Eligible Account Types for a Gold IRA Rollover

Not every savings pot can pour into a gold IRA. Start with tax-advantaged retirement accounts that already live under IRS distribution and rollover rules.

Commonly eligible sources

• Traditional IRA and Roth IRA (transfer or rollover into an appropriate destination type)
• 401(k) and 403(b) — often after you leave the employer; some plans allow limited in-service distributions at certain ages
• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
• SEP IRA
• Many SIMPLE IRAs (watch the two-year participation rule before some rollovers)
• Governmental 457(b) in many cases

Usually not a direct path into a metals IRA

• HSA balances (different purpose and code section)
• 529 education plans
• Taxable brokerage cash (you can buy personal metal, but that is not an IRA rollover)
• Active 401(k) money with no distribution event under the plan

Traditional vs Roth destination — beginner warning

Pre-tax money into a Traditional gold IRA usually keeps deferral. Pre-tax money into a Roth gold IRA is typically a taxable conversion. The metal does not erase that tax bill.

Next: transfer steps · 401(k) guide · avoiding surprise tax.

IRA Gold — not tax advice; confirm plan documents.