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Zakat vs Sadaqah

Zakat and sadaqah are both charity in Islam, but they are not the same. Zakat is an obligation, fixed at 2.5%, due yearly, and limited to eight categories of recipient. Sadaqah is voluntary, any amount, given any time, to anyone. This guide sets out every difference. Calculate your obligatory zakat below.

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Gold, pure 24 carat
Silver, pure

Spot prices update automatically. Local retail rates can differ, so overwrite either box if your market prices gold higher.

Net zakatable wealth
0
Below nisab
Silver nisab0
Gold nisab0
01Cash and bankEverything liquid on your zakat date0
Cash in hand
Current and savings accounts
Fixed depositsCapital only. Interest is not yours to keep or to pay zakat on.
Digital wallets and prepaid balances
Money set aside for a future purposeHajj savings, a wedding fund, a deposit. Still yours, still zakatable.
Foreign currency heldConverted into your currency
02GoldBy weight and carat, or by value0
By weight
Gold you ownPurity is applied automatically
A second holding, different carat
Of that, worn as personal jewellery
By value
Coins, bars or other gold you already valued
Weight allowances many scholars permit: deduct roughly 2% for stones set into jewellery and about 25% for kundan work, since the setting is not gold. Enter the adjusted weight above.
03SilverJewellery, utensils, artefacts, bullion0
Silver you own
Silver you already valued
Household silver counts in full: cutlery, crockery, trays and decorative pieces. It is not exempt for being in daily use.
04Investments and savingsShares, funds, pensions, crypto0
Shares held to tradeFull market value on your zakat date
Shares held long termEnter the zakatable share of the company's assets if you know it, otherwise use about 25% of market value as a common estimate.
Dividends received and still held
Mutual funds, unit trusts, sukuk
Pension or provident fund, your accessible balanceYour own contributions plus any portion you could withdraw today
CryptocurrencyMarket value on your zakat date
Takaful or insurance, surrender value
Government deposits and refundable securities
05Money owed to youOnly what you expect to actually recover0
Loans you gave to family or friends
Salary, fees or refunds due to you
Rental income received and still held
Leave out anything you have effectively written off. A doubtful debt becomes zakatable in the year it is actually repaid.
06BusinessStock in trade, receivables, payables0
Saleable stock, at landed cost
Damaged or dead stock, at scrap value
Raw materials and finished goods
Owed to you from credit sales
Business cash and bank balances
Less: owed to your suppliers
Less: bad debts written off
Partnership share
Your capital balance, last accounts
Loans you advanced to the firm
Your estimated profit since then
Less: your drawings this year
Premises, machinery, vehicles and fixtures carry no zakat. Only what you bought to sell, and the cash the business holds.
07PropertyHeld to sell, not to live in0
Land or property bought to resellCurrent market value
Not zakatable: the home you live in, however many you own for family use, and property you rent out. Rent you have already collected and still hold does count, and belongs in section 05.
08What you oweDeductible within the next 12 months0
Borrowed money and goods bought on credit
Loan and mortgage instalments due in the next 12 monthsOnly the coming year, not the whole outstanding balance
Rent, utilities and bills already due
Wages owed to staff
Tax due now or overdue
Do not deduct bills that are not yet due, long term debt beyond the next 12 months, or any interest element. Interest is not a debt Islam recognises for this purpose.
09Farm produceUshr, calculated separately0
Ushr is a separate obligation with its own rules. It falls due at every harvest, not once a lunar year, and its threshold is roughly 653 kg of the crop, not the cash nisab. It is kept out of the figure above and reported on its own.
Value of produce watered by rain or springs10%
Value of produce watered by pump, canal or well5%
Value of produce watered by both7.5%
10Grazing livestockPaid in animals, not in cash—
Livestock zakat is not a percentage of value. It follows fixed bands and is paid in animals. Any calculator that charges you 2.5% of your herd's worth is wrong. Enter your numbers and this will tell you what is actually due.
Sheep and goats, free grazing, over one year
Cattle and buffalo, free grazing
Camels, free grazing
Poultry, fish farms and stall fed animals raised to sell are trade stock, not grazing livestock. Put their value in section 06 instead.

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This is sadaqah, not zakat. Your zakat belongs to the eight categories entitled to receive it, and this does not count as one. Please pay your zakat to them separately.
Give whatever you wish

You set the amount on PayPal's secure page. No minimum, no card details shared with us, and nothing you typed above travels with it.

Free to use, kept free by people like you

If this helped, help it keep going

This calculator will always be free, with no ads and no account. Your gift keeps it online and supports the work behind it: building tools and media that serve the Muslim community, and supporting the person who maintains them.

This is sadaqah, not zakat. Your zakat belongs to the eight categories entitled to receive it, and this does not count as one. Please pay your zakat to them separately.
Give whatever you wish

You set the amount on PayPal's secure page. No minimum, no card details shared with us, and nothing you typed above travels with it.

Zakat due 0

Your zakat summary

Send it to yourself, or to whoever pays it with you.

Two forms of charity, one obligatory

Islam encourages giving in two distinct forms. Zakat is the third pillar of Islam, a compulsory annual payment. Sadaqah is voluntary charity given out of generosity. Understanding the difference matters, because giving sadaqah does not discharge your zakat, and treating a voluntary gift as if it were zakat can leave an obligation unfulfilled.

Zakat: the obligation

  • Obligatory on every eligible Muslim above the nisab
  • Fixed rate of 2.5% of net zakatable wealth
  • Annual, due after one lunar year (the hawl)
  • Restricted to the eight categories in Surah At-Tawbah 9:60
  • A pillar of Islam; neglecting it is a serious matter

Sadaqah: the voluntary gift

  • Voluntary, given whenever one wishes
  • Any amount, with no minimum or maximum
  • Anyone may receive it, Muslim or not, person or cause
  • Any form, including a smile, helping someone, or removing harm from a path, which the Prophet (peace be upon him) called sadaqah

Why the difference matters

Because zakat is restricted to eight categories, a donation to a mosque, a general charity, or a good cause outside those categories counts as sadaqah, not zakat. It is rewarded, but it does not fulfil your obligation. This is why, for example, supporting a free tool or a media project is sadaqah: worthy, but separate from the zakat you owe to the poor and needy. Always calculate and pay your zakat to eligible recipients first, then give sadaqah freely beyond it.

In short

Zakat is a duty you must pay to specific people. Sadaqah is a gift you may give to anyone. Pay the first; give the second generously.

Calculate your zakat

Use the calculator above to find your obligatory zakat, then read who can receive zakat to distribute it correctly, or how to calculate zakat for the full method.