Zakat FAQ
Clear, researched answers to the most common questions about zakat: how much you pay, when it is due, what counts, who can receive it, seed dates, paying in advance, zakat al-fitr and fidyah. If your question is not here, our detailed guides cover every asset in depth.
Zakat is 2.5% of wealth held above the nisab for one lunar year. Most use the silver nisab. It is due on your seed date, often set in Ramadan, and goes to eight categories of recipient. Everything below expands on these rules.
Zakat basics
What is zakat in Islam?
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam, an obligatory annual charity of 2.5% on qualifying wealth held above the nisab threshold for one lunar year. The word means purification: giving a fixed share of your wealth each year purifies the rest. Unlike voluntary charity, it is a duty with precise rules on who pays, how much, on what, and to whom it goes.
How much is zakat?
Zakat is 2.5% of your net zakatable wealth, which is one fortieth. On 10,000 of net wealth above the nisab, zakat is 250. On 100,000, it is 2,500. The rate is fixed and does not change between schools or countries.
Is zakat 2.5 percent of income or savings?
Savings, not income. Zakat is a tax on held wealth, not on earnings. You pay on whatever remains in your possession on your zakat date, so a salary you have spent during the year carries no zakat, while savings from it do.
Who has to pay zakat?
Every adult Muslim of sound mind whose net wealth exceeds the nisab and has been held for one lunar year. Children and those below the nisab are not obliged to pay. Someone below the nisab may instead be eligible to receive zakat.
What is the difference between zakat and sadaqah?
Zakat is obligatory, fixed at 2.5%, due yearly, and restricted to eight categories of recipient. Sadaqah is voluntary charity, any amount, given any time, to anyone. Only zakat discharges the pillar of Islam. See our zakat vs sadaqah guide.
Nisab and timing
What is the nisab threshold?
Nisab is the minimum wealth at which zakat becomes due: the value of 87.48g of gold or 612.36g of silver. Below it, no zakat is owed. Most scholars recommend the lower silver nisab. See today's nisab for the live value.
When is zakat due?
Zakat is due once your wealth has stayed above the nisab for one full lunar year, called the hawl. You pay on the anniversary of the date you first crossed the threshold, known as your seed date or zakat date.
What is a zakat seed date?
Your seed date is the Islamic date on which your wealth first reached the nisab. You then pay zakat on that same date every lunar year. It only changes if you become totally bankrupt and lose everything, in which case a new seed date begins when you next cross the nisab. If unsure, estimate it as best you can.
My wealth dropped below the nisab during the year. Do I still pay?
According to most scholars, yes. The nisab is measured at the two ends of the lunar year, the start and the anniversary. Brief dips in between do not reset the count, as long as you are above the nisab on both dates. Only if your wealth falls below and stays there does the year restart.
Can I pay zakat in advance?
Yes. You may pay zakat before your due date, for example spreading it monthly or giving it in Ramadan before your actual anniversary. Simply reconcile any shortfall on your seed date. You should not delay zakat past its due date without a valid reason.
Do I have to pay zakat in Ramadan?
No. Zakat is due on your own seed date, whenever that falls. Many Muslims choose to pay in Ramadan because rewards are multiplied and it is easy to remember, but if your due date is outside Ramadan you should not delay it to wait for Ramadan.
What you pay zakat on
What assets are zakatable?
Cash and bank savings, gold and silver, shares and investments, cryptocurrency, money owed to you that you expect back, business stock, and property bought to resell. Your home, car, furniture, clothes and tools are not zakatable.
Do I pay zakat on gold jewellery I wear?
It depends on your school. In the Hanafi school all gold is zakatable, including worn jewellery. In the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools, jewellery in regular personal use is generally exempt. See zakat on gold jewellery.
Do I pay zakat on my house?
No. The home you live in carries no zakat, however many homes you keep for family use. Property you rent out is also exempt on its value, though the rent you collect and still hold is zakatable. Property bought to resell is fully zakatable. See zakat on property.
Do I pay zakat if I have debt?
Deduct debts due within the next twelve months from your assets. If the remainder is above the nisab, zakat is due on it. A long-term mortgage does not cancel your zakat; only the coming year of instalments is deductible.
Do I pay zakat on a pension?
Generally on the portion you can access. For a fully locked pension, a common cautious approach is 2.5% of about 30% of its value. See zakat on pension.
Do I pay zakat on cryptocurrency?
Yes. Cryptocurrency is treated like a tradeable asset, zakatable at its market value on your zakat date, exactly like shares held to trade. See zakat on shares and crypto.
Who can receive zakat
Who can receive zakat?
The Qur'an names eight categories in Surah At-Tawbah 9:60: the poor, the needy, zakat administrators, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, those in bondage, the debt-burdened, those in the cause of Allah, and the stranded traveller. See who can receive zakat.
Can I give zakat to my family?
You may give zakat to needy relatives you are not already obliged to support, such as a brother, sister, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew. You cannot give it to your parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, or spouse, since supporting them is already your duty.
Can I pay zakat on someone else's behalf?
Yes. Zakat can be paid on another person's behalf, such as a husband paying for his wife, provided that person authorises it. The head of a household commonly pays zakat al-fitr for all dependants.
Can zakat be given to a mosque or school?
Most scholars say zakat cannot be given directly to a mosque or an institution, because these are not among the eight categories of eligible recipients. However, it can be given to an eligible student or individual in need. Use sadaqah for mosque or institution funding.
Can zakat be given to non-Muslims?
The majority view is that zakat is given to eligible Muslims. Charity to non-Muslims is encouraged, but as sadaqah rather than zakat, except under the specific category of reconciling hearts.
Zakat al-fitr and fidyah
What is zakat al-fitr?
Zakat al-Fitr, or fitrana, is a small obligatory charity paid before the Eid al-Fitr prayer, on behalf of every member of the household including children. It is separate from zakat on wealth. See zakat al-fitr.
How much is zakat al-fitr?
It is one sa' of a staple food, about 2.5 to 3 kg of wheat, rice, barley or dates per person, or its cash equivalent set locally. For Ramadan the UAE Fatwa Council set it at 2.5 kg of rice or a fixed cash value per person, and US charities commonly set it around 15 dollars per person. Check your local mosque or authority for the exact figure.
When must zakat al-fitr be paid?
It must reach the poor before the Eid al-Fitr prayer. It may be given during the last days of Ramadan so it arrives in time. Paid after the Eid prayer, it counts as ordinary sadaqah rather than the obligatory zakat al-fitr.
What is fidyah?
Fidyah is a payment made by those who genuinely cannot fast in Ramadan, for example due to chronic illness or old age, to feed a poor person for each missed day. It is separate from zakat. Local fatwa bodies set the per-day value each year.
Practical questions
Are online zakat calculators accurate?
A good calculator that uses live gold and silver prices and applies the correct nisab and madhab rules gives a reliable estimate for ordinary situations. Our free zakat calculator does this in 95 currencies. For a complex estate, confirm with a scholar.
Is zakat calculated on gross or net wealth?
On net wealth. Subtract your short-term debts from your zakatable assets first, then compare the remainder to the nisab and apply 2.5%.
Do I owe back-zakat for years I missed?
If you were above the nisab in past years and did not pay, most scholars hold that the zakat remains a debt you should estimate and pay. For large sums or many years, seek scholarly guidance to calculate it correctly.
Can zakat be given locally or overseas?
Both. Zakat may be distributed to eligible recipients locally or globally. Many scholars encourage prioritising the local needy, but sending it where the need is greatest is also valid. Transparency in distribution matters.
How do I calculate my zakat step by step?
Add your zakatable assets, subtract debts due within twelve months, check the remainder against the nisab, and if it is above, pay 2.5%. Our step-by-step guide on how to calculate zakat walks through every stage with examples.
Still have a question?
These answers cover the most common cases, but zakat can get detailed. For a full walkthrough see how to calculate zakat, or explore the asset guides on gold, silver, cash, property and business. To calculate your own figure in any currency, use the free zakat calculator.