How the classification works
Metal is not taxed the way shares are. What the collectible classification covers, how the holding period changes the answer, and why cost basis decides the size of the bill.
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Capital Gains Tax on Gold: Long-Term vs Short-Term
Learn how gold gains are taxed: short-term as ordinary income, long-term as collectibles, with rates, holding period rules, and key distinctions.
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Collectibles Tax Rate: What It Is and What It Covers
Learn the collectibles tax rate for 2026, what assets fall under it, and how it applies to precious metals. Understand the rules before you sell.
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Gold Cost Basis: How the Gain Is Calculated
Learn how gold cost basis is determined, adjustments that apply, and how to calculate gains for taxes. Includes rules for inherited metal and missing records.
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Holding Period and Gold: The Line and What Is Past It
The long-term line is the same as for other property. What sits past it is collectibles treatment rather than the ordinary long-term rates.
beginner -
How Gold Is Taxed in the US: The Collectibles Rule
Physical gold is a capital asset that is also a collectible, which caps its long-term rate at 28% instead of 20%. What triggers that rate, and what does not.
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Selling Gold: When It Is a Taxable Event
Selling gold is a taxable event when there is a gain. Learn the rules for capital gains, collectibles rates, and exceptions like gifts and inheritance.
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Using Gold in a Transaction: A Disposal Without Cash
Paying with metal is a disposal at fair market value, so a gain can arise with no cash received to pay the tax on it.
intermediate