Zakat al-Fitr (Fitrana) - Amount, Timing and Rules

1. 1Count every household member including dependents and newborns.
2. 2Use our zakat-al-fitr calculator for the sa’ weight and cash value.
3. 3Pay in the last days of Ramadan - never later than before Eid prayer.
4. 4Deliver to the local poor as food where possible; verify charity timing.

Amount and who pays

One sa’ (four double-handfuls, ~2.5-3kg) of the local staple - wheat, rice, dates or raisins - per every member of the household including newborns and dependents; the head pays for all. Cash of equal value is accepted by the Hanafi school and many charities, while others insist on food - our zakat-al-fitr calculator gives both.

It is due on every Muslim who owns beyond basic needs on Eid night - rich or poor, fasting or excused. Pay per person, not per earner.

Timing and recipients

Pay in Ramadan’s last days (many allow the last 2-3 days, some the whole second half); it must reach the poor before the Eid prayer - payment after the prayer counts only as ordinary charity. Late discovery still obliges payment as makeup.

Recipients are the poor and needy - ideally local, delivered as food before Eid morning so no Muslim begs on Eid day. Verify charities actually distribute before the prayer.