Nisab is the threshold that decides whether Zakat is owed at all. Understanding what is Nisab — and more importantly, which standard to apply — is the difference between a clean Zakat calculation and an accidental under- or over-payment. The rule itself is short, but the choice between the silver and gold standards has real consequences that are worth thinking through once. For the broader framework, see the complete guide to calculating Zakat.
The rule in one sentence
If your net zakatable wealth sits at or above Nisab for one full Hawl (approximately 354 days), Zakat of 2.5% becomes due on that wealth. If you are below Nisab at your Zakat day, no Zakat is due that year, regardless of how much you held earlier in the year.
Nisab is the on/off switch. Rate and holding period are separate concerns. A clean way to think about it:
- Nisab decides whether you owe Zakat.
- Hawl decides when it becomes due.
- 2.5% decides how much.
The two standards and where they came from
Classical fiqh defines Nisab in two ways, both inherited from the Prophetic era:
- Silver Nisab. 200 dirhams, equivalent to approximately 595 grams of silver.
- Gold Nisab. 20 dinars, equivalent to approximately 85 grams of gold.
In the 7th century, these two values were roughly equivalent in purchasing power. A person with 200 dirhams of silver had about the same wealth as a person with 20 dinars of gold. So the Prophet — peace be upon him — set two equivalent benchmarks and the community used whichever they held.
Today the equivalence has broken. Gold has significantly outperformed silver over the past century, so the gold-price Nisab is far higher than the silver-price Nisab. The two benchmarks now produce very different thresholds.
Why silver is the majority contemporary recommendation
Because gold prices rose faster than silver, a person with wealth equal to 595 grams of silver (relatively low threshold) may be well below 85 grams of gold (higher threshold). If we used gold Nisab strictly, many Muslims whom the classical scholars clearly intended to include would escape the obligation, and Zakat would collect less than the Sharia's original intent.
The majority of contemporary scholars — including major fatwa councils — therefore recommend the silver standard. The principle they cite is that Nisab should set a meaningful but inclusive floor, and silver does that better today. The gold standard remains valid and is preferred by a minority for its historical continuity, but is more conservative in the sense of paying less.
CashMate defaults to silver and lets you switch to gold at any time — the numbers update instantly.
Computing Nisab in your currency
Nisab is defined in weight of metal, not in money, so you have to re-compute its value in your currency whenever metal prices move. The steps are identical in every currency:
- Find the current spot price per gram of silver (or gold) in your currency.
- Multiply by 595 for silver, or 85 for gold.
- That number is Nisab for today.
Example: silver at $0.90/g → silver Nisab = $535.50. Gold at $82/g → gold Nisab = $6,970. A person with $3,000 in net wealth is above silver Nisab and below gold Nisab — Zakat is due under the silver standard, not under the gold standard.
Illustrative thresholds across currencies
The table below is illustrative only — rates fluctuate daily. Always re-compute on your Zakat day.
| Currency | Silver Nisab (~595 g) | Gold Nisab (~85 g) |
|---|---|---|
| USD | ~$535 | ~$6,970 |
| GBP | ~£425 | ~£5,500 |
| EUR | ~€500 | ~€6,400 |
| PKR | ~PKR 150,000 | ~PKR 1,950,000 |
| AED | ~AED 1,965 | ~AED 25,600 |
Reputable sources for spot prices include bullion retailers (APMEX, Kitco), financial data providers, and major news services. Use one source consistently year to year.
Silver Nisab and gold Nisab on the same household
You do not apply both standards at once. Pick one — silver if you want the inclusive majority view, gold if you want the conservative view — and use it for every zakatable asset you own.
The only time you care about the gold weight specifically is when calculating how to calculate Zakat on gold. There, weight matters because some pieces (jewelry) may be treated differently depending on madhab. But for the Nisab threshold itself, one standard applies to the whole household total.
What counts toward the Nisab total
Everything zakatable counts. Your Nisab test is run against the combined net of cash, savings, receivables, gold, silver, stocks, crypto, business inventory, and rental income — minus short-term debts.
You do not apply Nisab separately to cash, then again to gold, then again to stocks. One total, one Nisab test, one 2.5% rate. This matters because someone whose cash is below Nisab but whose combined wealth clears Nisab still owes Zakat. For the mechanics: how to calculate Zakat on savings.
How Nisab interacts with Hawl
Nisab is checked twice: once at the start of the Hawl, to confirm the obligation is in play, and once at the end of the Hawl, to determine the Zakat amount. In practice most people check it only on Zakat day — their chosen annual date — and rely on the assumption that if they were above Nisab the previous year and have not had a major drawdown, they are still above it.
If your wealth dips below Nisab during the year, the Hawl technically resets, and the clock restarts when you climb back above. More on this: what is Hawl.
Common misunderstandings
A few misconceptions come up repeatedly.
- Nisab is not a per-asset threshold. It applies to the combined net, not to each category individually.
- Nisab is not fixed in money. It drifts with metal prices and must be recomputed every year.
- You do not subtract Nisab from your wealth before applying 2.5%. If your net is $10,000 and Nisab is $600, you pay 2.5% of $10,000 — not of $9,400.
- Different scholars use slightly different weight figures (some cite 612g for silver or 87.48g for gold). The 595g / 85g values are the most widely used; the differences are small and do not materially change the calculation.
Nisab across the madhabs
All four Sunni madhabs agree on the two Nisab standards and on the 2.5% rate. They differ slightly on the handling of specific assets that feed into the Nisab total — particularly jewelry, business inventory, and long-term stocks. See how the four madhabs differ on Zakat for the detailed differences.
But Nisab itself is one of the most settled parts of Zakat fiqh. Disagreement is at the edges, not the core.
What's next
Looking up Nisab once a year is simple. Doing it across multiple currencies, with current metal prices, and stored alongside a Hawl tracker is what makes a tool worthwhile. Try the free Zakat calculator — no signup required — or use the full in-app version to switch standards and see your Nisab computed in your preferred currency.