How to Roll a TSP Into a Gold IRA: Steps, Rules and Costs
By Mark Sandulli · Founder & editor · Updated October 23, 2026 · Not financial advice
Short answer: You can move Thrift Savings Plan money into a Gold IRA after you leave federal service, or while you’re still working once you’re 59½. Ask the TSP for a direct rollover to your new IRA custodian, so nothing is withheld for taxes. Traditional TSP money goes to a traditional IRA; Roth TSP money goes to a Roth IRA.
Can you move your TSP?
| Your situation | Can you move TSP money to an IRA? |
|---|---|
| Left federal service or retired | Yes, all of it or part of it |
| Still working, 59½ or older | Yes, with an age-59½ in-service withdrawal (the TSP allows up to four a year, at least $1,000 each) |
| Still working, under 59½ | Generally no. The only other in-service option is a financial hardship withdrawal, which can’t be rolled over. |
Step by step
- Pick a Gold IRA company. It helps you open a self-directed IRA with a custodian, the firm that legally holds the account.
- Open the IRA and get the custodian’s account details and its letter accepting the rollover.
- Request the withdrawal on tsp.gov and choose to roll it over to that IRA. The TSP pays a direct rollover with a Treasury check made out to your new IRA, not to you.
- Wait for the money to reach the custodian. It usually takes a few weeks.
- Choose your metals and get the price over spot in writing before you approve the order.
- The metal ships to an approved depository. IRS rules require a trustee to hold IRA metal, so you can’t keep it at home.
Direct rollover vs. a check to you
If the TSP pays you instead of your new IRA, the IRS requires it to withhold 20% for federal taxes. You then have 60 days to deposit the full amount, including the 20% from your own pocket. Whatever you don’t deposit is taxed, and it can carry a 10% penalty if you’re under 59½. A direct rollover avoids all of it. The once-a-year limit on IRA-to-IRA rollovers doesn’t apply to rollovers from a plan like the TSP.
What it costs
A Gold IRA has yearly custodian and storage fees, and they’re higher than the TSP’s own costs. We compare every company’s fees in our Gold IRA rankings, which we update when companies change them. The bigger cost is usually the markup on the metal itself. Federal retirees often move large balances: on $200,000, every 1% of markup is $2,000. Get written quotes from at least two companies and compare the price over spot on the same coin or bar.
Things to weigh first
- The TSP is cheap. Its funds have some of the lowest costs of any retirement plan. A Gold IRA costs more to hold.
- Gold pays no interest or dividends. Its price can fall for years at a time.
- You don’t have to move everything. Many people move only part of their TSP and leave the rest where it is.
- Don’t move more than you planned. If you’re already moving a large amount, the goal is keeping costs low, not reaching a promotion tier.
Talk to a licensed financial advisor before moving a large share of your retirement savings.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy gold inside the TSP? No. The TSP offers its own funds only, so holding physical gold takes an IRA.
Do I pay taxes when I roll my TSP into a Gold IRA? Not on a direct rollover between the same account types (traditional to traditional, Roth to Roth). Moving traditional money into a Roth IRA is taxed in the year you do it.
Can I move only part of my TSP? Yes. After you leave federal service, partial withdrawals must be at least $1,000.
Can I go back to the TSP later? The TSP accepts rollovers in from traditional IRAs, but withdrawals can’t be reversed once processed. Treat the move as permanent.
Related: How a Gold IRA rollover works · Gold IRA fees explained · 403(b) to Gold IRA · 401(k) or pension to Gold IRA
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Sources: Thrift Savings Plan, In-service withdrawals and Withdrawals in retirement (tsp.gov), checked October 23, 2026 · TSP Fact Sheet TSPFS05, Rollovers from the Thrift Savings Plan to Eligible Retirement Plans, November 2023 · IRS, Rollovers of retirement plan and IRA distributions, checked October 23, 2026 · IRS, Investments in collectibles in individually directed qualified plan accounts
About this guide
Written by Mark Sandulli, founder of BestGoldPrice.com. Mark is not a financial advisor, tax professional, attorney or precious-metals dealer. This guide is general information based on public sources, not financial, tax or legal advice, and it may contain errors or be out of date. Precious metals can lose value. Confirm prices, fees and rules with the company and a licensed professional before you buy. We may earn a commission from some links. Read our full disclaimer.
