t have to take a separate RMD from each IRA.
This is often the cleanest way to leave your gold IRA untouched. It doesn’t apply to 401(k)s or other workplace plans, which each need their own RMD.
How Taxes Work on a Gold IRA RMD, Whether You Take Cash or Coins
From a traditional IRA, an RMD is taxed as ordinary income, whether you take cash or coins. Taking metal instead of cash doesn’t lower the tax.
- Withholding: IRA custodians generally withhold 10% for federal income tax unless you choose a different amount. With an in-kind distribution, withholding has to come from cash, so the IRA needs enough cash to cover it, or you can choose no withholding and pay through estimated taxes.
- Your new cost basis: Coins or bars you take in kind start with a cost basis equal to their value on the day they left the IRA. If you sell them later, you’re only taxed on the gain after that date.
- Gold held outside an IRA is taxed differently: long-term gains on physical gold are taxed as collectibles, at a federal rate of up to 28%.
- Taking more doesn’t carry forward. If you take more than your RMD this year, the IRS says the extra can’t be credited toward next year’s RMD.
Talk with your tax preparer before you choose. A large RMD can affect how much of your Social Security is taxed and what you pay for Medicare.
Why Coin Size and a Cash Balance Matter When Your Gold IRA RMD Comes Due
Gold comes in whole coins and bars, and your RMD is a dollar figure. That mismatch causes most of the headaches.
- A large bar can’t be split. If your RMD is $9,400 and your smallest piece is a 10-ounce bar, you either sell more than you need or take far more than your RMD.
- One-ounce coins give you flexibility. A mix of 1-ounce Eagles or Maples alongside bars lets you get close to your number.
- Keep some cash in the account. A cash balance covers custodian fees, tax withholding and any small shortfall without forcing a sale.
Why “Premium” Coins Hurt You When Your Gold IRA RMD Comes Due
RMDs are where overpriced coins come back to bite.
Your statement shows melt value, not what you paid. Most custodians value IRA metal by multiplying the ounces you hold by the spot price. So “exclusive” or “premium” coins show up at roughly their melt value, the worth of the gold or silver inside them. If you paid $100,000 for coins carrying a 40% markup, your account may show only about $71,000. The markup disappears from your statement the day the coins arrive.
Selling can be worse than the statement. When it’s time to sell metal to cover your RMD, premium and exclusive coins often buy back at less than their melt value. You paid a big markup going in, and you can take another loss on the way out.
Widely traded bullion like Eagles, Maples and standard bars avoids both problems. There’s little markup to lose, it sells quickly, and it’s easy to split into RMD-sized pieces. Read more in our 10 Gold IRA Scams to Avoid report.
Planning Before 73: Ways to Make Gold IRA RMDs Easier
The best time to deal with gold IRA RMDs is before the first one is due.
- Review what you own. Make sure your account holds coins and bars that are easy to sell or ship in RMD-sized amounts, plus a small cash balance.
- Know your custodian’s fees. Custodians may charge for metal sales, in-kind processing and shipping. Compare them in our gold IRA custodians guide and our breakdown of gold IRA fees and costs.
- Ask your tax preparer about a Roth conversion. Moving some of a traditional gold IRA to a Roth gold IRA before 73 means paying income tax now on the amount converted. In exchange, the Roth account has no RMDs during your lifetime. Whether it makes sense depends on your tax bracket, so get advice first.
Using a Qualified Charitable Distribution to Cover Your Gold IRA RMD
If you give to charity, a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) can satisfy part or all of your RMD without adding it to your taxable income.
- You must be at least 70½ on the date of the distribution.
- The money must go directly from your IRA to the charity.
- The limit for 2026 is $111,000 per person, according to IRS Notice 2025-67.
With a gold IRA, a QCD usually means selling metal first so the custodian can send cash straight to the charity. Ask your custodian how they handle it, and start early.
Step by Step: How to Request Your Gold IRA RMD from Your Custodian
- Get your RMD amount. Use our calculator, then confirm the figure with your custodian.
- Decide how you’ll take it: sell metal for cash, take coins or bars in kind, or take the total from another IRA.
- Choose your tax withholding, and make sure there’s enough cash in the IRA to cover it and any fees.
- Submit your custodian’s distribution form. For in-kind, list the exact coins or bars you want shipped.
- Allow time for processing. Metal sales and depository shipments can take one to two weeks, and longer in December.
- Confirm it’s done. Check that the amount distributed meets or exceeds your RMD, and keep the paperwork. Your custodian will report it to you and the IRS on Form 1099-R.
Missed a Gold IRA RMD? How to Fix It and Cut the Penalty to 10%
It happens, especially when metal sales run late. Here’s what to do:
- Take the missed amount as soon as you discover it.
- Tell your tax preparer. The shortfall is reported on IRS Form 5329.
- Fix it within the correction window, generally by the end of the second year after the missed RMD. Correcting it in time cuts the excise tax from 25% to 10%.
The IRS may also waive the tax entirely if the shortfall came from a reasonable error and you’re taking steps to fix it. Ask your tax preparer about requesting a waiver.
What Happens to RMDs When Your Heirs Inherit a Gold IRA
A spouse who inherits a gold IRA can usually treat it as their own and follow their own RMD schedule. Most other heirs must empty the account within 10 years of your death, and if you had already started your RMDs, they generally must keep taking yearly distributions during those 10 years.
These rules are detailed and easy to get wrong. If your family will inherit a gold IRA, make sure your beneficiary forms are current and your heirs know who your custodian is.
Gold IRA RMD Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep my gold at home after I take my RMD?
Yes. Once coins or bars are distributed to you, they’re yours to store wherever you like. Keeping IRA gold at home before it’s distributed is a different story.
Who calculates my RMD, me or my custodian?
Your custodian reports your year-end value and usually your RMD amount. Making sure the RMD actually gets taken is your responsibility.
Can I take my gold IRA RMD in silver?
Yes. Any metal in your IRA can be sold or distributed to meet your RMD, because what counts is the total value distributed.
Do I have to take my RMD all at once?
No. You can take it in several withdrawals during the year, as long as the total meets your RMD by the deadline.
Can I put my RMD back in my IRA?
No. An RMD can’t be rolled over into an IRA, and putting it back can trigger a 6% excess-contribution tax.
Does taking my RMD in gold coins lower my taxes?
No. Coins are taxed the same as cash, based on their value on the day they’re distributed.
Should I sell my gold or take the coins for my RMD?
Sell if you need the cash or want simple tax withholding. Take the coins if you want to keep owning gold and can pay the tax from other money.
How does my custodian value my gold for my RMD?
Most custodians multiply the ounces in your IRA by the spot price on December 31, and your RMD is based on that number. That’s why premium coins show up at about their melt value, not what you paid for them.
Get Help Coordinating Your Gold IRA RMD
If your gold IRA metal came through us, call us before your RMD is due. Our gold IRA specialists will help you work out which coins or bars to sell or ship, coordinate with your custodian, and make sure the timing works before December gets busy. Real people answer the phone at Certified Gold Exchange: 800-300-0715.
Important: Always confirm any RMD amount from our calculator with your IRA custodian before taking a distribution. This page is general information, not tax advice. Talk with your own tax professional about your situation and your gold IRA RMD.
