Zakat on gold is 2.5% of its value, due when your gold reaches the nisab and you have owned it for a full lunar (Hijri) year. The nisab is 20 mithqals. Some scholars put it at 85 g of pure gold (24K), which is about 97 g of 21K or 113 g of 18K, worth 41,896.41 SAR today; Sheikh Ibn Baz put it at 92 g. At today's price, 100 g of 21K is worth 43,128.65 SAR, and its zakat is 1,078.22 SAR.
How do I calculate zakat on gold, and what is the nisab?
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The nisab for each karat
Most gold worn in Saudi Arabia is not pure, so the nisab is counted on the pure gold it contains: weight × karat ÷ 24. The lower the karat, the more weight you need to reach the nisab:
| Karat | Pure gold | Nisab in grams (on 85 g pure) |
|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9% | 85 g |
| 22K | 91.7% | about 92.7 g |
| 21K | 87.5% | about 97.1 g |
| 18K | 75% | about 113.3 g |
The value of the nisab today (85 g of 24K) is 41,896.41 SAR. If all your gold is worth less than this, no zakat is due on it.
85 g or 92 g?
The nisab was set as 20 mithqals; scholars differ on converting the mithqal to grams. Sheikh Abdulaziz Ibn Baz said in his fatwa on zakat on jewellery and the gold nisab (Arabic):
«فنصاب الذهب كما بين أهل العلم عشرون مثقالًا»
"The nisab of gold, as the scholars have explained, is twenty mithqals." (our translation)
He then put it at 92 grams («أن النصاب اثنان وتسعون غرامًا»). Asked about someone who owns 85 g, he answered in another fatwa (Arabic):
«أما خمسة وثمانون جرامًا فهي فيما حررنا أقل من النصاب، وإن أديت زكاتها احتياطًا فحسن»
"As for eighty-five grams, by our reckoning it is below the nisab, but if you pay its zakat as a precaution, that is good." (our translation)
In the same fatwa he gives the reason for the precaution: some scholars hold that 85 g does reach the nisab. So there are two estimates:
| Estimate | Held by | Nisab in 21K | Nisab value today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 g pure gold | Some scholars; paying on it is a good precaution according to Ibn Baz | about 97.1 g | 41,896.41 SAR |
| 92 g pure gold | Sheikh Ibn Baz | about 105.1 g | 45,346.70 SAR |
If your gold falls between the two, ask the scholar whose fatwas you follow. Above 92 g of pure gold (105.1 g of 21K), zakat is due on both estimates.
Step by step
- Group your gold by karat: weigh the pieces and note the weight of each karat. Do not count stones.
- Convert to pure gold: the weight of each karat × karat ÷ 24, then add the results.
- Compare with the nisab: 85 g of pure gold or more reaches it.
- Check the year: have you held at least this much for a full Hijri year?
- Calculate the zakat: the value of the gold on the day you pay × 2.5%. To pay in gold: the weight × 2.5%. In Ibn Baz's words: «والزكاة ربع العشر في المائة، اثنان ونصف» ("zakat is a quarter of a tenth: two and a half per hundred", our translation).
Worked example at today's price
You own 100 g of 21K gold and have held it for a Hijri year:
| Step | Sum | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Pure gold | 100 × 21 ÷ 24 | 87.5 g, above 85 g, so the nisab is reached |
| Value today | 100 × 431.29 SAR | 43,128.65 SAR |
| Zakat in cash | value × 2.5% | 1,078.22 SAR |
| Or zakat in gold | 100 × 2.5% | 2.5 g of 21K |
Note that 100 g of 21K reaches the 85 g nisab but not the 92 g nisab (it holds only 87.5 g of pure gold). This is where the estimate you follow makes a difference.
Second example: two karats
You own 60 g of 21K and 50 g of 18K:
| Sum | Pure gold | |
|---|---|---|
| 21K | 60 × 21 ÷ 24 | 52.5 g |
| 18K | 50 × 18 ÷ 24 | 37.5 g |
| Total | 90 g pure |
90 g of pure gold reaches the 85 g nisab. It is worth 44,360.90 SAR today, and the zakat is 1,109.02 SAR.
The prices in these tables follow the market automatically; the price on the day you pay is the one that counts.
Is zakat due on gold you wear?
Scholars differ:
- Sheikh Ibn Baz and a number of scholars hold that zakat is due on jewellery that reaches the nisab, whether it is worn or stored, as in his fatwa.
- Others hold that jewellery kept for ordinary permitted wear carries no zakat unless it is for trade or saving.
If you have jewellery you wear and pieces you keep as savings, ask a scholar you trust about your case.
What about gold bars?
Bars, gold pounds and coins kept as savings carry zakat once they reach the nisab and a year has passed, calculated the same way. Bars are usually 24K, so their weight is already the pure gold.
Calculate it directly
- ZAKATY, the official platform of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA), lets you calculate and pay zakat. In ZATCA's announcement of the platform (5 March 2026), it says the platform includes "a feature that allows the calculation of gold Zakat according to its purity levels", and lets individuals pay through "safe payment methods approved by banks".
- The gold zakat calculator on this site: enter the weight and karat for the nisab and the zakat at today's price (on the 85 g pure estimate).
- The Dhahabi iPhone app has a free zakat calculator that works the same way (nisab of 85 g of 24K, 2.5%), with no sign-up.
This is a general explanation; questions of fiqh have details that differ from case to case.
Sources
- ZATCA: ZAKATY platform enables secure Zakat payments (5 March 2026).
- Sheikh Abdulaziz Ibn Baz: The ruling on zakat on jewellery and the gold nisab (Arabic; the nisab is 20 mithqals, put at 92 g, and the rate is a quarter of a tenth).
- Sheikh Abdulaziz Ibn Baz: Zakat on eighty-five grams of gold (Arabic; 85 g is below the nisab by his reckoning, and paying on it as a precaution is good).
Frequently asked questions
What is the nisab of gold?
20 mithqals. Some scholars put it at 85 g of pure 24K gold, about 97 g of 21K or 113 g of 18K, worth 41,896.41 SAR today. Sheikh Ibn Baz put it at 92 g, and said paying zakat on 85 g as a precaution is good.
What is the rate of zakat on gold?
2.5% (a quarter of a tenth) of the gold's value on the day you pay, or 2.5% of its weight if you pay in gold.
How much zakat is due on 100 g of 21K gold?
At today's price it is worth 43,128.65 SAR and its zakat is 1,078.22 SAR, or 2.5 g of 21K gold. That is on the 85 g nisab; on the 92 g estimate it does not reach the nisab.
Do I use the purchase price or today's price?
The price on the day you pay, not what you paid. It is the price of the gold itself, without the making charge and VAT you paid.
Do I count the weight of stones?
No. Zakat is on the gold only, so subtract the weight of stones if you know it.
Is zakat due on gold I wear?
Scholars differ: Sheikh Ibn Baz and a number of scholars say yes once it reaches the nisab; others say no for jewellery kept for ordinary wear. Ask the scholar whose fatwas you follow.
Is zakat due on gold bars?
Yes, once they reach the nisab and a year has passed, calculated the same way.