Who holds the gold in a gold IRA?

In a Gold IRA, you don’t personally hold the physical gold. IRS rules require it to be stored by an approved, independent custodian (typically a bank, trust company, or other IRS-sanctioned institution) at an insured, IRS-approved depository.

The custodian handles administrative duties like recordkeeping and reporting, while the depository provides secure physical storage, usually with options for segregated (your metals only) or commingled (pooled with other investors’) storage.

You select the custodian and depository, but you cannot keep the gold at home or in a personal safe, doing so would disqualify the IRA and trigger taxes and penalties. This “trustee holds it for you” structure is what distinguishes a Gold IRA from simply owning physical gold outright.