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Zakat Calculator — Nigeria

Calculate your 2.5% Zakat in NGN on cash, gold, silver and investments, with the nisab set from live metal prices. No signup, no account needed.

₦
Zakat due (2.5%)₦2,500
Net zakatable wealth₦100,000
You keep₦97,500
Calculated live on this page · 2.5% of wealth above nisab. Open the full tool →

Zakat in Nigeria: a state-by-state, not federal, matter

Nigeria has no single national Zakat authority. Twelve northern states adopted Sharia-based penal and civil codes between 1999 and 2001 (Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Borno, Niger, Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Katsina, Yobe and Jigawa), and most of them set up a state Zakat board soon after — 11 of those boards are still active today, with Zamfara's no longer operating. The Kano State Zakat and Hubsi Commission was revived in 2003 and runs branches in all 44 local government areas of the state, while the Sokoto State Zakat and Endowment Commission (SOZECOM), whose executive chairman is Alhaji Muhammad Lawal Maidoki, made the first pledge to Nigeria's national Refugee and IDP Zakat Fund when it launched in Abuja in April 2021. Outside the Sharia states, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), founded in 1973 and headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, is the apex body Nigerian and state governments recognise for Islamic affairs generally, though it does not itself run a national Zakat collection scheme. Academic research on Zakat practice in the north also notes that enforcement is weak even inside Sharia states: "many wealthy individuals do not deduct their 2.5% annual zakat... since there is no strict monitoring system." In practice, most Nigerians pay Zakat directly to their mosque, a state commission, or a vetted Islamic charity rather than through any single central fund.

Is Zakat compulsory under Nigerian law?

No. Nigeria's 1999 Constitution says in Section 10 that "the Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion," so Zakat is a religious obligation Muslims observe by conscience, not something the Federal Inland Revenue Service or any state tax office collects or enforces — even in the states with Sharia-based Zakat commissions, payment is requested rather than compelled by the tax system. Zakat also gets no special treatment in Nigeria's federal tax code: analysis of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 (effective 1 January 2026) found "no clear mechanism for the tax-deductibility of Zakat," meaning a Muslim taxpayer currently pays both personal income tax and Zakat with no offset between the two.

Finding the gold price in Naira for your nisab

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not publish a retail gold price — its published rate is the official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) Naira/US-dollar rate, calculated as a volume-weighted average of interbank trades and published daily on the CBN's exchange-rate page. To value the nisab (87.48g of gold, or 612.36g of silver, per gram) in Naira, take an international spot gold or silver price in US dollars per gram (from a market-data source, a bullion dealer, or a local jeweller's buying rate) and convert it at the day's official NFEM rate, or compare it against a licensed Nigerian jeweller's quoted Naira price for the same weight. Because both the metal price and the Naira exchange rate move daily, recalculate the nisab on (or close to) the date you assess your Zakat rather than reusing an old figure.

Naira volatility and farm or livestock Zakat

Two local factors matter for Nigerian Zakat payers that don't apply everywhere else. First, the Naira has swung sharply against the dollar in recent years; as of late September 2026, market reporting described the currency as unusually stable — external reserves near $55bn and narrowing gaps between official and parallel-market rates — but this followed a period of much larger swings, so anyone holding savings partly in US dollars or another foreign currency should convert everything to Naira at the same date before adding it to their zakatable wealth, rather than mixing values from different days. Second, Zakat on agriculture and livestock is a live practice in the mostly-farming north: the same academic research on northern Nigeria zakat administration found that Muslim farmers there commonly "estimate annual production and deduct a certain percentage as zakat," and that poultry farmers are considered obligated to pay zakat when they sell chickens or eggs. If you keep livestock or harvest crops, these follow separate rules (rates and thresholds differ from the cash/gold nisab used above) — a local scholar, your state Zakat commission, or an established Zakat body can confirm the specific percentage for your crop or herd.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which organisations collect or administer Zakat in Nigeria?

There is no single national collector. Eleven of the twelve Sharia-implementing northern states still run an official state Zakat board — for example the Kano State Zakat and Hubsi Commission and the Sokoto State Zakat and Endowment Commission (SOZECOM) — while the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) is the national apex Islamic body. Many Nigerians also pay through their local mosque or a registered Islamic charity.

Is Zakat compulsory under Nigerian law, or tax-deductible?

Neither. Section 10 of the Constitution bars the state from adopting or enforcing any religion, so Zakat is not legally mandated or collected as tax, and analysis of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 found no mechanism to deduct Zakat payments from income tax owed.

How do I find the gold price in Naira to work out the nisab?

The CBN publishes the official Naira/US-dollar rate (the NFEM rate) daily but not a gold price. Take an international gold or silver spot price in dollars per gram and convert it at that day's official rate, or use a licensed jeweller's quoted Naira buying price for the same weight, and recalculate close to the date you assess your Zakat.

Does Zakat apply to livestock and farm produce in northern Nigeria?

Yes, alongside the cash/gold nisab this calculator uses. Research on Zakat practice in northern Nigeria describes farmers estimating annual crop output and deducting a set percentage, and poultry farmers being considered liable when they sell birds or eggs — these follow separate agricultural and livestock rules, so check with a local scholar or your state Zakat commission for the applicable rate.

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