Calculating your Zakat takes about ten minutes once a year. Add up your qualifying wealth on the day your hawl completes, subtract any allowable debts, multiply by 2.5%, and pay it to a Zakat-eligible cause. This step-by-step UK guide takes you through it, with 2026 nisab figures.
Step 1 — Set your Zakat date
Your Zakat is due once a lunar year (a hawl) has passed on your wealth. Many UK Muslims choose 1st Ramadan as their Zakat date to multiply the reward in the blessed month. If this is your first Zakat, simply record today’s date and pay one lunar year (354 days) from now.
Step 2 — Check the 2026 nisab
The nisab is the minimum threshold above which Zakat becomes due. Classical fiqh sets two figures:
- Gold nisab — 87.48g of pure gold, currently around £5,700 (varies daily)
- Silver nisab — 612.36g of pure silver, currently around £420 (varies daily)
Most UK scholars recommend using the silver nisab — it is lower, so more wealth qualifies, and more poor people benefit. Our calculator uses today’s scholar-verified figure.
Step 3 — Add up your qualifying wealth
Add the total UK pound value of everything Zakat-eligible on your Zakat date:
Cash and savings
- Bank current accounts and savings accounts
- Cash ISAs and notice accounts
- Premium Bonds (at face value)
- Money held abroad — convert to GBP
Gold and silver
- Gold bullion, coins, and bars (current market value)
- Silver bullion (current market value)
- Gold and silver jewellery — scholars differ; the safer view of many UK scholars is to include it
Investments
- Stocks and shares ISAs — net value
- Pensions you can currently access
- Crypto held as a store of value
- Property held for resale or business (not your main home)
Business assets
- Stock you hold for sale (at cost or market value, depending on scholar)
- Cash in business accounts
- Money owed to you that you reasonably expect to receive
Step 4 — Subtract eligible debts
You may subtract debts that are immediately due on your Zakat date. Long-term debts like a 25-year mortgage are not fully deductible — most scholars allow you to subtract only the next month’s payment.
Step 5 — Compare to the nisab
If the net total is above the nisab, Zakat is due. If below, no Zakat is due this year.
Step 6 — Multiply by 2.5%
Zakat is 2.5% of net qualifying wealth — or one-fortieth (1/40).
Worked example.
- Savings: £9,000
- Gold jewellery (market value): £3,000
- Crypto: £500
- Money owed to you: £500
- Total: £13,000
- Eligible debts (next month’s mortgage): £1,000
- Net Zakatable wealth: £12,000
- Zakat due: £12,000 × 2.5% = £300
“There is no owner of gold or silver who does not pay what is due on them but on the Day of Resurrection, plates of fire will be heated for him in the Hellfire.”
— Prophet Muhammad ﭐ (Sahih Muslim)
Step 7 — Pay to a 100%-policy charity
Choose a charity that operates a strict 100% Zakat policy — meaning none of your Zakat is used for card fees, salaries, or fundraising. DHT’s 100% Zakat policy is publicly published and audited.
Calculate your 2026 Zakat in two minutes
Scholar-verified nisab figures, no inputs stored, 100% policy. Pay your Zakat with full transparency.
Common Zakat-calculation questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I pay Zakat on my pension?
You pay Zakat on pension funds you can currently access. Locked workplace pensions are normally not Zakatable until you can draw them, though there is scholarly difference. Speak to a qualified scholar for your specific case.
Do I pay Zakat on my house?
No — not on a house you live in. Property you own as an investment for resale or rental income is treated differently — only the rental income held as savings is Zakatable, not the asset itself, in most scholarly views.
Do I pay Zakat on debts owed to me?
Yes, if you reasonably expect to recover them. A loan to a reliable family member that you expect to be repaid counts; a long-standing bad debt that is unlikely to be recovered may be excluded.
What if I miss a year of Zakat?
Missed Zakat remains a debt to Allah and must be paid as soon as possible — calculated at the wealth held in the year it was missed. Better late than left.
