The steps
- Weigh your gold in grams, without stones.
- Convert it to pure gold: weight × karat ÷ 24 for each piece, then add them up.
- Compare with the nisab: 85 g of pure gold for most scholars, or 92 g for Sheikh Ibn Baz.
- Check a year has passed: a full Hijri year in your ownership.
- Give 2.5% of the pure gold, or its value at today’s price.
A worked example
100 g of 21k and 40 g of 18k gold, with 24k gold at an example 400 SAR a gram:
| Weight | Karat | Pure gold | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21k pieces | 100 g | 21 | 87.5 g |
| 18k pieces | 40 g | 18 | 30 g |
| Total | 117.5 g |
- 117.5 g is above the nisab, so zakat is due.
- Zakat: 117.5 × 2.5% = 2.94 g of pure gold.
- In riyals: 2.94 × 400 ≈ 1,175 SAR.
Common mistakes
- Counting everything as 24k: 21k gold is only 87.5% pure.
- Using the old purchase price: use the price on the day you pay.
- Including the making charge: it isn’t gold, so no zakat is due on it.
Jewelry you wear
Scholars differ on zakat on jewelry that’s worn. Some, including the Hanafi school and Sheikh Ibn Baz, say it’s due; others say it isn’t. Ask a scholar you trust about your situation.
Work it out with the gold zakat calculator, and see the gold nisab in grams for every karat.