How Much Zakat Do I Pay?

Zakat in one paragraph

Zakat is the third pillar of Islam: once a Muslim's zakatable wealth stays at or above a minimum threshold (nisab) for one full lunar year (hawl, about 354 days), 2.5% of it is due to those entitled to receive it. It is not a tax on everything you own, and it is not charity you choose to give — it is a fixed obligation on wealth that has been held, not spent.

The formula

Zakat due = 2.5% × (zakatable wealth − debts due now), payable only if the net wealth is at or above nisab and a full lunar year has passed.

That gives you three steps: add up what counts, check nisab, check the year.

Step 1 — Add up your zakatable wealth

Then deduct debts that are due or payable now — loans, credit dues, expenses payable immediately. Long-term debts are treated differently by scholars; the common approach is to deduct only the upcoming year's instalments. Ask a scholar for your situation.

Step 2 — Check nisab

Nisab is the value of 87.48 grams of gold (7.5 tola) or 612.36 grams of silver (52.5 tola). Both are classical positions. The silver nisab is much lower, so using it is the cautious choice — nobody underpays by using it, and most Hanafi scholars recommend it.

The weights never change, but gold and silver prices move every day, so the cash value of nisab moves with them. Check the live figure on our Nisab Today page before you calculate — on 13 November 2026 the silver nisab was about Rs 270,614 and the gold nisab about Rs 3,023,801.

Step 3 — Check the year (hawl)

Your wealth must stay at or above nisab for one full lunar year — about 354 days. The year is counted in Hijri months, not Gregorian ones. Many people pick a Hijri date (often in Ramadan) and pay every year on that date. If your wealth dips below nisab during the year, the count restarts.

Worked example

Ayesha's zakatable wealth, using gold and silver prices from 13 November 2026 (gold Rs 34,566/g, silver Rs 442/g):

Her net wealth is above the silver nisab and she has held it for a full lunar year, so zakat is due: Rs 49,530.

Special cases

• Stocks: trading shares are zakated at full market value; long-term holdings use the zakatable asset ratio, and dividend purification is separate from zakat. See our zakat on stocks calculator.
• Money you lent: if you expect it back, it counts. Hanafi: zakat builds each year but you pay on recovery, for all past years. Maliki: pay once, on recovery. The Islamic Fiqh Academy (Jeddah, 1985) says pay yearly if the borrower is solvent. See our zakat on lent money calculator.
• Business: inventory and trade goods count at market value; shop, machinery and fixtures do not.
• Crops: harvest is zakated as ushar (10% rain-fed, 5% irrigated), not 2.5% — see our ushar calculator.
• Fitrana: a separate obligation per person at the end of Ramadan, not part of zakat — see our fitrana calculator.

Who receives zakat?

The Quran lists eight categories (9:60): the poor, the needy, those employed to administer zakat, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, freeing captives, debtors, in the cause of Allah, and the stranded traveller. In practice, most zakat in Pakistan goes to the poor and needy, and to debtors who cannot repay.

Common mistakes

• Using only the gold nisab and missing zakat — the silver nisab is the cautious choice.
• Forgetting money lent to others — if recovery is expected, it counts.
• Counting your house or car — personal-use assets are not zakatable.
• Paying 2.5% of gross wealth instead of net (after debts due now).
• Using a stale gold or silver price — check today's live nisab.