Secure your future and invest in pension gold

Physical gold bullion can be held within certain Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) and Small Self-Administered Schemes (SSASs), providing another way to include physical gold within a pension portfolio.

Physical Gold works with a number of UK SIPP and SSAS providers to help customers purchase qualifying investment-grade gold bullion for their pension. The gold is held in secure UK vault storage on a fully allocated and segregated basis.

Our team can help explain how pension gold works and coordinate the purchase and storage process alongside your chosen pension provider.

A self-invested personal pension (SIPP) is a type of personal pension that gives the holder greater control over the investments held within their pension. Depending on the SIPP provider and scheme rules, investors can choose from a range of eligible investments.

The investments available will depend on the SIPP provider and the rules applying to the scheme. Alongside more conventional investments, certain SIPPs allow qualifying alternative assets, including physical gold bullion.

Physical gold bullion is included on the FCA’s list of standard assets, subject to the applicable requirements. (FCA Handbook)

If your existing pension does not allow physical gold, it may be possible to establish a separate SIPP or transfer pension assets to a provider that supports qualifying gold bullion. Whether this is appropriate will depend on your individual circumstances and pension arrangements.

Not every form of physical gold qualifies for inclusion in a SIPP.

Qualifying pension gold must be investment-grade gold bullion with a purity of at least 995 thousandths, in the form of a bar or wafer and of a weight accepted by the bullion markets. Physical Gold supplies 999.9 fine investment gold bars suitable for pension arrangements where accepted by the relevant SIPP or SSAS provider.

Gold coins do not qualify for Physical Gold’s SIPP pension arrangements, even where the coins themselves are investment-grade gold. Physical silver does not qualify either. See our FAQs for further details.

This means pension gold is different from buying gold coins or gold bars personally outside a pension.

The process involves your pension provider, Physical Gold and the secure storage facility.

Once an appropriate SIPP or SSAS is in place, pension funds can be used to purchase qualifying physical gold bullion. Physical Gold sources the gold and arranges for it to be held in approved secure storage on behalf of the pension.

The gold remains a pension asset rather than being delivered to you personally. Physical Gold’s current Pension Gold arrangements use Loomis UK secure storage, with the bullion held on a fully allocated and segregated basis.

Individual retail-size bars can also provide flexibility because part of the holding can potentially be sold without having to dispose of the entire gold allocation.

Pension Gold does not receive a special form of tax relief simply because the underlying investment is gold.

Instead, eligible contributions into a registered pension can qualify for pension tax relief under the normal pension rules, subject to your circumstances, earnings, allowances and the way contributions are made.

For the 2026/27 tax year, the standard pension annual allowance is £60,000, although a lower allowance can apply in some circumstances, including for some higher-income individuals and people who have flexibly accessed their pension. Separate limits also apply to the amount of an individual’s contributions that can receive tax relief. (GOV.UK)

Higher and additional-rate taxpayers may be able to claim additional tax relief on eligible pension contributions. The amount of relief available depends on the individual’s tax position and differs under the Scottish Income Tax system.

Adding physical gold to a SIPP or SSAS can provide exposure to an asset with different characteristics from shares, bonds, funds and cash.

Potential features include:

• direct ownership of allocated physical gold bullion within the pension;
• diversification across different types of assets;
• no reliance on a gold fund, ETF or similar investment vehicle for exposure to the underlying metal;
• qualifying pension tax treatment;
• secure, segregated storage;
• the ability to hold individual investment-size gold bars; and
• the potential to sell part of the holding when required.

Gold prices can rise and fall, however, and physical gold does not produce an income or dividend. Its suitability within a pension will depend on the investor’s objectives, circumstances and wider pension portfolio.

There are different ways to gain exposure to gold within a pension.

A gold ETF or other exchange-traded product provides exposure through a financial instrument, whereas Pension Gold involves the pension owning allocated physical gold bullion held in secure storage.

The two approaches have different characteristics, including ownership structure, costs, liquidity and storage arrangements.

For investors specifically looking to hold physical bullion rather than obtain exposure to the gold price through a financial product, qualifying gold bars can provide that option within an appropriate SIPP or SSAS.

Gold purchased through a SIPP or SSAS cannot simply be delivered to the pension holder.

Physical Gold’s Pension Gold is held in specialist UK secure vault storage through Loomis, with the bullion fully allocated and segregated.

Storage charges apply. You can see the current Pension Gold storage arrangements and charges on our delivery and storage page.

This means the individual gold bars are held securely as part of the pension rather than the investor having to arrange personal storage.

This will depend on the type of pension you have and the investments permitted by your provider.

Some SIPP providers accommodate qualifying physical gold bullion, while others do not.

Physical Gold works with a number of pension providers experienced in holding alternative assets. If your existing pension does not accommodate physical gold, options may include opening a separate SIPP or transferring eligible pension assets to a suitable arrangement.

A pension transfer can have significant consequences, so the decision to transfer should be considered separately from the decision to buy gold.

Qualifying physical gold bullion can also be held within certain Small Self-Administered Schemes (SSASs).

A SSAS is generally an occupational pension arrangement associated with a business and can provide its trustees with considerable control over the scheme’s investments.

As with a SIPP, the gold must meet the applicable requirements and be purchased and held within the pension arrangement rather than personally by the member.

Physical Gold can work alongside your SSAS provider or trustees to arrange the purchase and secure storage of qualifying gold bullion.

Physical Gold is a specialist precious-metals dealer based in London’s Hatton Garden and has experience working with UK SIPP and SSAS providers to facilitate purchases of qualifying physical gold bullion.

Our Pension Gold service includes:

• sourcing qualifying 999.9 fine gold bullion;
• working alongside SIPP and SSAS providers;
• competitive bullion pricing;
• fully allocated and segregated UK storage;
• individual retail-size gold bars; and
• support with the purchase and storage process.

Our team can explain how Pension Gold works and answer questions about the practical process of purchasing and storing gold through an appropriate pension.

Important: Physical Gold supplies precious metals and facilitates the purchase and storage of qualifying pension gold. The information on this page is general information and should not be treated as personal financial, investment, tax or pension advice. Pension and tax rules can change, and their effect depends on individual circumstances. Consider obtaining appropriate regulated financial and tax advice before making pension decisions.