Zakat Calculator
A zakat calculator finds the 2.5% you owe on your zakatable wealth once it clears the nisab threshold, the minimum amount that must be reached before zakat becomes due. In the guides we publish here, we build every calculator around a number you can verify today.
This one takes today's gold or silver price as an input and derives the nisab threshold live, so it never hardcodes a dollar figure that goes wrong within days of a price move. Enter your cash, investments, gold, and silver, add any money owed to you, subtract debts and bills due now, and the calculator above returns your zakatable wealth, your nisab threshold, and the zakat due if you clear it.
How it works
Zakat is calculated as 2.5% of your net zakatable wealth, once two conditions are met: that wealth reaches the nisab threshold, and you've held it for one full lunar year, called the hawl. Miss either condition and no zakat is due yet on that portion of your wealth.
The nisab is defined as a weight of precious metal. The Zakat Foundation of America puts the classical gold threshold at roughly 85 grams, while other zakat organizations, including Islamic Relief Canada, cite the more commonly used modern conversion of 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. This calculator defaults to the 87.48-gram gold figure and the 612.36-gram silver figure, and lets you enter today's price per gram for whichever metal you choose. That way the dollar threshold updates itself, instead of relying on a number that was only accurate on the day it was written. Most scholars recommend the silver standard by default. Silver's lower price per gram sets a lower dollar threshold, which brings more people into zakat eligibility and is treated as the more cautious, inclusive reading. The gold standard sets a materially higher bar. At a recent price of roughly $139 a gram, 87.48 grams of gold prices the gold nisab near $12,160, versus roughly $1,292 for the silver nisab at $2.11 a gram, a gap that matters most for someone whose wealth sits between the two thresholds.
Zakatable wealth adds up the assets zakat actually applies to and subtracts what you owe. On the asset side, that's cash and bank balances, gold and silver held as savings or investment (not classified as personal jewelry, where scholars disagree, covered below), investments and stock, business inventory, and money genuinely owed to you that you expect to collect. It excludes the home you live in, a car you use personally, and other personal-use items, since zakat targets wealth that's productive or held as savings. Everyday property you actually use doesn't count. On the liability side, subtract debts and bills due right now. A mortgage balance stretching years into the future doesn't count here. Only what's actually due today does. Once you have that net number, compare it to the nisab threshold: below it, no zakat is due; at or above it, multiply the full zakatable wealth by 2.5%.
A worked example: say you hold $8,000 in cash and bank accounts and $5,000 in investments, no gold or silver, $1,500 in bills due now, and nothing owed to you. Zakatable wealth is $8,000 plus $5,000, minus $1,500, which comes to $11,500. Using the silver standard at $2.11 a gram, the nisab threshold is 612.36 grams times $2.11, about $1,292.08. Since $11,500 clears that easily, zakat due is 2.5% of $11,500, or $287.50. Check Kitco's live gold and silver spot prices for today's per-gram figure before you rely on the calculator's result, since a price even a few days old shifts the nisab threshold.
Frequently asked questions
What is zakat?
Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam: an obligatory annual payment of 2.5% of a Muslim's net zakatable wealth, owed once that wealth reaches the nisab threshold and has been held for one full lunar year. It functions as a wealth purification and redistribution mechanism, distinct from sadaqah, which is voluntary charity given at any time in any amount.
What is nisab?
Nisab is the minimum amount of wealth a Muslim must hold before zakat becomes due, defined as a weight of gold or silver rather than a fixed dollar figure. The most commonly used modern conversion sets it at 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver, though the Zakat Foundation of America cites a slightly different classical gold conversion of roughly 85 grams. Because the dollar value of either standard moves with the metal's live price, the calculator above asks for today's price rather than assuming a fixed number.
What assets are subject to zakat?
Cash and bank balances, gold and silver held as savings or investment, stocks and other investments, business inventory, and money owed to you that you genuinely expect to collect are all zakatable. A home you live in, a car you use personally, and everyday personal-use items are generally excluded, since zakat targets wealth that's productive or held as savings rather than property in active personal use.
How do I calculate zakat the right way?
Add up your zakatable assets, cash, gold, silver, investments, and money owed to you, then subtract debts and bills due now to get your net zakatable wealth. Compare that figure to the nisab threshold for the metal standard you're using. If your wealth meets or exceeds nisab and you've held it for a full lunar year, multiply the entire zakatable wealth by 2.5% to get the zakat due. Use the full figure here. The amount above nisab alone is a common calculation mistake.
Should I pay zakat on jewelry I wear?
Scholars disagree on this point. This calculator doesn't take a side. The Hanafi school generally holds that gold and silver jewelry is zakatable regardless of whether it's worn, since the underlying material carries zakat by its nature. Many scholars in the Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools instead exempt jewelry that's genuinely worn for personal use, treating it more like a personal item than a store of wealth. If jewelry makes up a meaningful share of your assets, confirm which view your local Islamic center or a qualified scholar follows before you decide whether to include it above.
Am I eligible to pay zakat?
Zakat is generally due from a Muslim adult of sound mind whose net zakatable wealth meets or exceeds the nisab threshold and has been held for one full lunar year. Below nisab, no zakat is owed. If your wealth dips below nisab at any point before that year is up, most scholars restart the clock once you cross the threshold again. A person whose wealth never reaches nisab isn't obligated to pay, though voluntary charity (sadaqah) is still encouraged at any level.
How much zakat do I pay on savings of $200,000?
Assuming no debts are subtracted, $200,000 in zakatable savings clears nisab easily under either the gold or silver standard. The math is simple. $200,000 times 2.5% comes to $5,000 in zakat due. Subtract any debts or bills due now from the $200,000 first, if you have them. Zakat is calculated on the amount left after subtracting debts.
Why does this calculator ask for today's gold or silver price instead of just showing a dollar amount?
Because the nisab is defined as a weight of metal. Gold and silver prices move daily, so a dollar figure fixed at launch is only accurate on the day it was published, and drifts further from correct every day after. Entering today's price per gram, easy to find from a live bullion-price source, keeps the threshold accurate whenever you actually run the numbers.
Does this calculator issue a religious ruling (fatwa)?
No. It applies the standard 2.5% rate to the net zakatable wealth and nisab threshold you enter, which covers the arithmetic every school of thought agrees on. Points where scholars genuinely disagree, such as jewelry worn for personal use or how to treat a retirement account you can't access yet, aren't resolved by any calculator. Bring those specific questions to a qualified scholar or your local Islamic center.
Sources
We prioritize primary sources for rules, formulas, rates, limits, and definitions. See our calculator methodology and editorial policy.