When Is Zakat Due
Zakat becomes due once your wealth has stayed above the nisab for one full lunar year, a period called the hawl. Your zakat date is the anniversary of first crossing the threshold. This guide explains how to fix your date, why many pick Ramadan, and how dips in wealth are treated. Calculate your amount below.
Spot prices update automatically. Local retail rates can differ, so overwrite either box if your market prices gold higher.
01Cash and bankEverything liquid on your zakat date0
02GoldBy weight and carat, or by value0
03SilverJewellery, utensils, artefacts, bullion0
04Investments and savingsShares, funds, pensions, crypto0
05Money owed to youOnly what you expect to actually recover0
06BusinessStock in trade, receivables, payables0
07PropertyHeld to sell, not to live in0
08What you oweDeductible within the next 12 months0
09Farm produceUshr, calculated separately0
10Grazing livestockPaid in animals, not in cash—
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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.
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.
The hawl: one lunar year
Zakat is not due the moment you become wealthy. It is due once your wealth has remained above the nisab for one full lunar year, the hawl. This waiting period ensures zakat is paid on settled, retained wealth rather than money passing quickly through your hands. The Islamic lunar year is about 354 days, some eleven days shorter than the solar year, which is why your zakat date moves earlier each Gregorian year.
Setting your zakat date
Your zakat date is the Islamic (Hijri) date on which your wealth first reached the nisab. From then on, you assess your wealth on that same date every lunar year. If you cannot recall the exact date, estimate it as best you can and then keep it fixed. Write it down so you never miss it.
If your wealth first passed the nisab on 1 Ramadan last year, then every 1 Ramadan you check your total wealth and pay 2.5% of it. Wealth that arrived during the year is simply included on that date; it does not each start its own separate year.
Why many choose Ramadan
Ramadan is the most common zakat date, for two reasons. First, it is easy to remember, tied to fasting. Second, the reward for good deeds is believed to be multiplied in Ramadan, so many wish to give then. You are free to choose any date, but once chosen, keep it consistent.
What if wealth dips below nisab?
The nisab is measured at the two ends of the hawl, the start and the anniversary. According to the majority of scholars, temporary dips in between do not reset the count, provided you are above the nisab on both dates. Only if your wealth falls below the nisab and stays there does the clock reset, starting again when you next cross the threshold.
Paying early or late
You may pay zakat in advance of your date, which is useful if you prefer to give monthly or want to give in Ramadan before your actual anniversary; just reconcile any difference on the date itself. You should not delay zakat past its due date without a valid reason, as it becomes an immediate obligation once due.
Calculate and plan
Work out this year's amount with the calculator above, check today's nisab, or read how to calculate zakat step by step.