Nisab Today in AED

Gold nisab by karat in AED

Nisab is 85 g of pure gold. Jewellery is alloyed, so the weight you need depends on the karat — the local standard in UAE Dirham is 22K.

Spot metal value at 2026-09-27; shop prices add making charges and tax. Zakat itself is 2.5% of the value once you are above nisab.

Nisab in the UAE: Dubai's 22K and 21K market

Dubai's Gold Souk quotes 22K and 21K per gram, updated through the day. Value jewellery at its own karat's per-gram price, not at 24K, and convert to pure gold before comparing with nisab: 100 grams of 22K is 91.67 grams pure, 100 grams of 21K is 87.5 grams. The dirham's dollar peg means the AED nisab tracks the world gold price directly.

The UAE's federal Zakat Fund accepts and distributes zakat; paying directly to eligible recipients is equally valid. Nisab is measured in pure gold, and jewellery is never pure: multiply each piece's weight by its karat's purity (0.9167 for 22K, 0.875 for 21K, 0.75 for 18K, 0.585 for 14K) before comparing the total with 85 grams. The karat table above gives today's per-gram value of each karat in your currency for a quick valuation.

The zakat year

The zakat year (hawl) is lunar — about 354 days, not 365. Fixing one Hijri date each year (many people use Ramadan) keeps the calculation consistent; paying on a Gregorian anniversary drifts eleven days later every year.

Common situations for zakat payers in the UAE

Expatriate savings: most UAE residents hold savings in dirham accounts and send remittances home. Both count — the dirham balance and any money already sitting in a home-country account are one pool of wealth valued on your zakat date, converted at the day's rate. Money in transit or sent to family as a gift is no longer yours and is not counted.

Gratuity: the end-of-service gratuity is not zakatable until it is paid. Property held for rental is not zakatable on its value; the rent income that accumulates is. Property bought to resell is zakatable at market value.

Gold held as jewellery from the Gold Souk: most residents hold 22K and 21K, so convert by purity before comparing with 85 grams. The difference of opinion on worn jewellery is real — the Hanafi view counts it, the majority view exempts ordinary personal use — and the choice belongs to the payer's own school or authority.

Where UAE residents pay zakat

The federal Zakat Fund accepts zakat and publishes its own nisab figure; direct payment to eligible recipients, including relatives in need who are not dependants, is equally valid. Expatriates commonly pay in their home country where the money goes further; scholars permit that when the need is greater there.

How to use these numbers

If your zakatable wealth in UAE Dirham — cash in AED, gold and silver, money owed to you, and business inventory — stays at or above the nisab for one full lunar year, zakat of 2.5% is due. Most scholars recommend checking against the lower silver figure (4,526 AED today) so that zakat reaches more people.

Calculate exactly what you owe with the zakat calculator, value gold by weight and karat with zakat on gold, or see today's gold price in UAE.

Nisab in other currencies

Frequently asked questions