Advantage Gold is our top pick for a TSP rollover because it names the Thrift Savings Plan as a rollover source on its own gold IRA page, opens at $5,000, and keeps its fees flat at $50 to set up and $100 a year. An account executive handles the paperwork between the plan and the new custodian, which matters for federal employees and service members who have never moved a retirement account before.
The six companies after it fit different balances and priorities, and each one leads on something specific. Advantage Gold states that it is not affiliated with the TSP, and the figures below come from our fee database and the company facts we recorded, last checked for Advantage Gold on September 29, 2026. Our TSP to gold IRA guide covers the transfer itself, and our 401(k) to gold IRA guide covers the same steps for a private-sector plan.
Our top picks
- 1 Advantage Gold Best for starter TSP and 403(b) rollovers Visit siteon Advantage Gold's site
- 2 Goldco Lowest yearly admin fee at $80
- 3 American Hartford Gold Best for a $0 setup fee
- 4 Birch Gold Group Best for first-year fee coverage
- 5 Noble Gold Investments Best for a $20,000 rollover
- 6 Preserve Gold Best for a Horizon Trust rollover
- 7 Rosland Capital Best for smaller balances, from $2,000
What we ranked on
The TSP is a plan with its own rules, and a gold IRA is a separate account at a separate custodian, so a TSP rollover is a chain of two moves. The criteria below reflect that chain and are listed in the order we weighed them.
- Named support for the TSP. We gave weight to a company that names the TSP as a rollover source in its own materials, because it signals that the team has handled the plan’s paperwork before.
- Minimum investment. TSP balances vary widely with rank, pay and years of service, so a dealer that opens at $5,000 reaches more savers than one that starts at $25,000.
- Guided help. A saver moving money out of a federal plan for the first time gets the most from a company that assigns a person to the whole process.
- Fees over ten years. We priced each dealer on setup, yearly administration and storage, using the same arithmetic as our fee calculator. The markup on the metal is priced on each order, so these figures stop short of it.
- Independent ratings. We read the BBB, Business Consumer Alliance, Trustpilot and similar pages wherever a dealer has them.
How the seven compare on ten-year fees
The table prices each company’s fees over 10 years, using commingled storage. Among the 11 dealers in our database whose minimum fits a $25,000 balance, Advantage Gold ranks 3 on ten-year fees.
| Dealer | Minimum | Setup | Yearly admin | Storage | Ten-year fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advantage Gold | $5,000 | $50 | $100 | $100 | $2,050 |
| Goldco | $25,000 | $50 | $80 | $100 | $1,850 |
| American Hartford Gold | $10,000 | $0 | $100 | $125 | $2,250 |
| Birch Gold Group | $10,000 | $50 | $125 | $100 | $2,300 |
| Noble Gold Investments | $20,000 | $80 | $125 | $100 | $2,330 |
| Preserve Gold | $10,000 | $50 | $125 | $100 | $2,300 |
| Rosland Capital | $2,000 | $50 | $125 | $110 | $2,400 |
Storage is the commingled rate, and a segregated account costs more at every dealer. The figures cover fees only, and because the markup on the metal is priced on each order it is not in any total.
The best gold IRA companies for a TSP or 403(b) rollover
Each block below prints the company’s minimum, its fees and any BBB and Trustpilot record we hold, so the paragraph under it explains where the company fits a federal or nonprofit plan.
Best for starter TSP and 403(b) rollovers
Advantage Gold
- Minimum
- $5,000
- Setup fee
- $50
- Yearly fee
- $100
- BBB rating
- A+
- Trustpilot
- 4.8
Advantage Gold suits a TSP saver who wants to be walked through the move. You send a statement from the plan, the custodian contacts the administrator and moves the funds, and the account executive then reviews eligible coins and bars with you before the metals are bought, packed, insured and shipped to the depository. The company says the account is funded in a few days after the statement is sent, and the application takes about 30 minutes or less with an account executive.
It holds an A+ from the BBB with accreditation since 2014, a AAA from the Business Consumer Alliance, a 4.9 TrustLink score across 495 reviews and a 4.9 Google rating across 987 reviews. Its ten-year fees come to $2,050, and because the markup on the metal sits inside the price it quotes when you order, you can ask for that quote in writing before the account funds. You can start with a call to Advantage Gold or read the full review first.
Pros
- The TSP is named as a rollover source on the company's gold IRA page
- A full-service rollover, where the account executive coordinates the plan and the custodian
- A free one-on-one call and a free gold IRA guide before you commit
- Support for 403(b), 401(k), pension plan and IRA rollovers under the same roof
Things to keep in mind
- Fees are not published on its website, so the figures come from your account executive
- There is no live chat, so questions go by phone or the contact form
- Direct purchases outside an IRA carry shipping and insurance charges
Advantage Gold is a paid partner of Gold IRA Digest.
Lowest yearly admin fee at $80
Goldco
- Minimum
- $25,000
- Setup fee
- $50
- Yearly fee
- $80
Goldco fits a TSP saver with $25,000 or more who wants the lowest yearly administration fee in our database. Its $80 administration fee is $20 a year below Advantage Gold’s, and that puts its ten-year fees at $1,850. Our Advantage Gold vs Goldco comparison lays the two fee schedules out together, and the Goldco review covers the rest.
Pros
- The lowest yearly administration fee of the twelve dealers we track
- A published buyback guarantee for savers who expect to sell one day
- A published cost page, so the schedule can be checked before a call
Things to keep in mind
- The $25,000 minimum sits above smaller TSP balances and suits larger ones
Best for a $0 setup fee
American Hartford Gold
- Minimum
- $10,000
- Setup fee
- $0
- Yearly fee
- $100
American Hartford Gold charges nothing to open the account, and its $100 yearly fee equals Advantage Gold’s. Storage at $125 a year is where it runs a little higher, which brings its ten-year fees to $2,250 and suits a TSP saver who values a free start.
Pros
- No setup fee, which lowers the first-year cost of moving a plan
- Fee waivers on larger rollovers
- A flat yearly administration fee matching Advantage Gold's
Things to keep in mind
- The $10,000 minimum is twice Advantage Gold's, so smaller balances fit better elsewhere
Best for first-year fee coverage
Birch Gold Group
- Minimum
- $10,000
- Setup fee
- $50
- Yearly fee
- $125
Birch Gold Group is worth a look when the TSP balance is large. It opens at $10,000, charges $125 a year for administration and $100 for commingled storage, and comes to $2,300 in ten-year fees. Its first-year fee coverage applies to larger transfers, so it does the most for a saver with a long federal career behind the balance.
Pros
- Birch pays the first year of fees on larger transfers
- A published fee page on its own blog
- Custody through Equity Trust or STRATA Trust, the same two names Advantage Gold lists
Things to keep in mind
- The yearly administration fee is higher than at Goldco or Advantage Gold
Best for a $20,000 rollover
Noble Gold Investments
- Minimum
- $20,000
- Setup fee
- $80
- Yearly fee
- $125
Noble Gold Investments suits a TSP saver with at least $20,000 who wants a predictable yearly schedule. It charges $80 to set up and $125 a year for administration, which adds up to $2,330 in fees over ten years. Its review page has the rest of the record.
Pros
- Storage in Texas as well as Delaware, for savers who want their metal held in a particular state
- A flat yearly fee schedule that is easy to budget around
Things to keep in mind
- The $20,000 minimum puts it out of reach below that balance
Best for a Horizon Trust rollover
Preserve Gold
- Minimum
- $10,000
- Setup fee
- $50
- Yearly fee
- $125
Preserve Gold fits a saver who wants to move $10,000 or more through Horizon Trust, the custodian it works with on rollovers. It charges $50 to set up and $125 a year, which puts its ten-year fees at $2,300.
Pros
- A rollover partnership with Horizon Trust, so one custodian handles the account from the start
- The setup fee is waived on larger accounts
Things to keep in mind
- The $10,000 minimum puts it out of reach below that balance
Best for smaller balances, from $2,000
Rosland Capital
- Minimum
- $2,000
- Setup fee
- $50
- Yearly fee
- $125
Rosland Capital opens the door widest for a TSP saver with a smaller balance. Its $2,000 minimum is the lowest we track and its $25 wire fee is the lowest in this group. Over ten years its fees add up to $2,400, the highest of the seven, so the pick makes sense mainly when balance size settles the choice.
Pros
- The lowest minimum of the twelve dealers we track
- The lowest wire fee of the seven
- A published FAQ that lists its fee schedule
Things to keep in mind
- Its ten-year fees of $2,400 are the highest of the seven, so it is the pick for a saver whose balance rules out the others
What a TSP rollover involves
The TSP does not hold metal, and a gold IRA cannot be opened inside it, so a rollover is two accounts talking to each other. Money leaves the TSP for an IRA at a custodian, and the IRA then buys the metal, which is why the company you pick also brings a custodian to the table. Advantage Gold describes the sequence in three steps.
- Open a Gold IRA: complete the custodial application with an account executive, e-sign.
- Complete the rollover: send a statement from the current plan; the custodian contacts the old administrator and moves the funds.
- Purchase metals: the account executive walks through eligible coins and bars; Advantage Gold buys, packs, insures and ships them to the depository.
The plan’s own forms and timing sit on the TSP side, and our TSP to gold IRA guide covers those forms and the order they go in. Advantage Gold’s account executive works from your statement and coordinates with the custodian, which takes the back-and-forth off your desk. The company states an indirect rollover carries a 60-day window, and most savers choose the direct route to avoid watching a clock.
If you have a 403(b) instead of a TSP
The same chain applies to a 403(b), which is the retirement plan many teachers, nurses and nonprofit employees hold. Advantage Gold lists Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, Simple IRA, 401(k) rollover, 403(b) rollover, pension plan rollover among the accounts it works with, so a 403(b) rollover runs through the same process as a TSP or 401(k) rollover. The dealers ranked above fit a 403(b) balance by the same tests of minimum, fees and help, and the 401(k) to gold IRA guide applies almost step for step.
Questions to settle before you request the transfer
A TSP rollover goes faster when a few decisions are made before the first call, and most of them take an evening. These are the five we would settle first.
- How much to move. Nothing requires the whole balance to leave the plan, and many savers roll a portion and leave the rest where it is, so pick the amount before you pick the dealer.
- Which dealers fit that amount. The minimum column in the table above removes anyone who starts above your number, and at $25,000 that leaves 11 of the 12 dealers we track.
- Which storage option you want. Commingled storage pools your metal with other clients’ holdings of the same kind, while segregated storage keeps your own pieces apart for a higher yearly fee.
- Which products you want. Advantage Gold lists 39 products across 4 metals, and its account executives review the coins and bars that meet IRA fineness rules with you before anything is bought.
- Who to call first. A free one-on-one call costs nothing and shows you how the company explains the process, which is the best preview of how it will treat your account.
Working through those five items turns the first call into a short confirmation instead of a long lesson, and it gives you a clear basis for comparing what each company says back to you.
Storage, custodians and what you pay each year
Every gold IRA has three yearly costs to plan for, and they are the administration fee charged by the custodian, the storage fee charged by the depository, and any wire or shipping charge on the way in. At Advantage Gold the administration fee is $100 and commingled storage is $100, while a segregated account that keeps your coins apart costs $175. Over 10 years the choice between the two is worth $750.
The company names STRATA Trust Company and Equity Trust Company as custodians and Brink's Global Services USA (Los Angeles or Salt Lake City) and Delaware Depository (Wilmington, DE) as depositories. Buyers who also want metal delivered to their door can buy directly outside the IRA, and shipping and insurance charges apply to those purchases. Our gold IRA fees guide explains each line in the table above.
Other companies we considered
Five more dealers sit in our fee database, and each is a reputable name that fits a narrower situation than the seven above.
Augusta Precious Metals opens at $50,000 and charges $125 a year for administration, which suits a large TSP balance at or above that minimum, where a dealer built for larger accounts is the priority.
Lear Capital opens at $7,500 and charges $200 a year for administration, which suits a first-time buyer with a modest balance and a mid-range minimum.
Oxford Gold Group opens at $25,000 and charges $175 a year for administration, which suits a larger balance where one yearly charge that folds in storage keeps the bookkeeping simple.
Patriot Gold Group opens at $25,000 and charges $200 a year for administration, which suits a larger balance, where its setup waiver and no-fees-for-life tier on the biggest accounts pay off most.
Monetary Gold opens at $5,000 and charges $180 a year for administration, which suits a buyer at the same entry point as Advantage Gold who wants no account-opening fee.
Who each option fits, and who should look elsewhere
Choose Advantage Gold if your TSP or 403(b) balance is $5,000 or more and you want someone to run the paperwork with you. Choose Goldco if the balance is $25,000 or more and the yearly fee matters most, and look at Birch Gold Group or Augusta Precious Metals if the balance is large.
A balance below $5,000 points toward Rosland Capital, and a saver who wants to read a fee schedule on the dealer’s own website before calling fits well with Goldco or Rosland Capital, which both publish theirs. To see which dealers match your balance, compare matched companies against your balance, or talk to Advantage Gold first through Advantage Gold's site.
A private-sector plan has its own list, the best gold IRA for a 401(k) rollover. A saver close to retirement should also read the best gold IRA for retirees, and a saver who wants to learn the basics before moving federal money should start with the best gold IRA for education.
How we ranked
We ranked the seven companies on the criteria above, weighing named TSP support, minimum, guided help, fees and independent ratings, with fee figures drawn from our database and ratings from each platform’s own page. Advantage Gold is a paid partner of Gold IRA Digest, and partner status affects placement on this list, so the ranking reflects both our reading of the data and that commercial relationship. The disclosure page explains how we are paid and how it shapes what we publish. Every other company on the list is described from the same data and in the same terms.
Common questions
What is the best gold IRA company for a TSP rollover?
Advantage Gold is our top pick for a TSP rollover. It names the TSP as a rollover source on its gold IRA page, opens at $5,000 and charges flat yearly fees.
Can you roll a TSP into a gold IRA?
Yes. TSP money can move into an IRA, and the IRA can then hold IRA-eligible gold. Our TSP to gold IRA guide covers the steps and the order they happen in.
Can a 403(b) roll over into a gold IRA?
Yes. Advantage Gold lists 403(b) rollovers among the account types it handles, alongside 401(k), pension plan, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA and Simple IRA rollovers.
Does Advantage Gold work with federal employees and service members?
Yes. Advantage Gold names the Thrift Savings Plan as a rollover source and says it is not affiliated with the TSP, and an account executive handles the paperwork with you.
How much of my TSP should I move into gold?
That is your decision, and many savers move only a portion. A financial professional who knows your full picture can help you size it, and our TSP guide explains your options.