Texas Bullion Depository Storage Fees
Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission when a reader opens an account through links on this page. The commission has no effect on what you pay or on what we publish. We are not a financial or tax advisor; consult a licensed advisor for your situation. Last reviewed July 2026.
Short on time? The essentials
- The published schedule effective April 1, 2026 is for non-IRA accounts; IRA storage at the depository is priced by negotiated quote.
- Non-IRA segregated storage: 0.49 percent up to $499,999.99; 0.44 percent to $999,999.99; 0.39 percent to $2,499,999.99; 0.34 percent to $4,999,999.99; call for pricing at $5 million and above.
- Model type: flat-rate. One tier rate applies to the whole account (no stairstep), assessed on Average Daily Value and billed once per quarter.
- A $25 quarterly minimum applies to the first tier. That is $100 per year on very small accounts.
- Setup fee: $0. Withdrawal fee: $0. Shipping and handling: $17.95 plus 0.0018 times spot value per shipment.
- Pickup or customer room visit: $35 each. Late payment, stop payment, insufficient funds, refused deposit: $35 each. Silver bag counting: $50.
- Federal tax rules on the IRA do not change based on which IRS-approved facility holds the metal. Texas removes the state layer because Texas has no state personal income tax.
On this page
- The fee schedule effective April 1, 2026
- How the flat-rate ADV model actually works
- Why IRA storage is priced by quote, not by tier
- Non-storage fees you may still see
- The prior schedule (April 2018 through March 2026)
- How the numbers compare to private IRA depositories
- How to price out your Texas Bullion Depository IRA quote
- Estimate the annual fee drag on your gold IRA
- Worked example: a Houston retiree at $200,000
- The Texas tax angle on those fees and distributions
- When paying for state-run storage may not be worth it
- Frequently asked questions
The fee schedule effective April 1, 2026
The Texas Bullion Depository publishes a Schedule of Fees on its state website. The current version took effect April 1, 2026. It replaces the stairstep schedule that ran from April 1, 2018 through March 31, 2026.
The current schedule covers non-IRA accounts. Segregated storage rates apply the same way to gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. The rate you pay depends on the Average Daily Value (ADV) of your account for the quarter.
Under the current schedule, one rate applies to your entire ADV. The tier is a flat rate, not a stairstep. That is a change from the pre-2026 model and it affects mid-sized accounts most.
| Average Daily Value tier | Annual rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| $0.01 to $499,999.99 | 0.49 percent | $25 quarterly minimum applies ($100 per year floor) |
| $500,000.00 to $999,999.99 | 0.44 percent | Single rate on whole ADV |
| $1,000,000.00 to $2,499,999.99 | 0.39 percent | Single rate on whole ADV |
| $2,500,000.00 to $4,999,999.99 | 0.34 percent | Single rate on whole ADV |
| $5,000,000.00 and above | Negotiable | Call for pricing per the schedule |
Source: Texas Bullion Depository Schedule of Fees, effective April 1, 2026, texasbulliondepository.gov/pricing, checked July 2026. Non-IRA accounts only. Same rates apply for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
How the flat-rate ADV model actually works
The depository calculates fees on the account's Average Daily Value across the year. The tier your ADV falls into determines a single annual rate for the whole account. Fees accrue daily and get billed once per quarter.
The daily rate is the annual rate divided by 365. The daily fee is your ADV multiplied by that daily rate. The depository publishes a worked example on its own pricing page.
Take a $100,000 account. It lands in the $0.01 to $499,999.99 tier at 0.49 percent annual. Divide 0.49 percent by 365 and you get about 0.0000134247 per day. On a $100,000 account, that is about $1.34 per day, or roughly $490 across a full year.
Now take a $700,000 account. It lands in the second tier at 0.44 percent annual. The whole $700,000 pays 0.44 percent, not 0.49 percent on the first $500,000 and 0.44 percent on the rest. Total annual fee: about $3,080.
That is the mechanical difference from a stairstep model. Under a stairstep, the first slice pays the highest rate and later slices pay lower rates. Under the current TBD model, one rate applies to the entire ADV based on which tier the average lands in.
Why IRA storage is priced by quote, not by tier
The public flat-rate schedule covers accounts opened and managed directly with the Texas Bullion Depository. IRAs are excluded from that pricing model on the schedule itself. IRAs are managed through third-party self-directed IRA custodians, not directly at the depository.
Per the depository's IRA Storage Services page, IRA storage fees are negotiated between the gold dealer, the IRA custodian (currently Equity Trust Company as the first participating custodian), and the depository contractor Lone Star Tangible Assets LP. The depository received IRS nonbank trustee approval through LSTA in 2023.
The practical effect is that the storage fee inside an IRA can be quoted as a bundled flat dollar amount rather than a percentage. It can also be quoted as part of a package that includes the custodian's annual account fee. What matters is what the paperwork actually says.
Two things follow. First, do not assume the published 0.49 percent applies to your IRA balance; it does not, on its face. Second, ask the dealer or custodian for the annual all-in fee load in dollars, including custodian, storage, and any transaction charges.
Non-storage fees you may still see
Storage is one line on the depository's schedule. Several transaction charges apply on top. Most are $35 per event, which is a useful anchor to remember. Shipping and handling has its own formula tied to spot value.
| Fee | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Account setup | $0 | No setup fee to open a depository account |
| Withdrawal | $0 | No withdrawal fee itself; delivery uses shipping and handling |
| Shipping and handling (domestic) | $17.95 plus 0.0018 times spot value | Per outbound shipment; spot or declared value used |
| Personal or courier pick-up | $35.00 | Scheduled appointment to collect a withdrawal at the vault |
| Customer room use | $35.00 | Per 30-minute private viewing of your holdings by appointment |
| Replacement pallet packaging | $0 | No fee for replacement pallet packaging |
| Stop payment | $35.00 | If a stop-payment instruction is issued or received |
| Late payment | $35.00 | If a quarterly invoice is not paid when due |
| Insufficient funds / overdraft | $35.00 | If the associated bank account lacks funds for a debit |
| Refused deposit | $35.00 | When a deposit is refused and must be returned |
| 90 percent and 40 percent silver coin bag counting | $50.00 | Counting and verifying silver coin bulk bags |
Source: Texas Bullion Depository Schedule of Fees, effective April 1, 2026, texasbulliondepository.gov/pricing, checked July 2026. Non-IRA schedule. For an IRA at the depository, confirm which of these charges pass through and which are folded into the custodian's bundled rate.
For an IRA, the practical question is which of these non-storage charges pass through to you and which the custodian absorbs. Some custodians bundle shipping into their setup or annual fee. Others invoice the depository's charges as-is.
The prior schedule (April 2018 through March 2026)
The Texas Bullion Depository lists the prior schedule on its pricing page for reference. That schedule ran from April 1, 2018 through March 31, 2026, and it used a stairstep model rather than a flat rate.
Under the stairstep, each tier's rate applied only to the portion of value within that tier. A $700,000 account paid 0.50 percent on the first $2,499,999.99 slice (up to the balance), so effectively 0.50 percent on the full $700,000 back then. A $3 million account paid 0.50 percent on the first $2.5 million, then 0.45 percent on the next slice.
The switch to a flat rate in April 2026 raises the effective rate on small accounts (they lost the graduated first slice) and lowers it on mid-sized accounts (they get the single tier rate on the whole balance). The published rates themselves are also lower at each break than the prior schedule.
Two takeaways. If your quote or an older article still cites 0.50 percent as the base rate, it may be reading from the pre-April 2026 schedule. If your storage was priced under the old model, revisit the number this year against the flat-rate schedule.
How the numbers compare to private IRA depositories
Most gold IRA custodians default to a private depository such as Delaware Depository, Brinks Global Services, IDS of Delaware or Texas, or CNT. Those venues typically bill an IRA-specific storage fee through the custodian, often as a flat dollar amount per year.
A common pattern is a bundled dealer or custodian package quoted at $100 to $200 per year for storage on smaller balances, with a separate $75 to $250 custodian account fee. That combined pattern is what you are effectively comparing a Texas Bullion Depository IRA quote against.
| Item | Texas Bullion Depository (IRA) | Typical private IRA depository (IRA) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage pricing basis | Negotiated; not on the public flat-rate schedule | Flat annual dollar fee via custodian, or a small percentage |
| Storage type | Segregated only, per the IRA storage page | Often a choice between segregated and commingled |
| Storage vendor invoice | Through Lone Star Tangible Assets LP as operator | Through the depository's contracted IRA custodian |
| Custodian annual fee | Set by the IRA custodian (such as Equity Trust) | Set by the IRA custodian; typical range varies by provider |
| Setup fee | $0 on the non-IRA schedule; confirm IRA-side with custodian | Varies; commonly $0 to $80 one time |
| Withdrawal or shipping | Shipping formula from non-IRA schedule ($17.95 + 0.0018 x spot) | Varies by depository; typically a per-shipment charge |
| Insurance carrier | Lloyd's of London (per the IRA Storage Services page) | Often Lloyd's of London as well |
| Location count | Single vault: Leander, Texas | Multiple US vaults across states |
Sources: Texas Bullion Depository Schedule of Fees and IRA Storage Services pages, texasbulliondepository.gov, checked July 2026; public materials for Delaware Depository, Brinks Global Services, IDS, and CNT, checked July 2026. Confirm current pricing with each custodian and depository.
The comparison table is structural, not a rate ranking. Whether the TBD quote is cheaper or more expensive than a private depository depends on what your custodian negotiates and how they bundle the components.
How to price out your Texas Bullion Depository IRA quote
The negotiated IRA pricing rule is what makes this step matter. Getting a clean apples-to-apples number takes a written breakdown, not a phone quote you have to recall later. The process below is written for a Texas resident who wants IRA metal at the Leander vault.
- Ask your gold dealer whether they route to the Texas Bullion Depository. Not every dealer has a live relationship with LSTA. Confirm they can ship IRA metal to Leander through the specific custodian you plan to use.
- Ask which self-directed IRA custodian will hold the account. Equity Trust Company is the first custodian publicly working with the depository. Confirm your custodian is on the current list before you assume the setup is available.
- Get the annual storage fee in writing. Ask for a single number: what does the IRA pay to the depository, per year, at your expected starting balance. Ask if the fee is a flat dollar amount or a percentage.
- Get the custodian's annual account fee in writing. This is separate from storage. Ask for the standard annual account fee for the size of your IRA and whether any transaction charges hit on top.
- Ask which non-storage fees pass through. Confirm whether the $17.95 plus 0.0018 x spot shipping formula, the $35 pickup fee, and other line items apply to you directly or are folded into a bundled rate.
- Add up the three numbers and divide by your balance. The result is your all-in annual fee percentage. That is the number to compare against a private depository quote or a different custodian setup.
- Ask what triggers a re-quote. Confirm what happens if your balance grows into a different tier, or if the depository's public rate changes. Get the re-quote trigger in the paperwork.
Estimate the annual fee drag on your gold IRA
The calculator below turns your account balance and total annual fee into a percentage drag. Use it to sanity-check any quote, whether from the Texas Bullion Depository or a private depository. Small dollar differences add up across a long retirement.
Texas gold IRAs charge mostly flat dollar fees (setup, annual custodian, storage). Flat fees take a much bigger bite out of a small account than a large one. Enter your numbers to see the drag. Estimate only. Fee amounts vary by provider and are often not published; enter figures you confirm in writing. This tool ignores metal price changes and the dealer spread, which also affect returns. Not financial advice. Picking a company that explains every fee up front is the first step. Get the free gold IRA company checklist.Texas gold IRA fee-drag calculator
Worked example: a Houston retiree at $200,000
The Texas tax angle on those fees and distributions
Storage fees at the Texas Bullion Depository are not tax-deductible against IRA distributions. They are paid inside the IRA (from account cash or by the account owner outside the IRA, depending on the custodian's rule). The Texas tax angle is on the distribution side, not the storage side.
Texas has no state personal income tax. That is a state-level fact, not a depository benefit. A Texas resident's IRA distribution (RMD, early withdrawal, Roth conversion, or ordinary withdrawal) is taxed at the federal level only, with no Texas state income tax layered on top.
Federal ordinary income tax still applies to a taxable distribution from a traditional IRA. If you are under age 59 1/2, the federal 10 percent additional tax may apply unless an exception fits. Storing the metal in Leander does not change any of that.
A retiree moving into Texas mid-year may see part of the year still taxed by a former state. Distribution timing after residency change can matter. Confirm state-of-residence rules with a licensed tax advisor before making a large withdrawal.
When paying for state-run storage may not be worth it
The Texas-administered angle is real, but it is not always the right choice for the fee math on an IRA. Certain patterns tip the decision away from Leander.
Small balance with any fixed dollar minimum. A $15,000 IRA paying $150 in storage plus $225 in custodian fees is 2.5 percent of balance per year. That number would hurt returns at any facility, not only at TBD. Size the account against the fee floor.
Your custodian is not on the current TBD list. Equity Trust is the publicly identified IRA custodian. Switching custodians only to use this vault may cost more in transfer paperwork than the storage difference is worth. Verify the list before assuming access.
You want commingled storage to reduce cost. Per the IRA Storage Services page, TBD stores IRA assets in segregated form only. If a private depository offering commingled storage would meaningfully reduce your fee, and you accept commingling, TBD is the wrong venue.
You need frequent physical inspection or shipments. The $35 per 30-minute room fee, $35 pickup fee, and the $17.95 plus 0.0018 x spot shipping formula add up if you use them often. A depository with a per-year visitation model may be cheaper for that behavior.
You are chasing a state tax break by storing in Texas. Federal IRA tax rules apply regardless of which IRS-approved facility holds the metal. Texas removes the state tax layer because Texas has no personal income tax, not because of where the vault sits.
The vault is a substitute for vetting the provider. The Leander location does not audit the dealer or the custodian. A high dealer markup and a solid vault still leave you overpaying. The gold IRA fee decision is a stack, not a single line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current Texas Bullion Depository storage rate?
For non-IRA segregated storage, the schedule effective April 1, 2026 runs from 0.49 percent annually on ADV under $500,000 down to 0.34 percent on ADV between $2.5 million and $4,999,999.99. Amounts of $5 million and above are quoted individually. IRA storage is priced separately by negotiated quote.
Do IRA accounts pay the same tiered rate as the public schedule?
No. The published flat-rate schedule covers non-IRA accounts opened and managed directly with the depository. Per the depository, IRA storage fees are negotiated between the gold dealer, the IRA custodian, and the depository contractor, and are not on the public schedule.
Is there a minimum annual fee?
The public schedule states a $25 quarterly minimum applies to the first tier ($0.01 to $499,999.99 ADV). That is a $100 per year floor for very small non-IRA accounts. IRA quotes may include their own floor set by the custodian.
How does the flat-rate model actually calculate my daily fee?
The daily rate equals the annual rate divided by 365. The daily fee equals your Average Daily Value multiplied by that daily rate. Fees accrue daily and get billed once per quarter. The whole account uses the single tier rate for its ADV.
What does the depository charge for shipping a withdrawal?
The published domestic shipping and handling fee is $17.95 plus 0.0018 times the spot price value (or declared value when it exists) per shipment. For an IRA, confirm with your custodian whether this passes through or is folded into a bundled rate.
Is there a fee to visit my metal in person?
Yes. The published Customer Room Usage Fee is $35 per 30-minute private viewing by appointment. The Personal or Courier Pick-Up Fee to collect a withdrawal is a separate $35 per transaction, also by appointment only.
Are storage rates the same for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium?
Yes. The published schedule states the same low rates apply for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Silver coin bulk-bag counting has its own $50 fee. Non-IRA product acceptance is broader than IRA product acceptance under IRC Section 408(m).
Does storing IRA metal in Texas give me a Texas tax break?
No. Federal IRA tax rules apply regardless of which IRS-approved facility holds the metal. Texas has no state personal income tax on any resident's income, IRA distributions included, and that residency benefit stands whether the metal is stored in Leander or elsewhere.
Sources
- Texas Bullion Depository. Schedule of Fees (effective April 1, 2026). texasbulliondepository.gov/pricing. Checked July 2026.
- Texas Bullion Depository. IRA Storage Services. texasbulliondepository.gov/ira-storage. Checked July 2026.
- Texas Bullion Depository. Prior Schedule of Fees, April 1, 2018 through March 31, 2026 (reference only). texasbulliondepository.gov/pricing. Checked July 2026.
- Office of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Texas Bullion Depository overview. comptroller.texas.gov. Checked July 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Publication 590-A: Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs). irs.gov/publications/p590a. Checked July 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Publication 590-B: Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs). irs.gov/publications/p590b. Checked July 2026.
- Internal Revenue Code Section 408(m). Collectibles rule and bullion exception. Office of the Law Revision Counsel. uscode.house.gov. Checked July 2026.
- Texas Legislature. House Bill 483, 84th Regular Session (2015), Texas Bullion Depository Act. capitol.texas.gov. Checked July 2026.
- Equity Trust Company. Self-directed IRA precious metals storage (first publicly identified custodian partner for TBD IRA storage). trustetc.com. Checked July 2026.