Gold: jewellery, coins, ETF or SGB?

Gold calculator: jewellery vs coins vs Gold ETF vs SGB

Enter how much you plan to spend and how long you'll hold. The costs below are typical; change them to match your jeweller or fund.

✓ Rates for Tax Year 2026-27 (Income-tax Act, 2025) · Reviewed 19 Oct 2026

Before you buy gold

• Buy jewellery to wear, not to invest. Making charges, 3% GST and the deduction when you sell can take 15–25% of your money before the gold price moves at all.
• Check the hallmark. Jewellery must carry the BIS hallmark with a 6-digit HUID code. Ask for it on the bill.
• Paying more than ₹2 lakh? You'll need to give your PAN, and cash payments of ₹2 lakh or more aren't allowed.
• Sovereign Gold Bonds: the government hasn't issued new SGBs since February 2024. You can buy older ones on NSE/BSE, but check the price against gold, the trading volume and the maturity date. The 2.5% interest is paid on the original issue price, so on what you pay today it works out much lower.
• Gold ETF or gold fund: an ETF needs a demat account; a gold mutual fund doesn't. Both avoid making charges and storage worries.
• Digital gold apps aren't regulated by SEBI or RBI. For investing, prefer a Gold ETF or gold fund.
• Keep gold to about 5–15% of your investments. It protects you in bad times; it isn't meant to be your main wealth builder.