How the estate is divided
- Funeral costs and debts are paid first.
- A bequest to non-heirs, up to one third of what remains.
- The rest is divided among the heirs: first the fixed shares, then the residue.
Fixed shares
| Heir | Share |
|---|---|
| Husband | 1/2, or 1/4 if the deceased had children |
| Wife or wives | 1/4, or 1/8 if the deceased had children, shared equally |
| Mother | 1/3, or 1/6 with children or two or more siblings |
| Father | 1/6 with children, and the residue if there are no sons |
| One daughter (no sons) | 1/2 |
| Two or more daughters (no sons) | 2/3, shared equally |
| Maternal half-siblings | 1/6 for one, 1/3 shared equally for two or more |
Sons, and brothers when there are no sons or father, take the residue, with each male getting twice a female’s share.
Example
An estate of 600,000 SAR after debts, left by a man to his wife, his mother, one son and two daughters:
| Heir | Share | Amount (SAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Wife | 1/8 | 75,000 |
| Mother | 1/6 | 100,000 |
| Son | 17/48 | 212,500 |
| Each daughter | 17/96 | 106,250 |
When the shares don’t add up to one
- ʿAwl: if the fixed shares add up to more than the estate, each is reduced in proportion.
- Radd: if they add up to less and there’s no residuary heir, the surplus returns to the relatives in proportion, but not to the spouse.
This calculator follows the majority view applied in Saudi courts. It doesn’t cover grandparents, grandchildren or half-siblings through the father; for those, and for any official division, ask the court or a scholar.