2.5% above the nisab · gold standard (85g)
Zakat, calculated in dirhams
Add what you own, subtract what you owe, check it against the nisab — and know exactly what's due.
Check today's rate — it moves daily and sets both your gold value and the nisab.
Zakat due
— AED
Wealth must also have been held for one lunar year (hawl). For nuanced cases — business assets, jewellery in regular use, silver nisab — consult a scholar or the UAE's official zakat bodies.
How the calculation works
Zakat is not a government tax
Zakat is a religious obligation, not something the UAE collects or enforces. No authority assesses it, no return is filed, and it has no connection to corporate tax or VAT. This calculator exists because working out the base correctly is fiddly, not because anything official requires it.
The nisab is the threshold
Zakat is due only if your zakatable wealth stays at or above the nisab for a full lunar year. The nisab is traditionally set at the value of 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver. The two produce quite different numbers, and the silver nisab is usually the lower of the pair, which means using silver brings more people into paying. Scholars differ on which to use, and the calculator lets you set the value you follow.
The year is lunar, roughly 354 days, not the Gregorian 365. Over time this shifts your zakat date earlier in the Gregorian calendar, which is one reason the Hijri converter sits alongside this tool.
What counts, and what does not
| Include | Cash in hand and in the bank, gold and silver, trade goods and inventory held for sale, receivables you reasonably expect to collect, and investments held for trading. |
|---|---|
| Exclude | Your home, personal vehicle, personal belongings and the tools of your trade. Fixed assets used in the business rather than sold are generally outside the base. |
| Deduct | Debts due now and immediate liabilities. Treatment of long-term debt varies between scholars, and many deduct only the portion falling due within the year. |
The rate applied to what is left is 2.5%.
A worked example
Cash of AED 150,000, inventory worth AED 90,000 and receivables of AED 30,000 gives a gross base of AED 270,000. Subtract AED 40,000 of immediate payables and the net base is AED 230,000. At 2.5% that is AED 5,750, provided the base stayed above the nisab for the full lunar year.
Zakat al-Mal and Zakat al-Fitr
This tool calculates Zakat al-Mal, the annual obligation on accumulated wealth. Zakat al-Fitr is a separate and much smaller obligation paid per household member before the Eid al-Fitr prayer, measured in staple food rather than as a percentage of wealth.
Where the calculator stops
Treatment of pensions, shares held long term rather than for trading, jointly held assets and business structures all vary between schools of thought, and the differences are real rather than cosmetic. This is arithmetic support, not a religious ruling. For anything beyond the straightforward case, ask a qualified scholar or your local authority.
Common questions
Is zakat collected by the UAE government?
No. Zakat is a religious obligation, not a state tax. No UAE authority assesses or collects it, and it is unrelated to corporate tax or VAT.
What is the nisab?
The minimum wealth threshold for zakat to be due, traditionally the value of 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver. The silver nisab is usually lower, so more people fall within it.
What rate is zakat calculated at?
2.5% of the net zakatable base, provided that base has remained at or above the nisab for a full lunar year of roughly 354 days.
Does my house or car count toward zakat?
No. Personal residence, personal vehicle, personal belongings and the tools of your trade are excluded. The base covers cash, gold and silver, trade inventory and collectable receivables.
General information about UAE rules, not tax or legal advice. Verify anything that affects a decision with the relevant authority or a licensed adviser. About · Contact · Terms · Privacy