Who owes it, how much per person in food or cash, and the deadline before the Eid prayer.
Published September 1, 2026 · Reviewed by the Ihsabha Editorial Team
Zakat al-Fitr (زكاة الفطر) is one of the most widely paid forms of charity in Islam, precisely because almost every Muslim owes it every year, regardless of income. Unlike the general Zakat on wealth, which only applies once savings exceed a threshold (nisab) and have been held for a lunar year, Zakat al-Fitr is a small, fixed amount owed by (or on behalf of) every member of a household — making it one of the simplest obligations to calculate, but easy to get wrong on amount and timing.
Zakat al-Fitr is a charity of food, or its cash equivalent, that becomes obligatory at the end of Ramadan and is due before the Eid al-Fitr prayer. Its purpose is twofold: it purifies the fasting person from any idle talk or minor shortcomings during the month, and it ensures that poor families have enough to celebrate Eid without needing to ask for help.
Every Muslim who has food surplus to their basic needs for the day and night of Eid must pay Zakat al-Fitr — this applies regardless of age or personal wealth. Crucially, it is not limited to the individual: a head of household pays this fixed amount on behalf of every dependent they support, including a spouse, children, and any other family members who cannot pay it themselves.
The classical measure is one sa' of a staple food — roughly two and a half to three kilograms — of rice, wheat, barley, dates, or a similar local staple, per person. Because weighing out grain is impractical for most households today, most local Zakat authorities and mosques publish an annual fixed cash-equivalent figure, calculated from current staple food prices, and most contemporary scholars accept paying this cash value instead of the food itself.
Zakat al-Fitr must be paid before the Eid al-Fitr prayer; paying it afterward turns it into an ordinary charity rather than fulfilling this specific obligation. Because of this hard deadline, many scholars recommend paying it a day or two before Eid, giving mosques and charities enough time to distribute the funds to families in need in time for the celebration.
Consider a household of five: two parents and three children. If the local Zakat authority has set the cash-equivalent amount at $10 per person for the year, the household owes 5 × $10 = $50 in total, paid before the Eid prayer. If instead they choose to pay in food, they would need roughly 12.5–15 kilograms of a staple food distributed among five people's worth of Zakat al-Fitr.
Work out your household's exact total instantly. Ihsabha's Zakat al-Fitr Calculator lets you switch between a fixed per-person cash amount and a food weight and price, and multiplies automatically by your family size.
Zakat al-Fitr is a fixed charity obligatory on every Muslim at the end of Ramadan. It purifies the fast from minor shortcomings and provides food for the poor in time for Eid, and it is separate from the general wealth-based Zakat paid once a year.
The traditional measure is roughly two and a half to three kilograms of a staple food such as rice, wheat, dates, or barley, per person. Many local Zakat authorities also publish a fixed cash-equivalent amount each year based on current staple food prices.
It should be paid before the Eid al-Fitr prayer, and many scholars recommend paying it a day or two earlier so charities have time to distribute it to families in need before the celebration begins.
The exact cash-equivalent figure and the specific staple food used as the reference vary by country and by local Zakat authority. For the most accurate amount for your area, check your local mosque or Zakat authority's current published rate, and consult a qualified scholar if your household situation is unusual.