Can You Store IRA Gold at Home?
Gold IRA advertisements often promise investors they can store precious metals at home, yet this practice is illegal and may lead to significant penalties, including fines and losing tax advantages from your IRA account.
The IRS mandates that precious metals held within an IRA be stored at an IRS-compliant depository. Hiding it under your bed or at home would violate this rule and count as an distribution that qualifies for an IRS 10% penalty fee.
Taxes
Some precious metal dealers advertise home storage of gold IRAs, but this is against IRS rules and there can be serious penalties incurred if people act as trustees for themselves IRAs.
When buying and storing gold for an IRA, the best method is through an IRA custodian offering multiple storage solutions. These companies keep records, disbursements and IRS reporting requirements; as well as relationships with depositories who offer various fee structures; so make sure you ask about these fees and calculate them before selecting an IRA custodian company.
Purchases made outside an IRA and kept at home will count as distribution, which may result in early withdrawal penalties if you are under 59.5 years old and lead to an audit for which regular income taxes must be paid on gains as well as liability for theft and damage claims.
Security
Some gold IRA companies advocate the idea of storing your precious metals at home, which may seem convenient but isn’t safe for your IRA or retirement account. While Congress allows some home storage of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium owned by your IRA (subject to certain restrictions), depository vaults offer greater control.
Stored precious metals at home may violate IRS prohibited transaction laws imposed upon IRAs to avoid self-dealing and conflicts of interest, which the IRS enforces to prevent self-dealing and conflicts of interest. Should they find that your IRA contained assets stored at home, your account could be disqualified with immediate income tax liability and an early withdrawal penalty of 10% assessed as soon as they discover this fact.
Trustworthy gold IRA custodians store your precious metal investments in IRS-approved facilities that offer round-the-clock surveillance and provide insurance protection in case of theft or natural disaster.
Legality
Many home storage gold IRA advocates promote clever strategies to mislead the IRS into thinking precious metals are being stored legally. They advise investors to create a limited liability company as the owner and name themselves as manager for their SDIRA; then use this entity to rent out a safe deposit box as storage for precious metals.
This action violates IRS regulations, which stipulate that any assets purchased for an IRA must be held physically by an approved custodian or trustee. Furthermore, such practices open up the possibility of audits which could incur penalties and fines from IRS auditors.
Doing business as a self-directed IRA doesn’t violate any laws, but regulations around them can be stringent. Storing them at home would count as distributions under tax code and be subject to taxes and penalties; furthermore, no guarantees exist that will keep your precious metal investments safe from damage or theft.
Offshore storage
Home storage of precious metals can be an unwise investment, since theft or loss may occur even with high-quality security measures in place. Even so, natural disasters and break-ins cannot always be predicted with certainty.
IRS has strict regulations surrounding the storage of gold in an IRA account, and any violations could result in significant fines and restrictions to your precious metal buying options (as some types may only be suitable). Home storage also limits precious metal choices; you may only be allowed to buy certain precious metal types.
Private depository storage is the safest solution for protecting IRA gold investments, and many top-rated gold IRA companies provide this service. Goldco is one such top-rated gold IRA company offering this option – they have top-tier customer service, buyback guarantees and secure storage facilities; their clients include experienced investors such as Mark Levin who appreciate their white-glove service. Furthermore, many of their dealers belong to industry trade groups or are accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
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