IRA outgoing transfer fees at US banks
Moving an IRA to another firm can cost a transfer fee even when the move is not a taxable withdrawal. This page is the dollar each institution printed on 20 October 2026. A cash distribution, and any tax on it, is a different request. A Canadian RRSP transfer is on [RRSP and TFSA transfer fees](/guides/canada-registered-plan-transfer-fees). A US certificate of deposit penalty is on [CD early withdrawal penalties](/guides/cd-early-withdrawal-penalties).
Last updated: October 20, 2026
Last checked: Oct 2026
The transfer fee and the annual fee
Opened 20 October 2026. An outgoing transfer asks the institution to send the IRA to another firm. An annual fee is the price of keeping the IRA, whether or not you move it. A wire from a checking account is neither of those. The line on your own statement is the one that counts. Upload it on the upload page. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo lists the lines. It does not sign in to the bank.
| Account | Fee the page prints | What the same page also says |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens IRA or SEP | $25 per outgoing transfer request | Personal deposit guide, revised October 2026. IRA/SEP annual fee: no fee. SEP plan outgoing direct rollover: no fee. A direct rollover and an outgoing transfer are different rows. Do not pay the $25 for a request the guide prices at no fee. |
| Citizens Coverdell ESA | $25 per outgoing transfer | The other-services list prints Educational Savings Account (ESA) at $25 per outgoing transfer. That is not the IRA row, and it is not a college savings plan at another bank. |
| Ally Invest IRA | $75 when a full transfer closes the IRA | Ally Invest charges $50 for each partial or full ACATS transfer of securities or cash to another firm. It charges $25 when an Ally Invest IRA is closed on a full distribution. A full transfer that closes the IRA is both: $50 plus $25. Ally Bank transfers to or from an account at another institution have no Ally fee. A $20 outgoing domestic wire is a wire, not this ACATS fee. A failed ACH can still be $30. |
A schedule that does not print an IRA transfer dollar
Chase's personal Additional Banking Services and Fees document, effective 14 June 2026, does not list an IRA outgoing transfer fee. That is not the same sentence as the transfer is free. The schedule simply does not print the dollar.
Questions
- Does Citizens charge $25 every year to keep an IRA?
- No. The October 2026 personal guide prints no fee for the IRA/SEP annual fee. The $25 is per outgoing transfer request. A SEP outgoing direct rollover is a separate row at no fee.
- Why would an Ally Invest IRA transfer show two charges?
- The transfers help page adds them. A full ACATS transfer is $50. Closing the IRA because of that full transfer adds the $25 closing fee. The page states the total as $75. A transfer between Ally Bank deposit accounts is a different product and has no Ally fee.
- Is an IRA transfer the same as cashing a CD?
- No. A CD early withdrawal penalty is interest the bank may keep. An IRA outgoing transfer fee is a service charge for sending the account to another firm. They can both apply if the IRA holds a CD and the CD is broken to move it. Read each line on its own schedule.
Sources
Related guides
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