Special cases

Zakat on savings and investments

Liquid savings are the simple case. Investments are far less so — here's where consensus exists, and where it stops.

Last updated: 8 September 2026

Zakat al-Maal, not Zakat al-Fitr — This page is about Zakat al-Maal — the annual due on wealth, Islam's third pillar. It is distinct from Zakat al-Fitr, a separate obligatory charity that completes the Ramadan fast (roughly 2.5 to 3 kg of staple food per household member, due before the Eid prayer) — never a percentage of wealth. This calculator does not cover Zakat al-Fitr.

Savings: the simple case

A current or savings account counts at its full value on the day the hawl ends, with no distinction — whether or not the account carries interest. A compliant, interest-free savings account enters the calculation exactly the same way.

Shares and fund units

This is the most discussed point. Two approaches coexist: treating shares as trade goods and zakating their full market value if held for short-term resale; or a look-through approach, which zakates only the share of the company's own zakatable assets (cash, inventory, receivables) and not its fixed assets (property, equipment). Without access to a company's exact balance sheet, a flat percentage of market value — often cited around 30% for a long-term holding — serves as an approximation for some. Others apply the full value out of caution. The choice depends on the opinion followed.

Pension funds and locked-in savings

Money inaccessible before a certain date or age raises a separate question: some hold zakat due only once the sum becomes available, either catching up on past years or only going forward; others hold it due every year, accessible or not. Both positions have their supporters — an individual case is worth putting to a qualified reference.

What about crypto assets?

Most contemporary opinions treat crypto assets held for investment as ordinary trade goods: valued at the market price on the day the hawl ends, and zakated accordingly. This is still shifting ground, where the opinion can evolve faster than for other categories.

What you enter in the calculator

The calculator's "Investments" field expects today's market value — apply whatever weighting matches the opinion you follow before entering it.

Sources

The contemporary approaches cited in this article, for verification.

Fiqh Council of North America — zakat on shares, the look-through method and the 30% approximation

The exact figure takes a year of tracking

Zakat is owed on the minimum amount you held across the whole lunar year — not on today's balance. Wazn tracks that minimum month after month and tells you what you actually owe, on the date you owe it.