Who must pay Zakat is a narrower question than many people expect. One family member can owe it while three others do not, and a modest earner can owe it while a high earner who saves nothing may not.

Each point gives the general rule first, then where the schools (madhhabs) differ.

What the Quran and Sunnah Say

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam, and the Quran pairs it with prayer again and again. A verse in Surah Al-Baqarah does exactly that:

The verse makes Zakat a duty but does not say who carries it. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sent Mu’adh ibn Jabal to Yemen, after faith and prayer he told him:

The hadith sets the basic principle: Zakat is taken from those who count as wealthy and given to those entitled to receive it. Scholars built the legal test for “wealthy” from the wider Quran, Sunnah and Companions’ practice.

Who Must Pay Zakat: The 7 Commonly Listed Conditions

These seven are a practical summary of conditions commonly discussed for personal Zakat on cash, gold, silver and trade goods. Scholars differ in how they group and apply them, especially for children, people without sound mind and different types of wealth.

1. Being Muslim Person

   Zakat is a prescribed act of worship and financial obligation upon Muslims. The detailed rules of liability are then discussed by the jurists according to the type and ownership of wealth.

2. Reaching Puberty Person

   The personal obligation begins at puberty (bulugh), not at a fixed age such as 18. Before puberty, a child is not personally accountable, but three schools still take Zakat from the child’s wealth through a guardian; see children and those without sound mind.

3. Being of Sound Mind Person

   A person who has permanently lost their reason is not personally accountable. As with children, that is a separate question from whether Zakat is due on their wealth, where the schools differ. Temporary or fluctuating loss of capacity can involve additional fiqh details, so this article should not be read as a complete ruling for every mental-health or capacity situation; ask a qualified mufti.

4. Being Free (a historical condition) Person

   Classical jurists listed freedom because an enslaved person did not hold full, independent ownership of property. The condition has no practical application in ordinary circumstances today.

5. Owning Wealth at or Above the Nisab Wealth

   General rule: the nisab is the minimum zakatable wealth that makes a person “wealthy” for Zakat. Below it, no Zakat is due.

   The classical benchmark is 20 dinars of gold and 200 dirhams of silver (Muwatta Malik, Book of Zakat). In modern terms this is commonly given as about 85g of gold and about 595g of silver, though some sources use a different coin-weight convention, for example about 87.48g of gold (Jordan General Iftaa; National Zakat Foundation). Follow one established methodology consistently rather than combining figures from different systems; the full conversion is in our nisab guide.

   Where views differ: for cash and savings, contemporary scholars and Zakat authorities differ over whether the gold or silver value should be used as the benchmark. The silver threshold is much lower, so the choice can materially affect whether Zakat becomes due. Some scholars and Zakat bodies favour silver, while others use gold or another established methodology (SeekersGuidance). Follow the position of your school or a trusted Zakat authority and apply the same methodology consistently.

6. Full Ownership Wealth

   The wealth must be yours, under your control and free to use. Money held for someone else, such as mosque funds, is not counted. Money others owe you is treated differently by the schools, depending on whether you can realistically recover it.

7. One Lunar Year of Holding (Hawl) Wealth

   General rule: for a straightforward case involving cash, gold, silver or trade goods, Zakat becomes due when the applicable hawl requirement has been completed under the school being followed. The schools differ on whether the nisab must remain present throughout the year or is checked at the beginning and end. Newly acquired wealth, profits, gifts, inheritances and business assets can also have additional rules. Ibn ‘Umar used to say, “Zakat does not have to be paid on property until a year has elapsed over it” (al-Muwatta’, Book of Zakat). Crops are due at harvest instead.

   Where views differ: in the Hanafi school, the nisab is generally checked at the beginning and end of the year, so a temporary fall below the nisab during the year is treated differently from a loss of the qualifying wealth. Al-Nawawi in al-Majmu’ reports that the Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali schools require the wealth to remain at or above the nisab throughout the year, so a dip restarts the count (IslamQA 99381; National Zakat Foundation; Darul Uloom Deoband for the Hanafi view).

The Four Schools at a Glance

Simplified comparison of commonly relied-upon positions; individual rulings can be more detailed.

Which Assets Count Toward the Nisab?

To check the nisab, add up your zakatable wealth, not your income: cash, bank balances, gold and silver held as savings, and business stock held for sale are the main items. Personal-use assets such as a home, ordinary car, clothing and household belongings are generally not themselves included in zakatable wealth. A person can still owe Zakat if they also own qualifying cash, gold, silver, trade goods or other zakatable assets. In a business, the owner, or each partner for their share, owes the Zakat.

Shares, pensions, cryptocurrency and receivables can involve separate Zakat rules depending on how they are held; see our guide on how Zakat is calculated in Islam.

How much is due once it is owed

For the cash, gold, silver and trade goods covered in this guide, the standard Zakat rate is 2.5%, or one-fortieth, of the total zakatable wealth on the relevant Zakat date, not merely the amount above the nisab. For example, zakatable wealth of 400,000, after any debt deduction your school allows and still above the nisab, means Zakat of 10,000.

Who Does Not Pay Zakat?

Zakat on wealth is not due from:

• A non-Muslim, who is not personally liable for the Islamic act of Zakat, even if they live in a Muslim household or have Muslim family members.
• A person whose total zakatable wealth is below the nisab.
• A person whose applicable Zakat wealth has not yet satisfied the required hawl under their school’s rules. This does not necessarily mean that every new deposit, salary payment or business profit needs a separate one-year countdown; the treatment of newly acquired wealth differs by madhhab and by how the wealth was acquired.
• A child before puberty, or a person without sound mind, in the Hanafi school (the other schools take it from their wealth through a guardian).

When Does Your Zakat Year Start?

For a straightforward case of cash, gold, silver or trade goods, the hawl is normally tracked from when the applicable wealth reaches the nisab, using the Islamic (Hijri) date. If you already have an established Zakat date, or your wealth includes an inheritance, gift, salary savings or business profit, follow your school’s rules rather than assuming every amount gets the same starting date.

If you do not know the exact day, make a careful best estimate and keep that date every year.

Whose Zakat Is It in a Family?

The principle is simple: Zakat is owed by the person who owns the wealth, not whoever handles the household money.

A wife’s own wealth

Wedding gold, gifts and a woman’s own savings belong to her. A wife’s wealth is her own, so its Zakat is her responsibility if her wealth meets the applicable conditions. Both a Hanafi fatwa from Darul Uloom Deoband and a non-Hanafi answer on IslamQA (12338) state that the husband is not obliged to pay it, but if he pays it on her behalf with her permission, it counts. The reverse also holds: a husband’s savings are his own responsibility.

Joint accounts and adult children

A joint bank account does not automatically mean that each person owns half. The actual ownership arrangement and each person’s beneficial share should be established first. An adult child with their own savings owes their own Zakat, even if parents cover living costs; parents can pay it for them with their agreement.

Children and Those Without Sound Mind

This is the clearest split between the schools. The starting point is this hadith:

The last category refers to a person who has lost sound mental capacity. Before puberty, a child is not personally accountable in the same way as an adult. However, the Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools generally hold that Zakat can still be due from qualifying wealth owned by the child, with the guardian paying it from the child’s property. The Hanafi school does not impose Zakat on the qualifying wealth of a minor in this context.

This view is also supported by reports from the Companions, including reports attributed to ‘Umar and ‘A’isha concerning Zakat on orphans’ wealth.

A guardian should follow the family’s school, keep the child’s money separate, and ask a scholar when amounts are significant.

Worn Jewellery vs Investment Gold

Gold and silver held as savings or trade stock are generally zakatable. For jewellery worn for personal use, the Hanafi school generally requires Zakat, while the Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools generally exempt permissible jewellery worn in customary amounts (Muwatta Malik, Book of Zakat). Jewellery held as savings or trade is treated differently.

The Zakat on jewellery belongs to its owner, usually the woman who wears it. How mixed-metal and lower-carat pieces are counted is covered in our nisab guide.

Does Debt Cancel Zakat? Short-Term, Long-Term and Mortgages

Many lists say “you must be free of debt” as if all scholars agree. They do not, so apply the view of your own school rather than mixing positions.

The four schools in principle

Drawn from Mukhtasar Khalil (Maliki), Mughni al-Muhtaj (Shafi’i) and al-Insaf (Hanbali), as set out by SeekersGuidance, with Ibn Qudamah’s view in al-Mughni via IslamiCity. The table gives a simplified overview of commonly cited positions. Debt rulings can differ according to whether the debt is immediate or deferred, personal or business-related, collectible or doubtful, and according to the detailed position within each madhhab.

Mortgages and long-term loans

Under some later Hanafi approaches, only the amount currently due may be deducted rather than the entire mortgage balance (Darul Iftaa). Other schools treat debt differently.

5 Real-Life Cases

Missed Zakat From Past Years

Why This Duty Is Taken Seriously

Withholding Zakat is not treated lightly. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Zakat due on my house or car?

Not when kept for personal use. One bought to resell for profit counts as trade goods.

My savings fell below the nisab just before my Zakat date. Do I still pay?

If your zakatable wealth is below the nisab on your Zakat date, Zakat is generally not due for that year, though the schools differ on whether a dip breaks the hawl. Your next hawl generally starts when you reach the nisab again.

Can I pay Zakat in advance or every month?

It can be permissible, but the conditions and details differ by madhhab. The Hanafi school permits it (Darul Ifta Birmingham); the Shafi’i school also does, but only one year ahead and while the payer and recipient both remain eligible (SeekersGuidance, Shafi’i).

Related Guides

Sources and Methodology