Zakat al-Fitr: Amount, Who Pays & When

By the Editorial Team · reviewed against our sources · updated September 2026 · guidance, not a fatwa

What is Zakat al-Fitr?

Zakat al-Fitr, also widely known as Fitrana, is an obligatory charity given by Muslims at the close of the month of Ramadan. The name links it to fitr, the breaking of the fast, because it falls at the end of the fasting month and just before the festival of Eid al-Fitr. It is a fixed, modest amount given per person rather than a percentage of wealth, which makes it very different from the annual Zakat calculated on savings.

While it shares the word Zakat, Zakat al-Fitr is a distinct obligation with its own amount, timing, and recipients. It is often described as a duty on the person rather than on the wealth: it is owed for each individual in a household, regardless of how much or how little that person owns, provided the household has food beyond its needs for the day and night of Eid. For the term used in South Asia and beyond, see our page on Fitrana.

The purpose of Zakat al-Fitr

The reported wisdom behind Zakat al-Fitr is twofold. First, it purifies the fasting person from any lapses, idle talk, or shortcomings that may have crept into the fast, completing and cleansing the month of worship. Second, and just as important, it feeds the poor so that they too can celebrate Eid with food on the day of the festival rather than being left in need while others rejoice.

This social dimension is central. Zakat al-Fitr ensures that the joy of Eid reaches every home, including the poorest, on the same morning. It turns a personal act of fasting into a shared communal celebration, embodying the solidarity that Ramadan is meant to nurture. This spirit of giving connects it to voluntary charity, or Sadaqah, though Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory rather than optional.

How much is Zakat al-Fitr? The one sa’ measure

The amount of Zakat al-Fitr is one sa’ of staple food per person. A sa’ is a classical volume measure equal to four mudd (roughly the amount held by two average cupped hands, four times over). Because it is a measure of volume, its weight in kilograms depends on the density of the food being given, but it works out to approximately 2.5 to 3 kilograms for most common staples.

The staple foods mentioned in the tradition include dates, barley, wheat, raisins, and, by extension in most modern rulings, rice and other regional staples that people eat as their main food. The idea is to give a full meal’s worth of the community’s ordinary diet, not a luxury item and not the very cheapest filler.

Most scholars allow the staple to reflect what people in a given region actually eat, so rice is widely accepted where it is the dietary mainstay, just as maize or other grains may be in other lands. The guiding principle is that the recipient receives food they would normally consume, given in a quantity that genuinely helps rather than a token gesture.

Sa’ in kilograms: converting the measure

Because the sa’ is a volume, institutions convert it to weight for practical giving. The commonly cited figures vary a little by school and by the food used, which is why published amounts differ. The table gives representative estimates; local mosques often publish their own figure each year.

When in doubt, giving the higher end of the range for the food you choose is a safe way to ensure the obligation is fully met. If you pay cash where that is accepted, the value is based on the price of a sa’ of the local staple food.

Food versus cash value: the madhhab debate

Whether Zakat al-Fitr may be paid as cash instead of food is a well-known point of difference. The Hanafi school permits giving the monetary value of a sa’ of staple food, reasoning that cash may be more useful to the poor and lets them buy what they most need. This is why many charities in Hanafi-majority regions collect a cash figure.

The Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali schools generally hold that Zakat al-Fitr should be given as the food itself, following what they understand to be the literal practice reported from the early community, and they consider food the default. Neutral guidance is simply to follow the position of the scholars you trust; both giving food and, on the Hanafi view, giving its cash value are practised by large numbers of Muslims. Many people give food to be safe across all schools when it is practical to do so.

Who must pay Zakat al-Fitr

Zakat al-Fitr is due on every Muslim who has food or wealth in excess of their basic needs for the day and night of Eid. Unlike the annual Zakat, it is not tied to holding nisab for a lunar year; the bar is much lower, so the great majority of households pay it. It is owed for the young and the old, male and female, and is a duty on the person rather than on accumulated wealth.

Because it is owed per person, a household’s total is the per-person amount multiplied by the number of people it covers. The responsibility for paying on behalf of those who cannot pay themselves falls on the head of the household, as explained next.

Paying on behalf of dependants, children, and the unborn

The head of a household customarily pays Zakat al-Fitr on behalf of those in their care who do not pay for themselves: young children, and other dependants supported by them. It is paid for each such person, so a family of five pays five shares.

Views differ on some cases. Paying on behalf of an unborn child is not obligatory in the majority view, though some, following a report attributed to an early caliph, considered it recommended to do so voluntarily. An adult who has their own means is themselves responsible for their own Zakat al-Fitr, although a household head may pay it for them with their knowledge. As with all such details, follow a sound scholarly position for your family’s situation.

When to pay: timing and deadlines

The core timing rule is agreed: Zakat al-Fitr must reach, or be set aside for, the poor before the Eid prayer on the morning of Eid al-Fitr. Paying it in time is what distinguishes it as Zakat al-Fitr proper. If it is delayed until after the Eid prayer without valid excuse, the majority view is that it still must be paid but now counts as ordinary charity rather than the specific obligation, and the person has fallen short of the sunnah timing.

In practice, most people and charities collect it during the last days of Ramadan to guarantee it is distributed to the needy in time for Eid morning. Giving a few days early is widely encouraged precisely so the food or money can reach recipients before the festival begins.

Earliest permissible time by madhhab

Scholars differ on the earliest moment Zakat al-Fitr may be paid. The Shafi’i school permits paying it from the beginning of Ramadan. The Hanafi school also allows paying it early in Ramadan. The Maliki and Hanbali schools generally hold that it may be paid one or two days before Eid, tying it more closely to the end of the month. All agree that the ideal window is the end of Ramadan up to just before the Eid prayer.

These differences give flexibility: those who wish to pay early to guarantee timely distribution may follow a school that allows it, while those who prefer to pay in the final days may do so as well. The shared goal is that the poor receive it before Eid.

Who receives Zakat al-Fitr

Zakat al-Fitr is given to the poor and needy so that they are provided for on the day of Eid. Its primary recipients are those in genuine need, and many scholars hold it should be concentrated on the poor and needy specifically rather than distributed across all the broader categories that annual Zakat may reach. For a full explanation of who may receive Zakat generally, see who is eligible for Zakat.

It is preferable to give it to the needy in your own locality first, so that the poor of the community share in the local celebration, though it may be sent elsewhere when there is greater need or through a trusted charity that distributes it in time.

Worked examples for a family

The following examples show how a household totals its Zakat al-Fitr. The cash figures are illustrative placeholders; use the current local value of a sa’ of staple food for real payments.

The method is always the same: fix the per-person amount, whether food or cash value, then multiply by the number of people the household is responsible for.

Zakat al-Fitr versus Zakat al-Mal

It helps to keep the two obligations distinct. Zakat al-Mal is the annual Zakat on accumulated wealth: it depends on reaching nisab, requires a full lunar year to pass, and is paid at 2.5% of zakatable assets. Zakat al-Fitr is a fixed small amount per head, tied to the end of Ramadan, and owed by almost everyone regardless of how much wealth they hold. Learn more about the wealth-based obligation in our overview of what Zakat is and the method in how to calculate Zakat.

Common mistakes with Zakat al-Fitr

The most frequent error is paying too late, after the Eid prayer, which reduces it to ordinary charity in the majority view. Another is forgetting to include everyone in the household, since it is owed per person. Some give a token amount well below the value of a sa’ of a proper staple; the amount should reflect a real meal’s worth of ordinary food, not the cheapest possible substitute. Finally, people sometimes confuse it with the annual Zakat and either skip it because they are below nisab or fold it into their yearly calculation. It is a separate duty. To plan your household total, start from the calculator home page.

This page is educational guidance only and is not a fatwa. Rulings vary by madhhab and individual circumstance; consult a qualified scholar for your situation.

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