What is the nisab for gold?

The commonly used nisab is 85 grams of pure gold (some scholars use 87.48 g). Its value changes every day with the gold price.

Do I pay zakat on gold jewelry I wear?

According to the Hanafi school, yes. The Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools generally exempt jewelry for permissible personal use. Follow the guidance of a scholar you trust.

How do I calculate zakat on 18K gold?

Multiply the weight by 0.750 to get the pure gold content, value it at today’s price, add your other qualifying assets and pay 2.5% of the total if it is above the nisab.

Zakat on Gold: Nisab, Rules and How to Calculate It

What zakat is

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam: an obligatory annual payment of a share of a Muslim’s qualifying wealth to people in need and other categories named in the Qur’an. It applies once wealth reaches a minimum threshold, the nisab, and has been held for a full lunar year, the hawl. For gold, silver, cash and trade goods the rate is 2.5%, or one fortieth.

This guide explains the arithmetic and the main differences of opinion. It is not a religious ruling; for personal circumstances, consult a qualified scholar or your local zakat authority.

The nisab for gold and silver

The classical texts set the nisab at 20 mithqal of gold and 200 dirhams of silver. Converted to modern weights, these are commonly given as 85 grams of pure gold and 595 grams of pure silver. Some scholars use slightly different conversions — for example 87.48 g of gold and 612.36 g of silver — so you may see both figures.

At today’s live prices:

85 g of pure gold is worth about 11,266.02 USD.
595 g of silver is worth about 1,010.49 USD.

Because silver is much cheaper than gold today, the silver nisab is far lower. Many scholars and zakat bodies recommend the silver standard for cash and mixed assets, because it brings more people into paying zakat and benefits the poor; others prefer the gold standard as closer to the value the nisab represented historically. Our zakat calculator lets you choose either standard and shows the threshold in your currency.

Counting gold by its pure content

Gold of any karat counts by the amount of pure gold it contains. Multiply the weight by the purity:

24K: weight × 1.000 (practically pure)
22K: weight × 0.916
21K: weight × 0.875
18K: weight × 0.750

For example, 100 g of 21K jewelry contains 87.5 g of pure gold, which is above the 85 g nisab on its own. 100 g of 18K contains 75 g, which is below the gold nisab by itself but may be zakatable once added to your other assets. Gemstones and other non-gold parts are not counted.

Is personal jewelry zakatable?

This is the best-known difference among the schools of Islamic law:

The Hanafi school holds that zakat is due on all gold and silver, including jewelry worn regularly.
The Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools generally exempt jewelry kept for permissible personal use, while jewelry held as savings, for investment or in excess of normal use is zakatable.

Many people choose to pay on their jewelry as a precaution. Whatever view you follow, gold held as bars, coins or savings is zakatable according to all schools.

Step-by-step calculation

Choose your zakat date — the date one lunar year after your wealth first reached the nisab, and the same date every year after.
Add up qualifying assets on that date: pure gold content, silver, cash in hand and in the bank, money owed to you that you expect to receive, investments held for trade and business stock.
Value gold and silver at the current market price on your zakat date. Some scholars recommend using the price you would actually receive if you sold, which is slightly below spot.
Deduct debts that are due now, such as bills and instalments currently payable. Views differ on how much of a long-term loan, such as a mortgage, can be deducted.
Compare the total with the nisab. If it is equal or higher, zakat is due on the whole amount.
Multiply by 2.5%.

Example: someone owns 60 g of 22K jewelry kept as savings (54.96 g pure gold), 2,000 dollars in cash and owes 500 dollars due this month. At today’s price the gold is worth about 7,284.48 USD. Their net zakatable wealth is that amount plus 2,000 minus 500. If it exceeds the chosen nisab, zakat due is 2.5% of the total.

Paying your zakat

Zakat is given to the eight categories named in the Qur’an (9:60), which include the poor, the needy, those in debt and travellers in need. Many people pay through a mosque, a recognised zakat committee or a registered charity that distributes zakat separately from general donations. Zakat can be paid in cash; you do not need to sell or hand over gold itself.

Common questions about dates and prices

Because the hawl follows the lunar calendar, your zakat date moves about eleven days earlier each solar year. If you find it easier, you can keep a fixed solar date; some scholars then recommend a slightly higher rate (about 2.577%) to account for the longer solar year. Prices change daily, so record the gold and silver prices you used — our price history can help.