Who Pays and Who Receives Zakat?

Not Everyone Pays

Zakat is obligatory on every individual Muslim whose net zakatable wealth exceeds the nisab, the minimum threshold, for one full year. The nisab is set at the value of either 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver, and there is serious scholarly disagreement about which standard to use. The choice makes a real difference in the final number, and the reasoning behind each position is worth understanding. For the full discussion, see The Zakat Minimum: Gold or Silver?.

There are two important points to keep in mind here. First, zakat is individual, not household. Each person calculates based on their own wealth, and a husband and wife do not combine their assets and check against one nisab. Second, there are conditions beyond wealth. The classical scholars laid out specific requirements for who is obligated, including a significant dispute about whether children's wealth is subject to zakat. For a complete treatment of these conditions, see The Conditions of Zakat.

Not Everyone Receives

The Quran specifies exactly eight categories of people eligible to receive zakat (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:60):

1. Al-Fuqara' - The poor
2. Al-Masakin - The needy
3. Al-'Amilin - Zakat administrators
4. Al-Mu'allafa Qulubuhum - Those whose hearts are to be reconciled
5. Fi al-Riqab - Those in bondage
6. Al-Gharimin - Those in debt
7. Fi Sabilillah - In the cause of God
8. Ibn al-Sabil - The stranded traveler

Each of these categories carries its own nuances, and organizations interpret and apply them differently depending on their scholarly positions. For a deeper look at what each category means in practice, see Who Can Receive Zakat?.

It is also worth understanding how zakat differs from voluntary charity: