BitIRA Review

BitIRA At A Glance

How BitIRA Works

BitIRA sets up a self-directed IRA with Equity Trust Company, then buys coins for the account on your instructions. You can apply online in under 10 minutes, but BitIRA says it can take one to three weeks for a new account to be funded and ready, according to its FAQ. Rollovers from another custodian take the longest.

BitIRA was founded in 2017 in Burbank, California, by the team behind Birch Gold Group, a precious metals IRA dealer, according to its company page. Each customer gets an IRA specialist during setup, and pricing is discussed by phone.

You can fund an account with a contribution, a transfer from any IRA, or a rollover from a 401(k), 403(b), 457 plan or the Thrift Savings Plan. BitIRA says employer plans generally qualify only after you leave the job.

BitIRA Fees

BitIRA's fees come in two layers, according to its FAQ:

The missing number is BitIRA's own service fee. Without it, the most we can say about a $10,000 account held five years is that the liquidity cost alone could reach $200, $100 on the way in and $100 on the way out. Everything BitIRA adds sits on top of that. Its company page says only that the fee is based on the transaction value, so ask for the rate in writing.

That's why BitIRA ranks last in our scoring. Fidelity Crypto IRA and iTrustCapital publish a flat 1% trade fee with no account fee, about $200 in total on the same account.

Coins You Can Buy

BitIRA lists 18 coins in its FAQ:

• Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and XRP
• Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash and Stellar
• DeFi tokens Aave, Maker, Compound, Uniswap and yearn.finance
• Chainlink, The Graph, Livepeer, Decentraland and Basic Attention Token
• The Dai stablecoin

The site's menu also has a page for Ethereum Classic, which the FAQ list leaves out, so confirm a specific coin with your specialist before you fund the account.

That's more than Fidelity's four coins, but fewer than the dozens Bitcoin IRA offers. Cardano and Dogecoin aren't on the list.

Custody And Safety

Equity Trust Company is the IRA custodian and keeps the account records. BitIRA says it uses multi-party computation (MPC), which splits control of each wallet so no single party can move coins, with Ledger as its security partner and Galaxy Digital as its trading partner. It says several insurance policies cover the coins against hacking, theft, damage and destruction, in storage and in transit, but it doesn't publish the coverage amount.

The account is custodial. You don't hold the keys and can't send coins to your own wallet, a trade-off our article on why your keys matter covers.

BitIRA's earlier trading partner was Genesis, the crypto lender that suspended customer withdrawals in November 2022, according to the SEC. BitIRA has since moved trading to Galaxy Digital. BitIRA says it's registered with the US Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as a money services business, according to its company page. We found no regulator action against BitIRA, and it doesn't appear in our crypto fines and penalties tracker.

Pros And Cons

Pros

• No setup fee, account fee or BitIRA fee to sell
• Supports SIMPLE IRAs and TSP rollovers, which some rivals don't
• Each customer gets a phone specialist for setup and rollovers
• MPC security with a named custodian and insurance

Cons

• BitIRA's own service fee isn't published
• Only 18 coins
• One to three weeks to fund a new account
• No self-custody option

Who BitIRA Is Best For

BitIRA fits someone who wants a phone specialist to handle a rollover, plans to buy a handful of large coins and hold them, and is willing to get a quote before committing. It also makes sense for people already working with Birch Gold Group on a metals IRA who want crypto through a related team, though BitIRA itself doesn't sell metals.

If you'd rather see every fee before you sign up, the alternatives below publish theirs.

BitIRA Alternatives

iTrustCapital is the closest match: a much longer coin list, a published 1% fee and no account fee. Fidelity costs the same with fewer coins and the strongest custody record. A spot bitcoin or ether ETF in an IRA you already have is cheaper still, about $75 to $125 over five years on $10,000, as our BlackRock bitcoin ETF article explains.

Risks: What To Watch Out For

• Unknown total cost: BitIRA's service fee isn't published, so ask for the rate in writing before you transfer money.
• Custodian and partner risk: Nevada regulators ordered Fortress Trust, a custodian used by several crypto IRA firms, to cease and desist in October 2025 after it reported near insolvency, according to the state's order. Ask what happens to your coins if any partner fails.
• Slow setup: coins can't be bought until the account is funded, which can take up to three weeks while prices move.
• No deposit insurance: crypto in an IRA isn't covered by FDIC or SIPC.
• Early withdrawals: money taken from a traditional IRA before age 59½ generally faces a 10% penalty plus income tax.

FAQ

Is BitIRA Legit?

Yes. BitIRA has operated since 2017, uses Equity Trust Company as custodian, and we found no regulator action against it. Its weak spot is fee transparency, not legitimacy.

How Much Does BitIRA Charge?

BitIRA charges no setup or account fee. Each trade carries a liquidity cost of up to 1% from Equity Trust plus a BitIRA service fee based on the trade's value, and BitIRA doesn't publish that rate.

What Coins Does BitIRA Offer?

BitIRA offers 18 coins, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Litecoin and Chainlink. Cardano and Dogecoin aren't available.

Who Holds My Crypto At BitIRA?

Equity Trust Company is the custodian of record. BitIRA secures the coins with multi-party computation and Ledger's technology, and you don't hold the keys.

Does BitIRA Sell Gold?

No. BitIRA offers only crypto. It was founded by the team behind Birch Gold Group, which sells precious metals for IRAs as a separate company.

How Much Can I Put In A BitIRA Account Each Year?

You can contribute $7,500 in 2026, or $8,600 if you're 50 or older, according to the IRS. Rollovers from other retirement accounts don't count toward that limit.