Zakat Calculator
Work out your zakat in Canadian dollars, current gold and silver nisab thresholds, RRSP and TFSA treatment, jewelry, business assets, and the debts you can deduct.
Rates & rules verified · July 2026Primary sources: National Zakat Foundation Canada – What is Nisab?
What makes up your zakatable wealth
Composition of zakatable assets before debt deductions.
Breakdown
Each category as entered, and the amount that counts toward zakat.
| Category | Amount | Zakatable |
|---|
How this is calculated
The formula
net zakatable = zakatable assets − eligible debts. If the result is at or above the nisab threshold, zakat is net zakatable × rate, 2.5% for a lunar (hijri) year, or 2.577% (= 2.5% × 365.25/354.37) if you anchor your zakat date to the Gregorian calendar, the 11-day adjustment endorsed by AAOIFI and contemporary fiqh bodies. Below nisab, no zakat is due.
Nisab, both standards
Nisab is 87.48 g of gold or 612.36 g of silver (the 20 dinar / 200 dirham conversion used by Islamic Relief Canada and Hidaya; NZF Canada uses 85 g / 595 g, the CAD difference is small). At spot prices as of July 6, 2026 that is about C$16,528 (gold) and C$1,708 (silver). The silver standard is the default here because NZF Canada and Islamic Relief recommend it: the lower threshold means more people pay zakat and more reaches the poor.
Asset treatments
Cash, chequing, savings and TFSAs count at full value. Non-registered investments count at full market value if actively traded; for long-term passive holdings the 30% proxy option approximates the companies' underlying liquid assets (NZF/IFG endorse ~25%, Wahed ~30%). Gold and silver count at metal weight × spot price; if you exclude worn jewelry (Maliki/Shafi'i/Hanbali view), enter the worn grams and they are subtracted. RRSPs, when included, count at 70% of market value, the accessible value after an assumed 30% withdrawal withholding tax (majority North-American view per NZF Canada and AMJA). Business inventory held for sale and collectible receivables count in full; equipment and premises do not.
Debt deduction
Deduct arrears, bills due, and short-term debts settled within the next 12 months. For long-term debt (mortgage, student loan, car loan), deduct at most the next 12 months of principal payments, never interest, and NZF guidance suggests taking even that only if paying zakat would strain your ability to service the debt. Debts can never push the base below zero.
What this doesn't model
Hawl (holding-period) timing per asset, classically each asset must be held a full lunar year, and schools differ on mid-year dips below nisab. Also not modelled: agricultural and livestock zakat (different rates and thresholds), khums, RESP grant clawback nuances, jewelry purity adjustments (enter fine-metal weight), and the layered RRSP calculation (equity proxy × after-tax factor). When in doubt, ask a qualified scholar.
FAQ
Should I use the gold or silver nisab? Silver (~C$1,708), recommended by NZF Canada and Islamic Relief because the lower threshold benefits more recipients.
Do I pay zakat on my RRSP and TFSA? TFSA: yes, fully, at market value, withdrawals are tax- and penalty-free. RRSP: the majority view is to pay annually on the after-tax accessible value; a minority view defers until withdrawal. Locked-in accounts (LIRA, unvested pensions) are generally exempt until accessible.
Do I pay zakat on jewelry I wear? Hanafi: yes, all gold and silver jewelry. Maliki/Shafi'i/Hanbali: regularly worn personal jewelry is exempt, but stored or investment pieces still count.
Who receives zakat? The 8 categories in Quran 9:60: the poor, the needy, zakat administrators, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, freeing captives, the overwhelmed debtor, in the cause of Allah, and the stranded traveller. Not your spouse, parents or children, but siblings, aunts/uncles and cousins in need are eligible.
Lunar vs solar year? 2.5% per lunar year is the classic rate; use 2.577% if you calculate on the same Gregorian date each year.
Common questions
What is nisab and what is it in Canadian dollars right now?
Nisab is the minimum wealth that makes zakat obligatory: 612.36 g of silver (about C$1,708) or 87.48 g of gold (about C$16,528) as of July 6, 2026. NZF Canada and Islamic Relief recommend the silver standard because the lower threshold means more zakat reaches the poor.
Do I pay zakat on my RRSP and TFSA?
TFSAs are fully zakatable at market value since withdrawals are tax- and penalty-free. For RRSPs the majority North-American view (NZF Canada, AMJA) is to pay annually on the accessible after-tax value, commonly the balance minus roughly 30% withholding tax; a minority view defers zakat until funds are withdrawn. Locked-in accounts like LIRAs are generally exempt until they become accessible.
Do I pay zakat on gold jewelry I actually wear?
It depends on the school. The Hanafi school holds that all gold and silver jewelry is zakatable regardless of personal use. The Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools exempt jewelry regularly worn for personal adornment, though stored or investment jewelry remains zakatable in all schools.
Who can receive zakat?
Only the 8 categories in Quran 9:60: the poor, the needy, zakat administrators, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, freeing captives, those in overwhelming debt, in the cause of Allah, and stranded travellers. Zakat cannot go to your spouse, parents or children, but siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins in need are eligible.
What if I use the regular calendar instead of the Islamic calendar?
The classic rate is 2.5% per lunar (hijri) year. If you anchor your zakat date to the Gregorian calendar, use 2.577% instead, the 2.5% rate scaled by 365.25/354.37 to account for the solar year being about 11 days longer, an adjustment endorsed by AAOIFI and contemporary fiqh bodies.