Zakat Calculator: How and When to Pay Zakat
This short guide will present the most frequently asked questions about Zakat along with their answers to ensure that it is performed properly, in addition to the Zakat calculator.
What is Zakat? Why is it Important?
Zakat is a percentage of money that must be given out to help the poor and the needy. It is one of the Islamic five pillars, and it is a duty of all Muslims. ‘You shall observe the Salah and give the obligatory charity (Zakat) and bow down with those who bow down.’ (Qur’an 2:43)
Eligibility and When to Pay Zakat
“Eat from their fruits when it yields, and give its decreed obligation on the day of its harvest.” 6:141
Zakat is paid on the basis of excess income at a rate of 2.5% of the amount due for Zakat, with the condition that this amount has not been spent for over an entire year.
Zakat is obligatory for every sane Muslim adult whenever their surplus money reaches the Nisab and a full year has passed without spending it. The above verse gives an example of a farmer who must pay Zakat on crops on the same day they are harvested.
Who Deserves Zakat?
The Holy Quran determined that Muslims should give Zakat to the following people and purposes:
“Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds); for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to Truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah; and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.” 9:60
- The poor and needy.
- Those in charge of Zakat affairs.
- Those whose hearts are to be reconciled. So, new Muslims and friends of the Muslim community.
- Debt holders.
- For freeing captives.
- For the cause of Allah.
- For the wayfarer (Ibn El-Sabil).
How to Calculate the Zakat?
The value of Zakat is 2.5% of a Muslim’s annual savings. The Nisab - the minimum amount of wealth a Muslim must own before being eligible to pay Zakat - is set at the rate equivalent to 87.5 grams of gold or 612.4 grams of silver or the equivalent value of any other type of saved wealth. The exact amount of money that makes up the Zakat depends on the local currency as currencies and its value varies from one country to another and from time to time.
In the Hanafi madhab, the value of silver is used to determine the Nisab, while the value of gold is used in other madhabs. And since the value of gold and silver changes constantly, the Zakat amount a Muslim has to pay varies a little each year.
The following are two ways to calculate Zakat:
- The amount of savings is divided by 40.
- The amount of savings is divided by one hundred, and the result is multiplied by 2.5.
Is Zakat Al-Fitr Different from Zakat?
Muslims need to pay Zakat only when their annual savings reach the Nisab. As for Zakat Al-Fitr, it does not need to reach a certain Nisab to be paid. In addition, the Muslim individual pays Zakat for himself with his own money, while Zakat Al-Fitr is paid by Muslims on behalf of themselves and those to whom they are obligated to provide Nafaqa.
Zakat has no particular due date, but Zakat Al-Fitr can be paid during the entire month of Ramadan and must be paid before Eid Al-Fitr prayer and no later than that.
Every sane adult Muslim is obligated to pay Zakat Al-Fitr, which equals three kilograms of wheat, barley, raisins, rice, dates, or the equivalent amount of other staple foods. Also, Muslims can pay the equivalent in money to the people in need.
Pay Zakat with Tkyiet Um Ali
In compliance with the Islamic Sharia, the Jordan General Iftaa’ Department issued a Fatwa allowing Tkiyet Um Ali to receive the donation funds dedicated to Zakat to channel them and spend them for Sharia-compliant purposes - helping the poor and needy.
Tkiyet Um Ali disburses Zakat donations to provide food parcels for people in need and orphans in Jordan. Zakat Al-Fitr money helps secure food for families in need across Jordan.
If you are looking for those in need, donate and pay Zakat online with Tkiyet Um Ali, and we will spend your Zakat on those in need.