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Pakistan

Zakat calculator for Pakistan

Zakat in Pakistani rupees, with notes on the automatic bank deduction, gold jewellery in tola, and local charities.

PakistanCurrency: PKR

A study aid, not a fatwa. For your own situation, please ask a scholar in the community Q&A.

What do you own?

Tick everything that applies, and anything you are unsure about. Only those sections open below. It helps to have your bank balances, the weight and karat of any gold or silver, share and pension statements, and any bills due now.

What do you owe?

Your zakat year

Zakat is due once a full lunar year has passed since your wealth first reached the nisab.

School and choices

Which school of fiqh do you follow?

All four schools are always worked out. Your school chooses the figure shown first; the others are one tap away under "See how the schools differ". You can change it at any time.

Questions where scholars differ

Leave these as they are to follow each school, or choose a view you have learned from your scholar. The result below always shows what each view gives.

Everything is worked out in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent.

Zakat is a quarter of a tenth (2.5%) of zakatable wealth held for a full lunar year. Pakistan has a state system under the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance, 1980: banks deduct 2.5% from eligible savings accounts on the 1st of Ramadan and pass it to the Central Zakat Fund.

The automatic deduction

Each year before Ramadan the government announces the balance above which the deduction applies. That figure decides the bank deduction only; your own nisab test covers all your wealth and uses today's gold and silver prices, as in the calculator on this page.

Zakat collected by the authorities generally counts for the payer who intends it as zakat. Make the intention, and give yourself anything the deduction did not cover.

What still needs paying yourself

Cash held outside the banking system, current accounts and other accounts the deduction does not reach, gold and silver, business stock, shares, and most foreign-currency holdings. Work these out with the calculator and pay them yourself.

Exemption from the deduction

Pakistani law lets some account holders file a sworn declaration with their bank to be exempt from the automatic deduction. If you do, remember to work out and pay your zakat yourself.

The nisab in rupees

The nisab is 20 mithqal of gold or 200 dirhams of silver, by agreement of the schools. In grams it is usually given as 85 g of gold and 595 g of silver, or 87.48 g and 612.36 g in South Asian fatwas. Its value in rupees moves with gold and silver prices, so the calculator on this page shows today's thresholds with the date of the prices.

For cash and savings, the texts set no nisab, so scholars differ on which metal to use. Darul Uloom Deoband applies the silver nisab; Qaradawi and Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah use the gold nisab. The silver threshold is far lower today, so if your wealth falls between the two, the calculator shows both results. Follow the view you have learned, or ask your scholar.

Gold jewellery

Jewellery worn within normal custom is a well-known difference. The Hanafi school holds zakat is due on all gold and silver jewellery; the Maliki and Hanbali schools and the relied-upon Shafi'i view hold it is not due on permissible jewellery worn within custom. Jewellery kept as savings is zakatable by agreement. The calculator shows both figures when this changes your zakat.

Weights can be entered in tola, grams or vori, with the karat, and the stones taken off.

Where to give in Pakistan

These are well-known Pakistanorganisations that collect and distribute zakat. We name them so you can look into them; we do not endorse one over another. Check each one's zakat policy and accounts before giving.

  • Edhi Foundation

    Visit site

    Pakistan's largest and best-known welfare organisation.

  • Saylani Welfare Trust

    Visit site

    National network of food banks and educational programmes.

  • Akhuwat Foundation

    Visit site

    Interest-free microfinance and educational support.

The rulings behind the calculator

Where the schools or contemporary bodies differ in a way that changes the figure, here is each position with its sources. This is a research summary awaiting review by qualified scholars, offered as a study aid and not as a fatwa.

Is zakat due on the gold jewellery my wife (or I, as a woman) wear regularly?

This is a well-known difference. The Hanafi school holds zakat is due on all gold and silver jewellery. The Maliki and Hanbali schools and the relied-upon Shafi'i view hold no zakat is due on permissible jewellery worn within normal custom.

The hadiths used for obligation (Abu Dawud 1563 hasan, 1565 sahih per al-Albani) are answered by the majority as abrogated or as referring to a time when gold jewellery was restricted, or to excessive jewellery; this is a real and respected difference.

Is zakat due on a man's silver ring?

A man's silver ring is permitted. Schools that exempt worn jewellery exempt it; the Hanafi school counts it with other silver.

Is there a limit on how much worn jewellery is exempt?

Schools that exempt worn jewellery limit it to what is customary. Jewellery beyond custom (israf) is zakatable in the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools. MUIS Singapore set the customary limit at 200 mithqal (860 g).

Does the gold nisab of 85 g mean pure 24-karat gold, or 85 g of my 22k or 21k jewellery?

The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools count only the pure metal content toward nisab. The Hanafi school treats an alloy that is mostly gold (more than half) as entirely gold. The Maliki school counts debased coins at full weight when they circulate like pure ones, otherwise the pure content.

How is zakat worked out on 22k, 21k, 18k, 14k, 10k or 9k gold?

Most calculators use the pure gold content: weight x karat / 24. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools require this for both nisab and zakat. The Hanafi school treats an item that is more than half gold as entirely gold (so 22k to 14k count at full weight), and treats an item that is mostly alloy (10k, 9k) as goods: zakatable only if for trade, or if its extractable gold alone reaches nisab.

Hanafi texts discuss the predominance rule mainly for silver coins (dirhams) and gold mixed with silver; applying it to modern karat jewellery follows Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah's reasoning. To verify with a Hanafi scholar for 10k and 9k items.

How is zakat worked out on sterling silver (925), Britannia (958), coin silver (900) or 800 silver?

Use the pure silver content: weight x fineness / 1000. All common silver standards are more than half silver, so the Hanafi school treats them as fully silver; the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools count the pure content only.

Can I deduct the debts I owe before calculating zakat?

The majority (Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbali, and al-Shafi'i's old view) let debts reduce zakatable cash and trade goods. Al-Shafi'i's new (relied-upon) view does not let debts reduce zakat at all. Schools that deduct differ on which debts and against which assets.

Evidence: 'Uthman's statement 'This is the month of your zakat; whoever has a debt, let him pay it and then pay zakat on the rest' (reported by Malik; exact Muwatta number to verify), and the hadith 'taken from their rich' implying the indebted are not rich.

Can I deduct my mortgage or car finance from my zakat?

Not the whole outstanding balance, according to most contemporary scholars. Common practice is to deduct only the instalments due in the coming year (NZF: up to 12 lunar months) or only the payment currently due (Zakat Foundation of America). Interest portions are never deductible.

Can I deduct bills, credit card balances, rent due and taxes owed?

In the schools that deduct debts, amounts you currently owe (a credit card statement, rent or tax already due) reduce your zakatable wealth. The Shafi'i school (new view) does not deduct.

I lent money to a friend or relative who will pay me back. Do I pay zakat on it, and when?

Money owed to you by someone able and willing to repay is still your wealth. The schools differ on timing: pay every year (Shafi'i azhar, IIFA), or wait until repaid and then pay for all past years (Hanafi, Hanbali), or pay for one year only on repayment (Maliki).

Someone owes me money that is only due in a few years (for example an instalment sale). Is it zakatable now?

The Hanbali school and the Shafi'i azhar treat a deferred debt like one owed by an insolvent person: zakat for all past years is paid when it is collected. The Hanafi and Maliki schools do not distinguish it from a current debt.

My savings dropped below nisab for a few months during the year. Is zakat still due at my anniversary?

The Hanafi school only checks the start and end of the year, so a mid-year dip does not matter unless the wealth is wiped out completely. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools require the nisab throughout the year, so any dip restarts the hawl. The Maliki school requires the hawl to pass over the nisab or its origin.

I have some gold and some silver, neither reaching nisab alone. Do I combine them?

The Hanafi and Maliki schools and one narration from Ahmad combine gold and silver to complete the nisab; the Shafi'i school and another narration from Ahmad do not. Among those who combine, Abu Hanifa combines by value, while Malik, Abu Yusuf, Muhammad and Ahmad combine by proportion of each nisab (parts).

Trade goods are combined with either metal by consensus (Ibn Qudamah); paper money is treated in the same way by most contemporary scholars.

I bought a property or land to sell for profit. Is it zakatable?

Yes. Property bought with the intention of resale is trade goods: 2.5% of its market value each year. The Maliki school's speculative-holder rule means paying for one year when sold if you are not an active trader.

For off-plan purchases, the amount paid so far is commonly treated as the asset's value until completion (to verify).

I hold shares long term for dividends and growth. Do I pay zakat on the full value?

Most contemporary bodies say no: you pay on your share of the company's zakatable assets (cash, receivables, inventory). If that is unknown, approximations are used: NZF 25% of value, FCNA 30% of value. If the company already pays zakat, you do not pay again. IIFA also allows paying 2.5% of dividends only when the zakatable assets cannot be known.

The proxy percentages are empirical (FTSE 100 for NZF, S&P 500 for FCNA) and change over time; the app should keep them configurable.

How do I pay zakat on mutual funds, index funds and ETFs?

Same principles as shares: if held to trade, 2.5% of market value; if held long term, 2.5% of the zakatable assets behind the units (or a proxy). Bond or money-market funds are almost entirely zakatable assets. The American Fiqh Academy treats most fund holdings as trade assets (full value).

Is zakat due on my workplace or personal pension (defined contribution, 401(k), IRA, SIPP)?

Contemporary scholars differ widely. Views: (1) no zakat until you can access it, then one year (IIFA for employer-controlled schemes; Joe Bradford for 401(k) before 59.5); (2) zakat every year on the zakatable portion of the investments (NZF, FCNA method 1); (3) every year on what you could withdraw after tax and penalties (AMJA 2010, FCNA method 2); (4) every year on full market value (American Fiqh Academy).

Classical schools did not address pensions; this is purely contemporary ijtihad. Priority item for scholar review.

Should I use the gold or the silver nisab for my cash savings?

Paper money takes the ruling of gold and silver, but the texts set no nisab for paper money, so scholars differ. Some use silver (lower, more beneficial to the poor); others use gold (closer to real wealth today).

Do I pay zakat on the interest my bank account earned?

Interest (riba) is not your lawful wealth, so it is not zakatable and zakat does not purify it. Scholars direct that it be given away entirely to charity, without expecting reward, not counted as zakat. A minority contemporary view (Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Academy, 2002) treats fixed bank deposit returns as permissible.

Can I use the Gregorian calendar for my zakat year? What rate then?

The lunar year is the default. Contemporary standards (AAOIFI) allow using a solar year for practical reasons with the rate raised to about 2.577% to cover the extra 11 days.

Classical schools did not address this; it is a contemporary practical ruling.

Is zakat due on Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies?

Among scholars who accept crypto as property, it is zakatable: coins used as currency are treated like cash, and any crypto bought to resell is trade goods, both at 2.5% of market value on your zakat date. IIFA has not yet issued a ruling on its nature. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta declared crypto trading impermissible in 2017.

School positions are analogies drawn by contemporary scholars; the classical schools obviously did not address crypto.

Is zakat due on a defined benefit (final salary) pension or the state pension?

No, while you are not receiving it: there is no specific owned pot. Pension payments you receive become cash and join your zakatable wealth.

Is zakat due on end-of-service gratuity or a lump sum I will receive when I leave my job?

IIFA: no zakat while you do not fully own it; once it is decided and paid to you, it joins your zakatable wealth. Voluntary savings you control (for example voluntary PPF deposits) are zakatable yearly per Deoband.

For provident funds (GP Fund, GPF, EPF, VPF, KWSP, CPF) and past years after receipt, see pension-provident-fund, which sets out the Hanafi, Malaysian and Singaporean rulings.

Someone owes me money but may never repay (or denies it). Is zakat due on it?

No zakat is required while it is unlikely to be recovered. If it is later recovered: the Hanafi school owes nothing for past years; the Maliki school one year; the Shafi'i azhar all past years; the Hanbali school has two narrations. IIFA: zakat starts a new year from receipt.

Is zakat due on a property I rent out?

Not on the property's value. The rent you receive becomes cash and is zakatable if still held on your zakat date (IIFA: after a year from receipt). Qaradawi's minority view charges 10% on net rental income by analogy with crops.

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