Can I Store My IRA Gold at Home?
Precious metals in retirement accounts must typically be stored at an IRS-approved depository. If you withdraw physical gold from an IRA and store it at home instead, this could be considered as an irregular distribution with taxes and penalties applied accordingly.
Home storage gold IRA providers often advertise themselves as offering loopholes around IRS regulations. Don’t fall for their false promises and invest your hard-earned savings into one.
IRA Rules
Remember, gold and other precious metals held within an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) must abide by specific rules, established by Congress and the IRS to prevent investors from engaging in self-dealing, conflicts of interest and prohibited transactions.
One such prohibited transaction would be to store physical precious metals held in an IRA at home in a safe or security deposit box, as this action can be viewed as distribution and could incur penalties on its total value.
To avoid such penalties, it is advisable to discuss adding precious metals into an IRA with both legal counsel and an experienced gold IRA custodian. Many reputable providers can handle all these requirements for their customers efficiently while helping customers select IRS-approved coins and bullion at competitive prices.
Home Storage
Some companies offering Home Storage Gold IRAs exploit an ingenious loophole by encouraging investors to form checkbook LLCs as a means of handling bullion purchases and storing precious metals at home. Unfortunately, such arrangements violate IRS regulations and expose investors to serious legal and financial concerns.
If the IRS finds you to be not complying with IRA regulations, they could consider your assets distributions and take away all the tax advantages that made a Gold IRA investment so attractive. Furthermore, early distributions incur an extra 10% penalty and taxes as well.
Self-Directed IRAs managed by an independent custodian are your safest bet for retirement savings, providing full control of your retirement savings with access to more gold coins and bars than could be purchased with Home Storage Gold IRAs. Furthermore, all precious metals will be securely stored with a trusted depository that operates independently from themselves.
IRS Audits
IRAs offer tax-free assets to help retirees prepare for retirement. Traditional and Roth IRAs can be established, as well as SEP and SIMPLE accounts for self-employed individuals and small businesses, offering tax relief during retirement years as well as providing wealth for future generations.
If the IRS sends you an audit notice, there are steps you can take to resolve it. An auditor will often review disputed items either directly with you or through alternative dispute resolution (ADR). If you disagree with their findings, however, an appeals officer is available.
An experienced IRS audit attorney can be invaluable during an IRS audit. They know when it’s best to comply or fight back in order to protect your rights, extend statute of limitation if needed and negotiate an agreement with them in an effort to get things resolved within 26 months or less.
Taxes
Use of your home for storage can pose risks that many gold IRA companies fail to disclose when offering “home storage” options. Storing precious metals at home exposes you to IRS penalties; according to IRS rules, gold must be stored either in a bank safety deposit box or with an approved custodian who does not store bullion directly.
To reduce these risks, use your IRA to purchase precious metals that will be held by a custodian that does not charge storage fees. Many IRA custodians have relationships with dealers; it is essential that you conduct your own research to find one who meets industry standards. Also remember that while precious metals may serve as an effective inflation hedge, they are highly volatile; so for optimal returns it may be better to diversify into other assets to provide a more rounded portfolio.
Categorised in: Blog