Before you start
Zakat is arithmetic, not a mystery
Zakat is 2.5% of the wealth you have held for a full lunar year, payable once that wealth exceeds a threshold called the Nisab. That is the whole rule. Everything else is bookkeeping.
The calculator below does the bookkeeping. Enter your zakatable assets — cash, savings, gold and silver, investments, business stock — then your immediate liabilities, meaning debts and obligations falling due in the next twelve months. What is left is your net zakatable wealth. If it clears the Nisab, 2.5% of it is due.
Take a figure for the day you are calculating, not an average. If you are unsure about a particular asset, it is safer to include it.
Your Zakat
Fill in what applies. Skip what doesn't.
The two lists
What counts, and what doesn't
Include
Zakatable assets- Cash, savings and current accounts
- Wherever it sits, in any currency, converted to Canadian dollars.
- Gold and silver
- Including jewellery. Value it at what you could sell it for today.
- Investments and pensions you control
- Shares, RRSPs, RESPs, and any private pension you can actually access.
- Business stock
- Inventory, finished goods, work in progress and receivables.
- Property bought to resell or let
- Rental income and any property held as an investment.
- Money lent out
- Where you reasonably expect to be repaid.
Leave out
Not zakatable- Your home
- The house you live in, however much it is worth.
- Your car and personal possessions
- Clothes, furniture, tools of your trade, the vehicle you drive.
- Business premises and equipment
- What you trade with, as opposed to what you trade in.
- Locked government or employer pensions
- If you cannot access it yet, Zakat is not due on it.
- Long-term debt beyond twelve months
- Only the coming year's payments come off the total.
- Money you are owed and will not see
- A bad debt is not wealth.
After you pay
Your Zakat is held separately
- 0 of Zakat goes to Zakat-eligible programmes, held apart from general donations.
- 0 Asnaf categories named in the Qur'an, mapped to specific HCI programmes.
- 0 published report each year showing where the year's Zakat actually went.
See the disbursement in the 2025 annual report, or read our Zakat policy for the full eligibility rules.
FAQ
Zakat questions we're asked most
What is Nisab?
Nisab is the minimum level of wealth you must hold before Zakat becomes due. It is set at the value of 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver — whichever is lower is the threshold we apply, which is almost always silver. Once your eligible wealth reaches it, Zakat is due at 2.5%.
When is Zakat due?
Once every lunar (Hijri) year, on the same date your wealth first exceeded the Nisab. Many people choose Ramadan for its spiritual weight, but what matters is consistency — the same date each year.
If you are not sure of the exact date, give earlier rather than later.
How do I calculate Zakat on business income?
Zakat applies to assets held for sale: stock, inventory and finished products, plus profits you have not yet reinvested. Deduct outstanding business expenses and short-term debts to get your net zakatable wealth.
Premises, machinery and vehicles used to run the business are not included — you trade with them, you do not trade in them.
What if I owe debts?
Debts falling due in the next twelve months — loan instalments, credit card balances — are deducted from your total assets. Long-term debt is not: the full outstanding balance of a mortgage does not come off, only the coming year's payments.
Is Zakat due on pension funds?
The test is whether the money is liquid and within your control. A government or employer pension you cannot yet access is not zakatable. A private or savings-type pension you could draw on is.
Does HCI take a cut of my Zakat?
Zakat is held separately from general donations and disbursed only to recipients eligible under the eight Asnaf categories. The year's disbursement is reported in the annual report, and the eligibility rules are set out in our Zakat policy.
Worked it out? Discharge it.
Your calculated figure carries straight through to the donation form — nothing to re-enter.