Does the original owner have to withdraw metal?
The IRS states that the minimum distribution rules applicable to traditional IRAs do not apply to Roth IRAs while the owner is alive. There is no separate lifetime RMD schedule for an owner merely because the Roth holds eligible bullion.
That rule concerns required withdrawals. It does not cancel administration or storage charges, change the investment restrictions, or make a voluntary withdrawal qualified. An owner who chooses a payment still needs to apply the Roth distribution rules.
IRS Publication 590-B (2025) · as of 2026-11-11
IRS IRA FAQs: investments and custody · as of 2026-11-11
Can a Roth payment satisfy another IRA’s RMD?
No. Publication 590-B says a Roth IRA cannot be used to satisfy a traditional IRA’s minimum distribution requirements. Keep the accounts’ obligations separate even when the same custodian administers them.
A required traditional IRA distribution is not eligible for conversion. When a traditional IRA owner has a distribution requirement, identify it before determining what can move to a Roth. This page does not supply a traditional IRA starting-age table because that is a different analysis from the Roth owner exemption.
IRS Publication 590-A (2025) · as of 2026-11-11
IRS Publication 590-B (2025) · as of 2026-11-11
Does the owner exemption continue after death?
It does not continue unchanged. The IRS applies inherited-account distribution rules after a Roth IRA owner’s death, with the outcome depending on beneficiary status and the applicable rules. The original owner’s freedom from lifetime withdrawals is not a promise that a beneficiary may retain the account indefinitely.
A beneficiary distribution schedule and the qualified-distribution income test also address different questions. Obtain the owner’s Roth history, beneficiary designation and custodian’s inherited-account instructions. A surviving spouse can have options that do not apply to other beneficiaries.
IRS Publication 590-B (2025) · as of 2026-11-11
What should the account records preserve?
Keep the custodian identity, ownership records, beneficiary designation and Roth contribution history together. Physical assets also require clear records of the holding and custody arrangement. A beneficiary needs to distinguish assets still in the IRA from property already distributed.
This is general information about the federal owner rule, not estate planning or tax advice. The absence of an owner RMD does not establish whether retaining physical gold is suitable for an individual account.
IRS Publication 590-B (2025) · as of 2026-11-11
IRS IRA FAQs: investments and custody · as of 2026-11-11
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