Required Minimum Distributions From a Gold IRA
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Short on time? The essentials
- RMDs begin at age 73 for account owners born between 1951 and 1959, and rise to age 75 for those born in 1960 or later, per the SECURE 2.0 Act.
- The first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you reach the required age; every RMD after that is due by December 31.
- Roth IRAs have no lifetime RMD for the original owner; traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE gold IRAs do.
- The RMD formula is your prior year-end balance divided by the applicable denominator from Table III (Uniform Lifetime) in IRS Publication 590-B.
- You can satisfy the RMD by selling gold inside the IRA for cash, or by taking metal as an in-kind distribution at its fair market value on the distribution date.
- A missed RMD triggers a 25 percent excise tax on the shortfall under Internal Revenue Code Section 4974, reduced to 10 percent if you correct within the SECURE 2.0 correction window.
- Texas has no state personal income tax, so the RMD is taxed at the federal level only. The 10 percent early-withdrawal tax does not apply once you have reached age 59 and a half.
- Storing gold IRA metal at the Texas Bullion Depository does not change the RMD math; the same federal timing and calculation rules apply.
On this page
- What an RMD is on a gold IRA
- The age that triggers your first RMD
- How to calculate the RMD amount
- The Uniform Lifetime Table divisors
- RMD share of the balance by age
- Two ways to take an RMD from a gold IRA
- The 25 percent excise tax on a missed RMD
- What a Texas resident pays in state tax
- Aggregating RMDs across multiple IRAs
- RMDs when you store at the Texas Bullion Depository
- Estimate your RMD with the calculator
- When a gold IRA near RMD age is a bad idea
- Gold IRA RMD FAQ
What an RMD is on a gold IRA
A required minimum distribution is the smallest amount the Internal Revenue Service forces you to withdraw from a tax-deferred retirement account each year after a set age. The rule exists so pre-tax dollars are eventually taxed, not deferred forever.
A gold IRA is a self-directed individual retirement account that holds IRS-approved physical bullion. The account structure follows the same rules as any other traditional, SEP, SIMPLE, or Roth IRA. That includes the required minimum distribution rules.
The RMD rules apply to traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE gold IRAs. A Roth gold IRA has no lifetime RMD for the original owner, per IRS Publication 590-B, Table I-2. Roth beneficiaries can still be subject to distribution rules after the original owner's death.
The RMD is not a withdrawal cap. It is a floor. You can always take more than the minimum in a given year, but a larger withdrawal does not reduce next year's minimum.
The age that triggers your first RMD
The SECURE 2.0 Act, signed in December 2022, raised the RMD start age in two steps. If you were born between 1951 and 1959, your RMDs begin at age 73. If you were born in 1960 or later, your RMDs begin at age 75, starting in the year 2033.
Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you reach the required age. That deadline is called your required beginning date. Every RMD after the first is due by December 31 of the year it covers.
Delaying the first RMD to April 1 of the following year stacks two RMDs into a single tax year. Most owners take the first RMD by December 31 of the year they turn 73 to spread the taxable income across two years.
The rules apply the same way to a Texas resident as to any other US resident. Federal RMD dates do not shift at the state border. What changes for Texans is the state tax layer on the distribution itself, covered further down.
How to calculate the RMD amount
The formula is simple: your gold IRA balance on December 31 of the prior year, divided by the applicable denominator for your age from Table III (Uniform Lifetime) in Appendix B of IRS Publication 590-B.
The applicable denominator drops as you age, so the required distribution percentage rises. At age 73 the denominator is 26.5, so you must distribute about 3.77 percent of the balance. At age 85 the denominator is 16.0, so you must distribute 6.25 percent.
- Look up the balance. Use the fair market value of the gold IRA on December 31 of the prior year. The custodian reports this on Form 5498. Metal values are marked to market at year-end spot price times the ounces held.
- Find your applicable denominator. Use your age on your birthday in the RMD year. Look up the denominator in Table III of Appendix B of IRS Publication 590-B.
- Divide. Prior year-end balance divided by the denominator equals the RMD amount for the current year.
- Pick how to take it. You can sell metal inside the IRA and take cash, or take an in-kind distribution of metal at its fair market value on the distribution date.
- Withhold federal tax if needed. The default federal withholding on IRA distributions is 10 percent. You can elect a different rate on Form W-4R filed with the custodian.
- Report on Form 1099-R. The custodian issues a 1099-R for the year of the distribution. Include the amount as taxable income on your federal return.
The Uniform Lifetime Table divisors
The table below reproduces the applicable denominator for ages 73 through 95 from Appendix B of IRS Publication 590-B. It is the divisor used for a single-owner IRA and for a married owner whose spouse is not more than 10 years younger.
| Age at year end | Applicable denominator | RMD as share of prior year-end balance |
|---|---|---|
| 73 | 26.5 | 3.77 percent |
| 74 | 25.5 | 3.92 percent |
| 75 | 24.6 | 4.07 percent |
| 76 | 23.7 | 4.22 percent |
| 77 | 22.9 | 4.37 percent |
| 78 | 22.0 | 4.55 percent |
| 79 | 21.1 | 4.74 percent |
| 80 | 20.2 | 4.95 percent |
| 81 | 19.4 | 5.15 percent |
| 82 | 18.5 | 5.41 percent |
| 83 | 17.7 | 5.65 percent |
| 84 | 16.8 | 5.95 percent |
| 85 | 16.0 | 6.25 percent |
| 86 | 15.2 | 6.58 percent |
| 87 | 14.4 | 6.94 percent |
| 88 | 13.7 | 7.30 percent |
| 89 | 12.9 | 7.75 percent |
| 90 | 12.2 | 8.20 percent |
| 91 | 11.5 | 8.70 percent |
| 92 | 10.8 | 9.26 percent |
| 93 | 10.1 | 9.90 percent |
| 94 | 9.5 | 10.53 percent |
| 95 | 8.9 | 11.24 percent |
Source: Appendix B, IRS Publication 590-B, Uniform Lifetime Table (Table III). The share is computed as 100 divided by the denominator, rounded to two decimals. Checked June 2026.
If your sole beneficiary is a spouse who is more than 10 years younger than you, use Table II (Joint Life and Last Survivor Expectancy) instead. The joint-life divisor is larger, so the RMD is smaller. That rule is set in IRS Publication 590-B.
RMD share of the balance by age
The chart below plots the required distribution as a percent of the prior year-end IRA balance across the standard RMD age range. The curve accelerates because the Uniform Lifetime divisor shrinks each year.
The pattern matters for a gold IRA specifically. Every year, a larger slice of the account must leave the tax-deferred structure. If you plan to keep physical metal in retirement, the RMD forces a running decision on which coins or bars come out first.
Two ways to take an RMD from a gold IRA
The IRA custodian can satisfy the RMD in either of two ways. Both count toward the required amount. Which one you pick affects logistics and future selling costs, not the amount taxed.
Path 1: sell metal inside the IRA and distribute cash. The custodian sells enough of your bullion at spot to raise the RMD amount in cash. The IRA receives cash on the sale, and the custodian then distributes the cash to your bank account. The dealer's buyback spread applies inside the account.
Path 2: take an in-kind distribution of metal. The custodian ships specific coins or bars to your home or bank. The distribution is valued at the fair market value on the distribution date, and that value is what appears on Form 1099-R as taxable income. You keep the physical metal outside the IRA.
An in-kind distribution avoids the dealer buyback spread on the amount distributed, because no sale happens inside the IRA. It also preserves your ability to hold the metal for a longer horizon in a taxable account. It does mean shipping, insurance, and storage costs land on you personally.
| Aspect | Sell inside the IRA, distribute cash | In-kind distribution of metal |
|---|---|---|
| What leaves the IRA | Cash | Physical coins or bars |
| Value on Form 1099-R | Cash amount distributed | Fair market value of the metal on the distribution date |
| Federal income tax due | Yes, on the cash amount | Yes, on the fair market value |
| Dealer buyback spread | Applies on the sale inside the IRA | Does not apply until you sell the metal outside the IRA later |
| Shipping and insurance | Not applicable | Owner pays the depository shipping and outbound insurance |
| Post-distribution basis | Cash, no basis question | Basis equals the fair market value used for the 1099-R |
Sources: IRS Publication 590-B, chapter 1, on distributions; IRS Form 1099-R instructions. Checked June 2026.
The 25 percent excise tax on a missed RMD
Missing an RMD triggers a 25 percent excise tax on the amount that should have been distributed. The rule is set in Internal Revenue Code Section 4974. Before the SECURE 2.0 Act, the rate was 50 percent, so this is a meaningful improvement, but 25 percent is still expensive.
The tax is reported on Form 5329 and paid with your federal return. It is on top of the ordinary income tax you owe once you finally take the distribution. The excise tax does not replace the income tax; it adds to it.
SECURE 2.0 also introduced a reduced rate. If you correct the shortfall during the correction window and file a return reflecting the tax, the excise tax drops from 25 percent to 10 percent. The correction window generally runs until the end of the second taxable year after the RMD was due, per IRS Publication 590-B.
The IRS can also waive the excise tax entirely if the missed RMD was due to reasonable error and you have taken steps to remedy the shortfall. You file Form 5329 with a statement of explanation. The waiver is not automatic; the IRS grants it case by case.
What a Texas resident pays in state tax
Texas has no state personal income tax. Article 8, Section 24 of the Texas Constitution prohibits the legislature from imposing one without voter approval. Gold IRA RMDs are taxed at the federal level only for a Texas resident.
The federal tax stack on the RMD is ordinary income at your marginal rate. For an owner past age 59 and a half, the 10 percent early-withdrawal tax under IRC Section 72(t) does not apply. Only the ordinary income tax on the distribution.
Take a Texas retiree in a 22 percent federal marginal bracket with a 10,000 dollar RMD. The federal income tax is about 2,200 dollars, and the state tax is zero. A California retiree with the same 10,000 dollar RMD would owe the federal 2,200 dollars plus a California state income tax layer on top.
The Texas advantage is real, but it does not change the RMD calculation itself, the deadline, or the excise tax on a missed distribution. Those are federal rules that apply the same way in every state. Consult your tax advisor for your specific situation.
Aggregating RMDs across multiple IRAs
The IRS lets you calculate the RMD separately for each of your traditional, SEP, or SIMPLE IRAs, and then take the total from any one of them or from any combination. The rule is set in IRS Publication 590-B under "More than one IRA."
That flexibility works well for a gold IRA owner. If you also hold a traditional IRA at a brokerage, you can take the combined RMD from the brokerage account and leave the physical metal in the gold IRA untouched. The RMD requirement is satisfied for both.
The aggregation rule applies only within the same account type. IRAs aggregate with IRAs. Employer plan RMDs (from a 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b)) must be taken from each plan separately. A 403(b) has its own aggregation rule that treats all 403(b) accounts as one for RMD purposes.
The strategy of taking the RMD from a cash-heavy IRA to preserve the gold IRA is a routine coordination move, not a tax dodge. The IRS explicitly allows it. Your custodian can confirm the calculation for each account; the total across your IRAs is what matters.
RMDs when you store at the Texas Bullion Depository
The Texas Bullion Depository is a state-administered precious-metals vault in Leander, Texas, operated by Lone Star Tangible Assets LP under contract to the Texas Comptroller. In 2023 the operator received IRS approval as a nonbank trustee, which lets the depository store IRA-owned metal.
As of June 2026, Equity Trust Company is the first self-directed IRA custodian to work with the Texas Bullion Depository for IRA storage. The route is: the account owner works with a gold dealer and Equity Trust, and Equity Trust coordinates delivery to the depository. Fees for IRA storage are negotiated among the custodian, dealer, and depository operator.
Storing at the Texas Bullion Depository does not change the RMD math. The Uniform Lifetime Table divisor, the December 31 deadline, and the 25 percent excise tax all apply the same way whether your metal sits in Leander, Delaware, or Salt Lake City. What changes is where the physical metal lives and whose oversight applies.
For an in-kind RMD, the depository operator ships the metal to the account owner on the custodian's instruction. Standard outbound insurance and shipping fees apply. The fair market value on the distribution date is what lands on the Form 1099-R, regardless of storage location.
Estimate your RMD with the calculator
The tool below applies the Uniform Lifetime Table divisor for the age you enter and computes an estimated RMD. It is a starting point, not tax advice, and does not account for spouse-more-than-10-years-younger cases or beneficiary RMDs.
Texas gold IRA required minimum distribution (RMD) estimator
Once required minimum distributions begin (age 73 now, 75 starting 2033), you divide last year-end balance by an IRS life-expectancy factor. Texas charges no state income tax, so the result is taxed only at the federal level. You can take a gold IRA RMD in cash or in metal.
Estimate only, not tax advice. Uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (most owners). A spouse more than 10 years younger and sole beneficiary uses a different table. Roth IRAs have no lifetime RMD. Sources: IRS Publication 590-B (Table III); IRS RMD FAQs. Consult your tax advisor.
When a gold IRA near RMD age is a bad idea
An RMD from a gold IRA works cleanly when the account is sized right and your other retirement income is set. It creates real friction in the cases below. We list them without a CTA attached.
The account is too small to absorb the fee stack. A gold IRA typically carries a setup fee, an annual custodian fee, and an annual storage fee. On a 20,000 dollar account, those fixed fees can consume a meaningful share of the balance each year. The RMD amplifies the drain because you sell metal or ship metal every year to satisfy it.
You need liquidity in the next 12 to 24 months. An in-kind distribution ships physical coins or bars. Selling them back to a dealer means paying the buyback spread, which can be several percent below spot. If a health or family expense is on the horizon, cash IRAs are simpler.
You started the gold IRA within 5 years of your first RMD. A short holding window magnifies the entry markup on the metal, because you never had time to amortize it. Adding the yearly RMD drain to the front-end premium leaves less than the ledger balance would suggest.
You do not have a plan for storage after the metal leaves the IRA. An in-kind RMD lands physical metal in your hands. Home storage carries insurance and security considerations. Selling immediately back to the dealer means you paid a spread going in and another going out.
You expect to convert to a Roth in the same year. A conversion is a separate distribution and does not count toward the RMD. You must satisfy the RMD first before you convert additional dollars. Talk to your tax advisor before combining an RMD year with a conversion.
You want a spouse who is more than 10 years younger to inherit the account. The Uniform Lifetime Table does not use the joint-life divisor. Table II gives you a smaller RMD in that case, which changes the plan. Confirm the beneficiary designation before your required beginning date.
Gold IRA RMD FAQ
At what age do gold IRA RMDs start?
RMDs start at age 73 for account owners born between 1951 and 1959, and at age 75 for those born in 1960 or later, starting in the year 2033. The rule is set in the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 and reflected in IRS Publication 590-B. The first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you reach the required age.
Do Roth gold IRAs have required minimum distributions?
No. The original owner of a Roth gold IRA has no lifetime RMD, per IRS Publication 590-B, Table I-2. Roth beneficiaries can still face distribution rules after the owner's death. The lifetime RMD rules apply to traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE gold IRAs.
How is the gold IRA RMD calculated?
Take your gold IRA balance on December 31 of the prior year and divide by the applicable denominator from Table III (Uniform Lifetime) in Appendix B of IRS Publication 590-B. At age 73 the denominator is 26.5. At age 80 it is 20.2. At age 90 it is 12.2. The result is the RMD amount for the current year.
Can I take my gold IRA RMD as physical metal instead of cash?
Yes. The custodian can distribute an in-kind amount of coins or bars valued at the fair market value on the distribution date, and that value is what appears on Form 1099-R. Sending metal avoids the dealer buyback spread inside the IRA but shifts shipping, insurance, and storage costs to you personally.
What happens if I miss a gold IRA RMD?
The Internal Revenue Service imposes a 25 percent excise tax under IRC Section 4974 on the amount that should have been distributed. If you correct the shortfall within the SECURE 2.0 correction window and file a return reflecting the tax, the excise rate drops to 10 percent. You can request a full waiver on Form 5329 if the miss was due to reasonable error.
Does Texas tax my gold IRA RMD?
No. Texas has no state personal income tax under Article 8, Section 24 of the Texas Constitution. The gold IRA RMD is taxed at the federal level only for a Texas resident. Consult your tax advisor for your specific situation.
Can I take the RMD for my gold IRA from a different IRA I own?
Yes, if both are traditional, SEP, or SIMPLE IRAs. IRS Publication 590-B lets you calculate the RMD for each IRA separately and take the total from any one or combination of your IRAs. That flexibility does not extend to 401(k) or other employer-plan RMDs, which must be taken from each plan.
Does storing my gold IRA at the Texas Bullion Depository change the RMD?
No. The RMD math is set by federal law and is the same regardless of storage location. As of June 2026, Equity Trust Company is the first custodian to route IRA metal to the Texas Bullion Depository, whose operator received IRS nonbank trustee approval in 2023. For an in-kind RMD, the depository ships the metal at the custodian's instruction.
Sources
- Internal Revenue Service. Publication 590-B: Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), including Appendix B (Uniform Lifetime Table) and the "Excess Accumulations (Insufficient Distributions)" section. irs.gov/publications/p590b. Checked June 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics: Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). irs.gov required minimum distributions topic. Checked June 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Plan and IRA Required Minimum Distributions FAQs. irs.gov RMD FAQs. Checked June 2026.
- Internal Revenue Code Section 4974. Excise tax on certain accumulations in qualified retirement plans. Office of the Law Revision Counsel. uscode.house.gov. Checked June 2026.
- Internal Revenue Code Section 401(a)(9). Required distribution rules for qualified plans and IRAs. uscode.house.gov. Checked June 2026.
- Internal Revenue Code Section 408(m). Definition of collectibles for IRA purposes and the statutory exception for IRA-eligible bullion. uscode.house.gov. Checked June 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 5329, Additional Taxes on Qualified Plans (Including IRAs) and Other Tax-Favored Accounts. irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-5329. Checked June 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans. irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-r. Checked June 2026.
- Public Law 117-328, Division T (SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022), Sections 107 (Increase in age for required beginning date for mandatory distributions) and 302 (Reduction in excise tax on certain accumulations). congress.gov SECURE 2.0 text. Checked June 2026.
- Texas Bullion Depository. IRA Storage Services, including Lone Star Tangible Assets LP's 2023 IRS nonbank trustee approval and Equity Trust Company as the first custodian. texasbulliondepository.gov/ira-storage. Checked June 2026.
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Texas Bullion Depository program overview. comptroller.texas.gov depository program. Checked June 2026.
- Texas Constitution, Article 8, Section 24. Prohibition on state personal income tax without voter approval. statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Checked June 2026.