Zakat Calculator

About this Zakat Calculator

The Zakat Calculator estimates the Zakat due on your zakatable wealth, including cash, gold, silver and other assets, after subtracting debts owed. It compares your net wealth to the nisab threshold, based on either the gold or silver standard, and applies the standard 2.5% Zakat rate if your wealth meets or exceeds that threshold.

Zakat is calculated once a full lunar (Hijri) year has passed while your wealth has remained at or above the nisab threshold, not simply on a fixed calendar date. Many people choose a consistent date each year, such as during Ramadan, to review their zakatable assets so the calculation becomes a predictable yearly habit rather than a one-time estimate.

For related tasks, try Tola to Gram Converter, Percentage Calculator or Sales Tax Calculator.

How the calculation works

Net zakatable wealth equals cash plus the market value of gold and silver owned plus other zakatable assets, minus debts owed. The nisab threshold equals 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver, valued at the current market rate you enter. If net wealth meets or exceeds the nisab, Zakat due equals net wealth multiplied by 2.5%.

How to use it

1. Enter your cash and savings, gold and silver holdings, other zakatable assets and any debts owed.
2. Enter the current market rate for gold or silver, matching your chosen nisab basis.
3. Calculate to see your net wealth, the nisab threshold and the Zakat due.

Practical example

With net zakatable wealth of 500,000 and a nisab threshold of 100,000, Zakat due is 2.5% of 500,000, which is 12,500.

If instead your net wealth were 90,000 and the silver nisab threshold came out to 122,472, no Zakat would be due that year because your wealth falls below the nisab, so the calculator would show a result of zero rather than a negative or partial amount.

Things to double-check

This tool only totals the categories you enter; it does not automatically know about assets you may have forgotten, such as money owed to you by others (which some scholars count as zakatable once received), business inventory at its sale value, or shares and investment funds. Personal-use items like your primary home, car and everyday household goods are generally excluded from zakat calculations by consensus, so they should not be entered here.

How the calculation works

Zakat is commonly calculated as 2.5 percent of zakatable wealth that has been held for a full lunar year and is above the nisab threshold. Add cash, savings, the value of gold and silver, business stock, investments and money owed to you that you expect to receive, then subtract debts that are due soon. For example, 400,000 in cash, 600,000 in gold, 300,000 in stock and 100,000 owed to you total 1,400,000. After deducting 150,000 of short-term debts, 1,250,000 remains, and 2.5 percent is 31,250.

What is generally included and excluded

Most scholars include cash, bank balances, gold and silver held as savings, business inventory, and investments meant for profit. Items for personal use, such as the home you live in, your personal car and household furniture, are normally excluded. Jewellery is a point where opinions differ: some schools treat jewellery worn regularly as exempt, while others include it. The calculator uses the figures you enter, so decide with a scholar which of your assets belong in each category.

Choosing the nisab

The nisab is the minimum wealth at which zakat becomes due. It is commonly given as 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver, which is 7.5 tola and 52.5 tola in South Asian units. Because silver is much cheaper, the silver nisab is lower, and many scholars prefer it because more people become eligible to give. The value depends on the market price on the day you calculate, so use a current price from a reliable source and ask a scholar which standard applies to you.

Practical steps

Choose a fixed date each year, many people use a date in Ramadan, and note the value of each asset on that day. Deduct immediate debts, calculate 2.5 percent and keep a record. Pay to eligible recipients as described in Islamic teaching, and consider paying directly or through a trusted organisation. Questions about complicated assets, such as shares, pensions, business partnerships or property held for sale, should be taken to a qualified scholar, because the calculator cannot decide a ruling for you.

Common questions

People often ask whether gold that is never worn is zakatable, and most scholars say yes. Salary is generally counted on what remains at your zakat date, not on each payment as it arrives. Money in retirement funds raises different views depending on whether you can access it, so ask a scholar. For rented property, many scholars count the net rental income you hold, not the market value of the building, while property bought for resale is counted at its market value. Keep notes on your assumptions so that you apply the same approach each year, and take unusual cases to a qualified scholar.

Worked example: a family calculation

Suppose a family holds 520,000 in cash and bank balances, gold of 8 tola valued at 1,900,000 on their zakat date, business stock worth 600,000 at selling price and 100,000 owed to them that they expect to receive. They owe 300,000 in debts that fall due soon. The zakatable total is 520,000 plus 1,900,000 plus 600,000 plus 100,000 minus 300,000, which is 2,820,000. Zakat at 2.5 percent is 70,500. These numbers are only an illustration, and each family should use its own values and ask a scholar about assets such as jewellery, shares and debts that are not clear-cut.

Nisab and the lunar year

Zakat becomes due when your wealth reaches the nisab and has been held for one lunar year. If the silver nisab of 612.36 grams is valued at 140,800 on your zakat date, a person with 138,000 would not owe zakat that year, while someone with 150,000 would owe 3,750. The lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, so the date moves earlier each year in the common calendar. Pick a date, note the values on it and use the same date each year. If your wealth falls below the nisab during the year, scholars have different views, so ask for guidance.

Zakat on business assets

For a business, scholars commonly count cash, goods held for sale at their market price, and money owed by customers that you expect to receive, then subtract short-term liabilities such as supplier bills due. A shop with stock that would sell for 900,000, cash of 200,000 and creditors of 150,000 has a zakatable amount of 950,000 and owes 23,750. Fixed assets used to run the business, such as shop furniture, machinery and the building itself, are generally not counted, unless they are held for sale. Keep clear accounts, as accurate records make the yearly calculation much easier.

Paying zakat

Zakat is given to eligible recipients described in Islamic sources, including the poor and needy, those in debt and others in the categories listed in the Quran. Many people pay through a trusted charity, others pay directly to people they know are eligible. Pay with the intention that it is zakat, and keep a record of the amount and the date. Scholars differ on details such as paying early, paying in instalments, and whether relatives may receive it, so ask a qualified scholar if your case is not straightforward. Zakat is separate from voluntary charity, which can be given at any time.

Key terms explained

Nisab is the minimum amount of wealth above which zakat becomes obligatory. Hawl is the passing of one lunar year while the wealth stays at or above the nisab. Zakatable assets include cash, savings, gold, silver, trade goods and certain investments. Liabilities that are due soon may be deducted according to scholarly opinion. Zakat al-mal is the yearly zakat on wealth at 2.5 percent, and it is different from zakat al-fitr, which is paid at the end of Ramadan per person. Niyyah is the intention to give the payment as zakat.

Rules of thumb and quick checks

Because 2.5 percent is one fortieth, divide your zakatable wealth by 40: 1,000,000 gives 25,000. A lunar year has about 354 days, so the date moves earlier each year. The commonly cited nisab is 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver, and the value changes with market prices. Keep a written record of your assets, debts and calculation on the same date each year, and ask a scholar about assets that are not clear-cut, such as shares, retirement funds and property for rent.

Read the full guide

Want the background, a step-by-step example and the common mistakes? Read How to Calculate Zakat on Gold, Silver and Savings: A Step-by-Step Guide. A clear step-by-step guide to calculating zakat at 2.5 percent: nisab in gold and silver, which assets count, debts, a worked example and common mistakes.

Frequently asked questions