Do you have a specific profession? For example, as a CEO, entrepreneur, digital marketer, creative director, and so on. If so, then there are obligations that must be fulfilled beyond the scope of your work. As a Muslim who has a profession and income, you are required to pay income zakat.
Income zakat is wealth that is taken from the income received, if it meets the requirements. The requirements for zakat are being Muslim, free, of sound mind, having reached puberty, and having reached the nisab and haul. The income referred to is income obtained from a particular profession.
The MUI fatwa explains that: “The income referred to is any income such as salaries, honoraria, wages, services, and others that are obtained in a halal manner, whether routine such as civil servants, employees, or irregular such as doctors, lawyers, consultants, and the like, as well as income obtained from other freelance work.”
Read also: Who is Obligated to Pay Income Zakat?
How to Calculate Income Zakat and How to Pay It
A person is obliged to pay zakat if their income has reached the zakat nisab, which is 85 grams of gold per year. This is also in accordance with what is stated in the 2021 BAZNAS Decree, which states:
In terms of amount, income zakat is paid at a rate of 2.5% of the total assets or income. Most opinions allow income zakat to be paid monthly or whenever income is received. This is because sometimes there are professions where the total income only reaches the nisab after one year.
The renowned Fiqh scholar, Dr. Yusuf Al-Qardawi, in his book Fiqh Zakat, states that income zakat must be paid every time a Muslim receives income. If the net amount reaches the nisab, then 2.5 percent must be paid immediately.
The opinions of scholars regarding zakat on income vary greatly, depending on their respective views. You can pay it every month or every time you receive income, or some believe that it should be waited until one year.
Read also: Complete Guide to Fiqh Zakat (Free Ebook)
Simulation of Income Zakat Calculation
The following is a simulation of income zakat calculation. Putri has a fixed monthly income of IDR 10 million. Based on the amount, she has not reached the nisab of 85 grams of gold in a year. However, if we total her income for one year, it reaches IDR 120 million, and the price of gold this year is IDR 900,000, then Putri’s wealth has reached the nisab of 85 grams of gold.
Automatically, Putri is obliged to pay her zakat every month by deducting 2.5 percent from her income of IDR 10 million, which is IDR 250,000 from each paycheck.
In another case, if you have a salary that, when multiplied by a year, does not reach the nisab, then you are not actually obliged to pay income zakat.
For example, a son has a monthly income of Rp4.5 million. In a year, his total income is Rp54 million, while the nisab of 85 grams of gold in that year is Rp76.5 million.
Putra is not obliged to pay income zakat. However, it would be better and more blessed if he could also give alms from his income according to his ability.
Read also: How much is the income zakat for YouTubers?
The scholars say that as a form of prudence, income zakat should be paid from gross income before deducting expenses, debts, and so on. We never know if there are hidden assets, unaccounted for, and so on. Therefore, as a form of prudence, you can pay it from your gross income.
So, the Benefits of Income Zakat
To pay income zakat easily, you can make transactions through the Dompet Dhuafa Income Zakat Platform. Not only is it easy, but you can also provide many benefits to others through income zakat.
The zakat you contribute will be channeled into various productive poverty alleviation programs and empower many people. Want to be part of the Benefits of Income Zakat? Click the banner below to pay your Income Zakat now!
