Transfers — moving funds from another IRA
A transfer moves money directly between two IRAs of the same type, custodian to custodian. It's the simplest and safest way to consolidate IRA funds at Retired.com — no IRS reporting, no withholding, no 60-day clock.
Steps / Explanation
A transfer is the movement of funds directly between two Individual Retirement Account (IRA) accounts of the same type (for example, Traditional IRA to Traditional IRA), handled institution-to-institution. Unlike a rollover, a transfer is not reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and does not count against the one-rollover-per-year limit. Transfers are generally the simpler and safer method for moving IRA funds between custodians.
Three quick distinctions to keep clear:
A transfer moves funds between two IRAs of the same type, custodian to custodian. No IRS reporting, no tax event, no clock.
A rollover moves funds out of an employer plan (or, less commonly, between two IRAs via the indirect method). See "Rollovers — moving funds from a 401(k) or employer plan" for the employer-plan path and "Direct vs. indirect rollovers — what's the difference?" for the rollover mechanics.
A contribution is new money entering the retirement system from outside. Subject to the annual IRS limit. See "Contributions — limits, deadlines, and how to make them."
When a transfer applies
A transfer is the right tool when:
You are moving an IRA from another custodian to Digital Trust, the custodian for your Retired.com account (or moving an IRA from Digital Trust to another custodian).
The sending account and the receiving account are the same IRA type — Traditional to Traditional, Roth to Roth, SEP to SEP, SIMPLE to SIMPLE.
You want the simplest possible mechanic with no IRS reporting and no tax consequences.
If the source is an employer-sponsored retirement plan (401(k), 403(b), 457(b), Thrift Savings Plan), use a rollover instead — transfers are an IRA-to-IRA mechanic. If you want to move funds between two IRAs of different types (for example, Traditional IRA to Roth IRA), that is a Roth conversion, not a transfer, and it has its own tax treatment.
How a transfer works
The standard transfer flow at Retired.com:
Open your Retired.com IRA if you have not already. The receiving IRA must exist before the transfer can be initiated.
Submit a transfer request to Retired.com. Contact the Service Team to initiate. You will provide the sending custodian's name, your account number there, and the amount or assets you want transferred.
Retired.com sends the request to the sending custodian. The sending custodian processes the transfer through the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS) for public-market assets, or through a manual trustee-to-trustee process for non-public-market assets.
Funds arrive at Digital Trust, the custodian for your account, and are credited to your IRA. For non-public-market assets, the asset is re-titled in the name of your IRA, custodied by Digital Trust.
Because the funds never touch your hands, there is no withholding, no 60-day clock, and no risk of the transfer being treated as a taxable distribution.
Cash transfers vs. in-kind transfers
Two common forms:
Cash transfer. The sending custodian liquidates the position and sends cash. This is straightforward but realizes any internal positions on the sending side.
In-kind transfer. The asset itself moves to Retired.com without being liquidated — for example, shares of a publicly traded security, or a real estate holding re-titled to your Retired.com IRA. In-kind transfers preserve cost basis (where it matters) and avoid liquidation costs, but the receiving custodian must be able to custody the asset type. Contact the Service Team to confirm what Digital Trust can accept in-kind for your Retired.com account.
For Self-Directed IRA (SDIRA) holdings — real estate, private equity, promissory notes, LLC interests — in-kind transfers usually require additional documentation. That includes an updated Fair Market Valuation (FMV), asset re-titling paperwork, and any third-party signatures the asset's structure requires.
Same-trustee vs. different-trustee transfers
The mechanic differs slightly depending on whether both IRAs are at the same custodian:
Different-trustee transfer. Funds move between two distinct custodians. This is the most common scenario. The sending custodian processes the request and remits the funds to Digital Trust, the custodian for your Retired.com account.
Same-trustee transfer. Both IRAs are custodied by Digital Trust as part of your Retired.com accounts — for example, you are splitting one IRA into two, or consolidating two Retired.com IRAs into one. These are generally faster because no external custodian is involved.
Timing
Transfer timing varies by asset type and sending custodian:
Cash from a major brokerage: typically 5–10 business days, often faster via ACATS.
In-kind public securities: typically 5–10 business days via ACATS.
In-kind alternative assets: can take several weeks, depending on title transfer requirements, third-party signatures (sponsors, attorneys, county recording offices for real estate), and the sending custodian's manual processing time.
Contact the Service Team for current expectations and for help if a transfer appears stuck on the sending side.
Tax treatment and reporting
A transfer is not a taxable event. There is no income recognition, no withholding, and the IRS does not require either the sending or receiving custodian to report the transaction on Form 1099-R or Form 5498 for the transfer event itself. (Year-end Fair Market Valuation reporting on Form 5498, filed by Digital Trust, still happens once the asset is on the Retired.com platform.)
This is the structural difference from a rollover. A rollover passes through the IRA distribution-and-recontribution machinery, so it is reported on 1099-R (sending) and 5498 (receiving), even when no tax is owed. A transfer bypasses that machinery entirely.
Because there is no IRS reporting on the transfer event, the one-rollover-per-12-months limit does not apply. You can do an unlimited number of trustee-to-trustee transfers in any 12-month period.
We recommend consulting a tax advisor or attorney for guidance specific to your situation.
Common questions
Can I transfer a Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA?
No — that is a Roth conversion, not a transfer. Transfers move funds between IRAs of the same type. Moving funds from a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA is a taxable conversion event with its own rules. See "Roth conversions — how they work."
Will my old custodian charge a fee for the transfer?
Many custodians charge an account-closure or transfer-out fee. The fee, if any, is set by the sending custodian and is independent of Retired.com. Check with the sending custodian before you initiate the transfer so the fee does not surprise you.
Can I do partial transfers, or does the whole IRA have to move?
Both are possible. You can transfer the entire balance and close the sending account, or transfer a portion and leave the rest at the sending custodian. The transfer request specifies the amount or the specific assets to move.
What if my sending custodian says they don't transfer to "self-directed" custodians?
Some major-brokerage custodians have policies that limit alternative-asset transfers, but the underlying IRS framework treats all IRA-to-IRA transfers the same. If the sending custodian raises an issue, contact the Service Team — Retired.com handles these conversations regularly and can provide the documentation the sending custodian needs.
Need more support? Contact our Service team
Select "Start a Conversation" from the Chat menu or call us at 1-800-RETIRED