iTrustCapital's Fee Structure at a Glance
iTrustCapital has one of the more straightforward fee structures in the crypto IRA space. For cryptocurrency trading, they charge a flat 1% per trade — no monthly account maintenance fee, no setup fee, no inactivity fee. For precious metals (gold and silver), the structure is different: they charge a flat $50 per month per ounce rather than a percentage-based trading fee. There is no monthly fee simply for holding a crypto IRA account with no precious metals positions.
This simplicity is one of iTrustCapital's biggest advantages over competitors like Bitcoin IRA, which layers setup fees, annual maintenance fees, and trading fees on top of each other. With iTrustCapital, you can model your exact costs before you deposit a single dollar.
How the 1% Trading Fee Actually Works
The 1% fee is charged on the total dollar value of each trade — both buys and sells. If you deposit $10,000 and buy Bitcoin, you pay $100 in fees and your IRA holds $9,900 worth of BTC. If you later sell that BTC for $20,000, you pay another $200 fee and receive $19,800 net into your account cash balance. There's no spread layered on top of this — the 1% is the stated cost, not a hidden markup embedded in the quoted price.
The important context is what you're comparing against. If you held that same Bitcoin in a regular taxable account and it doubled from $10,000 to $20,000, you'd owe capital gains tax on the $10,000 gain — potentially $2,000–$3,700 depending on your tax bracket (20%–37% for short-term gains). The 1% fee paid inside an IRA is a small fraction of the tax cost you'd face outside one. For long-term investors with significant positions, the IRA structure almost always wins on an after-tax basis despite the higher trading fee.
Gold and Silver Fees Explained
iTrustCapital's gold and silver pricing works differently from crypto. Instead of a percentage per trade, gold and silver are charged at $50 per month per ounce for storage and custody. This fee structure reflects the cost of physically holding and insuring precious metals, rather than just maintaining a digital ledger entry. If you hold 2 ounces of gold in your IRA, you pay $100/month regardless of whether you trade at all.
This makes gold and silver more expensive to hold in small quantities over long periods. It's worth doing the math: $50/month is $600/year per ounce. With gold trading around $2,000–$3,000 per ounce, that's roughly 20–30% of the asset value annually — which is expensive. Gold and silver inside an iTrustCapital IRA makes most sense as a hedge for investors holding multiple ounces as part of a larger portfolio, not as a small allocation.
Are There Hidden Fees?
iTrustCapital does not charge fees for opening an account, closing an account, wire transfers in, or account inactivity. There's no annual maintenance fee for crypto-only accounts. The fees that do exist are clearly disclosed: 1% on crypto trades and $50/month/oz for precious metals. One thing to confirm before funding: check current terms directly with iTrustCapital, as fee structures can change and promotional pricing may apply.
Some competitors advertise lower trading fees but charge $25–$50/month in account fees. At $300–$600/year in base fees, a "lower-fee" competitor can end up more expensive than iTrustCapital's 1% model if you're not trading frequently. Model your expected trade volume against each provider's full fee schedule before deciding.
iTrustCapital Fees vs Competitors
| Provider | Trading Fee | Monthly Fee | Min Investment | # Assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iTrustCapital | 1% per trade | $0 (crypto) | $1,000 | 30+ |
| Bitcoin IRA | 2% per trade | ~$20/mo | $3,000 | 60+ |
| Alto IRA | 1%–2% (via Coinbase) | $25/mo | No minimum | 200+ |
Is the 1% Fee Worth It?
For most long-term crypto IRA investors, yes. The math is straightforward: you pay 1% when you buy and 1% when you sell. On a $50,000 position, that's $500 in and $500 out — $1,000 total in trading fees over the life of the trade, regardless of how long you hold. Compare that to holding the same position in a taxable account: if it grows from $50,000 to $200,000 and you sell, you face capital gains tax on $150,000 of profit — potentially $22,500–$55,500 depending on holding period and tax bracket.
The 1% fee is a known, fixed cost. Capital gains tax is an open-ended liability that grows with your gains. For investors who believe in crypto's long-term appreciation, the IRA wrapper — even with a 1% fee — is significantly more tax-efficient than holding outside an IRA. See the iTrustCapital guide for the full picture on how IRA tax advantages work.