What is Zakat and when is it due?
Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam: an obligatory due on wealth that meets two conditions — it reaches the nisab, and it has been in your possession for a full lunar year (about 354 days). The rate for money, gold, silver and trade goods is one-fortieth, or 2.5% of net wealth.
Evidence from the Quran
Allah says (meaning): “Establish prayer and give Zakat, and bow with those who bow” [al-Baqarah 2:43], and: “Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them to grow” [at-Tawbah 9:103].
He also warned those who withhold the due on gold and silver: “Those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah — give them tidings of a painful punishment” [at-Tawbah 9:34].
What is the nisab?
The nisab is the minimum amount of wealth on which Zakat becomes due. The Prophet ﷺ set it at twenty mithqals of gold — about 85 grams of pure gold — or two hundred dirhams of silver — about 595 grams of silver. Since paper money takes the place of gold and silver, its nisab is valued at the price of either one on the day Zakat is paid.
- Gold nisab: 85 × price of 1 g of 24K gold. Many contemporary scholars use this as it better reflects sufficiency.
- Silver nisab: 595 × price of 1 g of silver. Much lower; some scholars prefer it as more beneficial to the poor.
Evidence from the Sunnah for the nisab, rate and lunar year
- Silver nisab: Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no charity due on less than five awqiyah of silver” (al-Bukhari 1459, Muslim 979). One awqiyah is forty dirhams, so five awqiyah are 200 dirhams — about 595 g of silver.
- Gold nisab and the lunar year: Ali ibn Abi Talib reported that the Prophet ﷺ said (meaning): “If you have two hundred dirhams and a year has passed over them, five dirhams are due. Nothing is due on gold until you have twenty dinars; if you have twenty dinars and a year has passed over them, half a dinar is due” (Abu Dawud 1573, supported by other narrations). A dinar is about 4.25 g, so twenty dinars are about 85 g of gold.
- The rate of one-fortieth: In the letter of Abu Bakr on obligatory charity: “On silver, one quarter of a tenth” (al-Bukhari). One quarter of a tenth is 2.5% — the same ratio as five dirhams out of 200 and half a dinar out of 20.
How to use the calculator
- Enter your currency and today's price of 24K gold per gram where you live.
- Enter wealth you've held for a lunar year: cash at home and in the bank, the market value of shares, the value of trade stock, and money owed to you by people able to repay.
- Enter the weight of saved gold and choose its karat; the pure gold content is calculated automatically.
- Enter debts that must be repaid now so they are deducted.
- The result appears instantly: whether you reached the nisab and how much Zakat is due.
Exactly how the calculator works
These are the same formulas the calculator uses, shown openly so you can check them yourself or show them to someone whose knowledge you trust:
- Gold value = weight in grams × (karat ÷ 24) × price of 1 g of 24K gold.
- Silver value = weight in grams × price of 1 g of silver.
- Total wealth = cash and balances + shares and investments + trade stock + money owed to you + gold value + silver value.
- Net wealth = total wealth − debts due now (never below zero).
- Nisab = 85 × price of 1 g of 24K gold, or 595 × price of 1 g of silver, as you choose.
- Zakat = net wealth × 2.5% if net wealth is equal to or above the nisab; otherwise nothing is due.
Worked example
A full lunar year has passed on someone's wealth: $6,000 in the bank, 50 g of saved 18K gold, a debt due now of $750, and 24K gold at $100 per gram that day (illustrative figures only):
- Gold value = 50 × (18 ÷ 24) × 100 = $3,750.
- Total wealth = 6,000 + 3,750 = $9,750.
- Net wealth = 9,750 − 750 = $9,000.
- Nisab = 85 × 100 = $8,500. Net wealth is above it, so Zakat is due.
- Zakat = 9,000 × 2.5% = $225.
Key points about Zakat on gold
Gold that is saved or held as an investment is subject to Zakat by consensus. Jewelry worn regularly is debated: the majority (Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali scholars) say no Zakat is due on it, while the Hanafi school says it is. If you prefer caution, include its weight. Zakat on gold is based on its pure content — 21K gold, for example, is 21/24 pure.
Important note and disclaimer
This calculator is an aid that applies the well-known general rules for Zakat on money, gold, silver and trade goods. It is not a fatwa. The result is only as accurate as what you enter: the gold or silver price on the day you pay, whether a full lunar year has passed, and how your wealth and debts are classified. Where scholars differ — jewelry, deducting debts, gold or silver nisab — we explain the views so you can choose with understanding.
For special cases such as company Zakat, rental property, salaries received at intervals or jointly owned wealth, ask a qualified scholar or your local Zakat authority. Allah says (meaning): “Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know” [an-Nahl 16:43], and “Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity” [al-Baqarah 2:286].
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage is Zakat?
Zakat on money, gold, silver and trade goods is 2.5% of net wealth once it reaches the nisab and a lunar year has passed.
How do I calculate today's nisab?
Multiply 85 by today's price of 1 g of 24K gold in your currency. If gold is $80/g, the nisab is $6,800.
Is Zakat due on my home and car?
No. Items for personal use such as your home, car and furniture are exempt unless they are held for sale.
Are debts deducted?
Debts due now are deducted according to many scholars; for long-term installments, the preferred view is to deduct only the current year's installments.
Is the result a fatwa?
No. The calculator applies the well-known general rules and shows its method and evidence openly, but it does not replace asking a qualified scholar in special cases or when in doubt.
Is my data saved?
Values are stored on your device only for convenience and are never sent anywhere.
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