What zakat is and who pays it
Zakat is 2.5% of your net zakatable wealth, paid once a lunar year when your wealth is above the nisab threshold. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and a duty on wealth, not on income.
The key idea is wealth above nisab. If what you own, after debts, is above the threshold, zakat is due on the zakatable part of it. If it is below the threshold, no zakat is due.
Zakat is calculated on what you hold, not on what you earn. A person with a high salary but little saved wealth may owe nothing, while a person with savings above nisab owes zakat even without a salary.
What counts as zakatable wealth
Cash in hand and in the bank counts, and so do savings. Gold and silver count at their market value, whether they are kept as jewellery, coins or bars.
Investments count too, as does business stock held for trade. The calculator asks for each of these separately so you can see what makes up your zakatable wealth.
Everyday items you use — your home, your car, your clothes, the tools of your trade — are not zakatable. The question to ask is whether the item is wealth held or goods kept for use.
- Cash and bank savings.
- Gold and silver.
- Investments and business stock.
Nisab: the minimum threshold
Nisab is the minimum amount of wealth above which zakat becomes due. It is set at 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver. If your net zakatable wealth is above nisab, you pay 2.5% of it.
For bank accounts in Pakistan, the government announces a nisab each year. For Zakat Year 1446-47H, covering Ramadan 2026, the government nisab is Rs 503,529. That figure is used for bank deduction only — it is the threshold at which banks deduct zakat from accounts on the first of Ramadan.
The calculator checks your wealth against nisab first, so you know whether zakat is due at all before it works out the amount.
- Nisab: 87.48g of gold or 612.36g of silver.
- Government nisab for Zakat Year 1446-47H: Rs 503,529 (bank deduction only).
Gold purity: karat factors and worn jewellery
Gold is rarely pure, so its zakatable value depends on its purity. The calculator adjusts for karat using standard factors: 22K gold counts at 0.9167 of its weight, 21K at 0.875, and 18K at 0.75. Enter the weight and the karat, and the pure-gold content is worked out for you.
Worn gold jewellery is a question many people ask about. Under the Hanafi view, gold jewellery that you wear still counts towards zakat. If you follow that view, include your worn jewellery in the gold you enter.
When in doubt about a point of fiqh, ask a scholar you trust. The calculator handles the arithmetic; the religious ruling is yours to confirm.
- 22K gold: x0.9167.
- 21K gold: x0.875.
- 18K gold: x0.75.
- Worn jewellery counts under the Hanafi view.
How to use the zakat calculator
Enter your cash, gold, silver, investments and business stock. The calculator adds up your zakatable wealth, checks it against nisab, and shows the 2.5% due.
If your wealth is below nisab, it tells you so — no zakat is due. If it is above, it shows the amount clearly, so you know exactly what to pay.
Run it once a year on your zakat date, and update the figures when your wealth changes. A fresh calculation each year keeps the amount accurate.
