Gold Zakat Calculator – Nisab 85g at 2.5% in SAR

Enter what you hold and this calculator does the rest: it converts your gold to pure content, checks it against the 85 gram nisab, and returns the 2.5 percent due at today’s live Saudi rate.

How the Calculation Works

Three steps, and the calculator performs all of them.

Step one: convert to pure gold. Karat weight is not pure weight. Multiply each piece by its purity factor: 0.999 for 24K, 0.916 for 22K, 0.875 for 21K, 0.750 for 18K. A hundred grams of 21K is 87.5 grams of pure gold.

Step two: check the nisab. The threshold is 85 grams of pure gold, derived from the classical measure of 20 mithqal. Below it, no zakat is due on gold considered alone.

Step three: apply the rate. If you are at or above the threshold, zakat is 2.5 percent, one fortieth, of the current market value of the holding. The value used is today’s rate, not what you paid.

The Lunar Year Condition

Zakat becomes due once a full lunar year, the hawl of roughly 354 days, has passed with your holding at or above nisab. Most scholars require the holding to remain above the threshold across the year, with brief dips generally overlooked.

Fix a date in the Hijri calendar as your annual zakat date and use it consistently year after year. Many people choose Ramadan for convenience and remembrance, which is permissible though not required.

Worked Examples

120 grams of 21K jewellery. Pure content is 105 grams, above nisab. At a 24K rate of 526 riyals per gram, the value is 55,230 riyals and zakat is 1,380.75 riyals.

60 grams of 24K bars. Pure content is 60 grams, below nisab, so no zakat is due on the gold alone. If you also hold cash or silver, most scholars combine monetary assets, and the total may well clear the threshold.

Mixed holding. 40 grams of 21K gives 35 grams pure; 50 grams of 24K gives 50 grams pure. Together that is exactly 85 grams, which meets nisab, and zakat is due on the full value.

What to Include and What to Leave Out

Deduct gemstones. Zakat is on the gold, not the stones. For a set piece, use the net gold weight. Precious stones held for personal adornment are generally not zakatable, though stones held as trade inventory are treated differently.

Deduct alloy. This is what the purity conversion does. The copper and silver in an 18K ring are not gold and are not counted.

Include stored gold of every form. Bars, coins, and jewellery kept rather than worn are all zakatable under every mainstream view.

The One Genuine Disagreement

Scholars differ on gold jewellery in regular personal use. One view treats it as a personal effect and exempts it. Another holds that all gold above nisab is zakatable because gold retains its character as wealth. Both positions are held by recognised scholars and supported by evidence.

Gold held as savings falls outside the dispute and is zakatable either way. Where your situation sits in the disputed area, consult a scholar you trust. Many people choose to pay in order to be certain, which no view considers wrong.

Paying What You Owe

Zakat may be paid in cash equal to the value due, which is what most people do and what this calculator produces. Paying with the gold itself is also valid where practical. What matters is that the correct value reaches eligible recipients.

The categories of recipient are set out in the Quran and include the poor, the needy, those in debt and travellers in need. Many people in Saudi Arabia give through licensed charitable organisations, which handle distribution and issue receipts.

Keeping Records

Keep a simple annual record: the weight and karat of each holding, the Hijri date of calculation, the rate used, and the amount paid. It takes minutes and makes each following year straightforward.

It also surfaces changes you might otherwise miss, such as a holding that crossed the nisab threshold since last year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the nisab for gold?

85 grams of pure gold. Convert karat weights to pure content before comparing, since 100 grams of 21K is only 87.5 grams of pure gold.

Which price do I use, today’s or what I paid?

Today’s market value on the date zakat falls due. The original purchase price is not part of the calculation.

Is zakat due on jewellery I wear daily?

Scholars differ. One view exempts jewellery in regular use, another treats all gold above nisab as zakatable. Gold held as savings is zakatable under both.

Can I combine gold with cash and silver?

Most scholars combine gold, silver and cash when assessing whether nisab is met, since all are forms of monetary wealth.

Read the full guide at zakat on gold in Saudi Arabia, or see the 24K rate used for the pure gold valuation.