Zakat on Gold and Silver: Nisab, Calculation and Worked Examples

Zakat is due at 2.5% on wealth that has stayed above the nisab — the minimum threshold — for a full lunar year. Gold and silver are two of the assets on which zakat has always been calculated. This guide explains the numbers; for your personal situation, please consult a scholar you trust.

The nisab thresholds

Values above use today's pure (24K) gold and pure silver rates and update automatically.

Which nisab applies?

• If you own only gold, many scholars apply the gold nisab: zakat is due if you own 7.5 tola or more.
• If you own only silver, the silver nisab applies: 52.5 tola or more.
• If your wealth is a mix — some gold, cash, savings, business stock — the Hanafi school, followed by most people in Pakistan, adds everything together and compares it with the silver nisab, which is much lower. That means many more households are liable for zakat than would be under the gold standard.

How to value your gold

Zakat is calculated on the gold content at today's market value, not on what you paid and not including making charges. So 22K jewellery is valued at the 22K rate, 21K at the 21K rate, and so on. Stones such as diamonds are usually excluded from the gold weight.

Worked example 1: gold only

Sara owns 10 tola of 22K jewellery and nothing else above her needs. 10 tola is above the 7.5 tola gold nisab.

• Value = 10 × 22K tola rate (Rs 374,316) = Rs 3,743,165
• Zakat = 2.5% of that = Rs 93,579

Worked example 2: gold, cash and savings

Ahmed has 4 tola of 22K gold, Rs 150,000 in the bank and Rs 50,000 cash. His gold alone is below the gold nisab, but under the Hanafi view his assets are combined and compared with the silver nisab (Rs 272,402):

• Gold: 4 × Rs 374,316 = Rs 1,497,266
• Cash and savings: Rs 200,000
• If the total is above the silver nisab — as it is at today's prices — zakat of 2.5% is due on the whole amount.

Common questions

Is zakat due on jewellery that is worn?

The Hanafi school says yes; some other schools exempt jewellery in regular personal use. This is a genuine difference of opinion — ask your scholar.

Which date's price should I use?

Use the market value on your zakat due date (the anniversary of when your wealth first reached nisab). Our rate history shows the rate for any past date.

Use the zakat calculator to add up gold, silver, cash and business assets and see instantly whether zakat is due and how much.