Zakat Calculator — UAE
Calculate your 2.5% Zakat in AED on cash, gold, silver and investments, with the nisab set from live metal prices. No signup, no account needed.
What is Zakat and the nisab?
The UAE has no legal requirement to pay zakat — it is a religious obligation for Muslims, not a tax the state enforces, and there is no penalty under UAE law for not paying it. What the country does have is a federal mechanism for those who want to give and receive it: the UAE Zakat Fund, a federal body that collects voluntary zakat contributions and distributes them to eligible recipients under criteria it publishes, plus a religious authority — the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Zakat (Awqaf) at federal level, and Dubai's Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) — that issues fatwas on how to calculate it correctly. Zakat itself is still fixed at 2.5% of qualifying wealth held above the nisab — traditionally 87.48g of gold or 612.36g of silver — for a full lunar year (hawl); the calculator below sets the nisab in AED from live gold and silver prices.
How to pay: the UAE Zakat Fund and Awqaf
The UAE's official government portal confirms that residents wanting zakat support can "request for zakat online" if they meet the eligibility criteria set by the UAE's Zakat Fund, and can petition to have a rejected or insufficient allocation reviewed (u.ae, The Official Portal of the UAE Government, accessed 24 September 2026). For those wanting to pay zakat rather than receive it, the same government channel lists the UAE's Zakat Fund among the recognised ways to give, alongside registered charities such as Emirates Red Crescent, Dar Al Ber Society and Beit Al Khair Society, which act as distribution channels (Gulf News, citing IACAD and the UAE Zakat Fund, accessed 24 September 2026). For the fiqh side — how to treat unusual assets, business zakat, or a specific personal situation — the same Gulf News report notes that Dubai residents can call IACAD's dedicated fatwa line for guidance from its Grand Mufti's office, and the federal Awqaf authority publishes its own zakat-payment guidance and calculator on its website (General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Zakat, accessed 24 September 2026).
Nisab in AED: where gold prices come from
Because nisab is set in grams of gold, an accurate AED nisab depends on that day's gold price. Dubai's daily reference gold rates — for 24, 22, 21 and 18 carat gold — are set by the Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group (DGJG), the trade body for the emirate's gold souks and retailers, whose rates are the ones UAE media and jewellers publish each morning (Gulf News gold & forex page, citing rates "Provided by Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group", accessed 24 September 2026). This calculator uses live gold and silver spot prices converted to AED; if you want to cross-check against the retail rate quoted in Dubai's gold souk on a given day, DGJG's daily rate is the reference most residents use.
End-of-service gratuity for expats: is it zakatable?
The UAE's private-sector workforce is overwhelmingly expatriate, and most expats' single largest lump sum is their end-of-service gratuity. Under UAE labour law, an employee who completes at least one year of continuous service is entitled to a gratuity based on their last basic salary: 21 days' pay for each of the first five years of service, and 30 days' pay for each additional year, with the total capped at two years' total pay (Gulf News, citing UAE labour law, accessed 24 September 2026). For zakat, gratuity follows the same rule as any other cash asset: it only becomes zakatable once you have actually received it and it has then sat in your possession, above nisab, for a full lunar year — an accrued-but-unpaid gratuity entitlement while you're still employed is not zakatable, since you don't yet have access to the money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is zakat mandatory in the UAE?
No. The UAE does not legally require zakat payment — it remains a personal religious obligation for Muslims. The federal UAE Zakat Fund exists to receive voluntary contributions and distribute them to eligible recipients, not to enforce collection.
Where can I pay zakat officially in the UAE?
The UAE's official government portal (u.ae) lists the UAE Zakat Fund as the main federal channel, alongside registered charities such as Emirates Red Crescent, Dar Al Ber Society and Beit Al Khair Society. Dubai residents can also use IACAD's channels and fatwa line, and the federal Awqaf authority publishes its own zakat payment guidance.
Which authority issues zakat fatwas in the UAE?
At federal level, the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Zakat (Awqaf) provides guidance and a payment service. In Dubai specifically, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) runs a fatwa line for zakat questions.
Is my end-of-service gratuity subject to zakat?
Only once you've received it. Gratuity is calculated as 21 days' basic pay per year for the first five years and 30 days' pay per year after that, capped at two years' pay. Until it's paid out and held in your possession for a full lunar year above nisab, it isn't zakatable — it's simply an unpaid entitlement.
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Sources
- u.ae — The Official Portal of the UAE Government: Paying zakat (accessed 24 September 2026)
- General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Zakat — Zakat Payment (accessed 24 September 2026)
- Gulf News — Zakat calculator: who pays and how is it calculated (IACAD, UAE Zakat Fund) (accessed 24 September 2026)
- Gulf News — Gold & Forex rates, Provided by Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group (accessed 24 September 2026)
- Gulf News — UAE gratuity calculator: end-of-service benefits (accessed 24 September 2026)