Free Gold IRA Kit: What's Inside and What Happens Next

A free gold IRA kit is an information guide that a gold IRA company sends when you ask for one. It explains how an IRA can own physical gold, which coins and bars qualify, how a rollover works and what the account costs. Requesting one costs nothing and commits you to nothing, though an educator from the company may call to walk you through it.

What a gold IRA kit is

It's the company's own explainer, sent by mail or as a download. A written guide answers the basics before anyone gets on the phone.

Be clear about who's writing it. The company sells the metal, so the kit makes its case for opening an account with it. That's fine, and it's how you find out what a company offers. Just read it for the parts you can check: the rules, the fees and the names of the businesses that will hold your account.

You'll see it called a gold IRA kit, an information kit, an investor guide or a free gold IRA guide. They're the same thing.

What a good kit should explain

A useful kit answers the questions below in writing. If it skips one, that's the first thing to ask about on the call.

• Which metals an IRA may own. The rule is in Internal Revenue Code section 408(m), and IRS Publication 590-A says an IRA "can invest in one, one-half, one-quarter, or one-tenth ounce U.S. gold coins," and in "certain gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bullion."
• The purity line for bullion. The law ties it to futures exchange delivery standards; for gold that's COMEX's minimum of 995 fineness.
• How the money moves: a direct transfer from another IRA, a direct rollover from an old 401(k), or a 60-day rollover, and the IRS limits on each.
• Who the custodian and the depository are, by name.
• The full fee schedule: setup, yearly administration, yearly storage.
• The minimum investment.
• How the company buys metal back when you want to sell, and how you'd take coins out later.

Our gold IRA guide covers each of these from the IRS side, so you can read a company's kit next to it and see whether the two agree.

What happens after you request one

You fill in a short form, usually your name, email, phone number and sometimes roughly how much you're thinking of moving. The kit arrives by email, by mail or both.

Then the phone may ring. The company may follow up with a call from an educator or specialist who explains the kit and answers questions. You don't have to buy anything, open anything or decide anything on that call. If you'd rather read first, say so.

The rules on calls are simple. The FTC says "Companies can call you if you've recently done business with them, or if you've given them written permission to call," so read the request form before you send it: it will say whether you’re agreeing to calls. The FTC also says "if you ask them not to call you, they have to stop." Note the date if you do ask.

With Augusta Precious Metals, the company we refer readers to, the call comes from one of its educators, who are salaried and non-commissioned. That's worth knowing before the call starts.

Questions to ask on the call

Have your current account statement nearby and a pen. We'd ask these, and we'd ask for the answers in writing.

1. What will I pay in total in the first year, and in each year after that?
2. Who is the custodian, and who is the depository? Is storage segregated or pooled, and does the fee differ?
3. What's your minimum investment?
4. What is the price per coin or bar over today's spot price, for the products you'd suggest?
5. Are shipping and insurance to the depository included?
6. If I want to sell, what do you pay, and how is that price set?
7. Can I take the coins out of the IRA later and have them shipped to me? Is there a fee?
8. Who does the transfer paperwork with my current IRA or 401(k) provider?
9. Is there a money-back period if I change my mind?

The CFTC lists many of the same points, storage, insurance and administrative fees among them, in its guide to buying physical metals, and it suggests getting every fee in writing before you pay. The CFTC also notes that "A dealer will always sell metal above the spot price and buy it back below the spot price." That's true of every company, so the useful question is how much.

Price over spotSee what a dealer is really charging above the gold price.

How to compare gold IRA kits

Request two or three kits and line them up on the same points. The table shows what to look for and how to check it.

The custodian check matters more than it looks. A joint alert from the SEC, NASAA and FINRA says self-directed IRA custodians are "only responsible for holding and administering the assets in the account." They don't vet what you buy. The company sending the kit is the one you're really choosing, so read its terms closely. Our gold IRA companies comparison lines up five companies on their published figures.

Augusta's published terms, for comparison

Augusta Precious Metals publishes these figures, and you can set any other kit next to them. If you'd like to see Augusta's own kit, with short videos on each step, our gold IRA kit page has it in one place.

Money magazine named Augusta "Best Overall Gold IRA Company" for 2022 to 2026, and Investopedia named it "Best for Transparency" for the same years. Its educators are salaried and non-commissioned, and it offers account lifetime service.

After the kit: opening the account

Nothing happens until you decide. If you go ahead, the steps run like this.

1. Open a self-directed IRA with the custodian, traditional or Roth to match the money you're moving.
2. Fund it. A direct transfer between IRA trustees isn't a rollover, Publication 590-A says, so the once-a-year rollover limit doesn't apply. From an old 401(k), a direct rollover paid to the new trustee has no tax withheld.
3. Choose qualifying coins and bars and agree the price.
4. The custodian pays the dealer, and the metal ships to the depository in your account's name.

The gold has to stay with the trustee. Section 408(m) only exempts bullion "in the physical possession of a trustee," so a kit that suggests keeping IRA gold at home is one to set aside. Our self-directed IRA guide explains why, and the silver IRA guide covers adding silver to the same account.

What people ask before requesting a gold IRA kit

Is a free gold IRA kit really free?

Yes. Companies send them at no cost and with no obligation. They offer them because some readers go on to open an account.

What is in a gold IRA kit?

An explanation of how an IRA can own physical gold, which coins and bars qualify under IRS rules, how a transfer or rollover works, and the company's fees, minimum and storage arrangements. Ask for anything missing in writing.

Will someone call me if I request a gold IRA kit?

Usually, yes: an educator or specialist may call to go through it with you. You can ask them to stop calling, and the FTC says they have to.

Do I have to open an account after getting a kit?

No. Reading the kit and talking to an educator don't commit you to anything.

How do I compare gold IRA kits?

Line them up on fees, minimum, named custodian and depository, written buyback terms and BBB and Business Consumer Alliance records. Get each figure in writing.

What is the minimum to open a gold IRA?

The IRS doesn't set one. Each company does; Augusta Precious Metals' minimum is $50,000.

Sources and fact-check7 primary sources, checked October 17, 2026

1. 26 U.S. Code section 408(m), via Cornell Legal Information Institute
2. IRS: Publication 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)
3. IRS: Approved nonbank trustees and custodians
4. CME Group: Gold futures contract specs
5. FTC: National Do Not Call Registry FAQs
6. CFTC: 10 Things to Ask Before Buying Physical Gold, Silver, or Other Metals
7. FINRA, SEC and NASAA: Investor alert, self-directed IRAs and the risk of fraud

We check every figure against the original source: the mint, the regulator, the exchange or the company itself. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.