Agricultural Zakat Calculator
Calculate ushr (agricultural zakat) based on crop type, irrigation method, and yield. Determine if your harvest meets nisab and the zakat amount due.
Agricultural Zakat Calculator
Calculator
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Formula: Zakat = Crop Yield x Zakat Rate (10% rain-fed, 5% irrigated, 7.5% mixed)
Worked example — Zakat Due: 200 kg ($100.00) | 10% rate on rain-fed crops
Formula
Zakat = Crop Yield x Zakat Rate (10% rain-fed, 5% irrigated, 7.5% mixed)
Agricultural zakat is calculated on the gross harvest amount. The rate depends on the irrigation method: 10% for naturally watered crops, 5% for artificially irrigated crops, and 7.5% for mixed irrigation. The minimum threshold (nisab) is 5 Wasq, approximately 653 kg.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Rain-Fed Wheat Harvest
Problem:A farmer harvests 2,000 kg of wheat irrigated purely by rainfall. Market price is $0.50/kg. Production costs were $150.
Solution:Nisab check: 2,000 kg > 653 kg (meets nisab) Irrigation: Rain-fed = 10% rate Gross zakat = 2,000 kg x 10% = 200 kg Zakat value = 200 kg x $0.50 = $100.00 Total crop value = 2,000 x $0.50 = $1,000 After zakat = $1,000 - $100 = $900
Result:Zakat Due: 200 kg ($100.00) | 10% rate on rain-fed crops
Example 2: Artificially Irrigated Rice
Problem:A farmer harvests 5,000 kg of rice using pump irrigation. Price is $1.20/kg. Production costs are $800, land rent is $300.
Solution:Nisab check: 5,000 kg > 653 kg (meets nisab) Irrigation: Artificial = 5% rate Gross zakat = 5,000 kg x 5% = 250 kg Zakat value = 250 kg x $1.20 = $300.00 Total crop value = 5,000 x $1.20 = $6,000 Net income = $6,000 - $800 - $300 - $300 = $4,600
Result:Zakat Due: 250 kg ($300.00) | 5% rate on irrigated crops
Frequently Asked Questions
What is agricultural zakat (ushr) and who is required to pay it?
Agricultural zakat, known as ushr, is an obligatory charitable contribution on agricultural produce mandated in Islamic law. It applies to crops grown from the earth including grains like wheat, barley, and rice, as well as fruits like dates and grapes. The obligation falls on any Muslim landowner or farmer whose harvest reaches the minimum threshold called nisab, which is 5 Wasq or approximately 653 kilograms of the harvested crop. Unlike wealth zakat which requires a full lunar year of ownership, agricultural zakat is due immediately upon harvest. The zakat is typically paid from the crop itself, though monetary equivalents are accepted by many scholars when more practical for the farmer.
How does the irrigation method determine the zakat rate?
The irrigation method is the primary factor determining the agricultural zakat rate, as established by the Prophet Muhammad in authentic hadith. Crops irrigated naturally through rainfall, rivers, springs, or underground water tables are subject to ushr at the full rate of 10 percent of the total harvest. Crops irrigated through artificial means such as pumps, wells requiring mechanical effort, canals, or purchased water are subject to nisf ushr at half the rate of 5 percent. When crops are irrigated using a combination of natural and artificial methods, the rate is set at 7.5 percent, which is the average of both rates. This distinction reflects the additional cost burden borne by farmers who must invest in irrigation infrastructure.
What is the nisab threshold for agricultural zakat and how is it measured?
The nisab for agricultural zakat is 5 Wasq, a unit of measurement from the prophetic era. One Wasq equals 60 Sa, and one Sa equals approximately 2.176 kilograms based on the most commonly accepted conversion. Therefore, 5 Wasq equals approximately 653 kilograms of the harvested crop. This measurement applies to the cleaned, processed crop after removing husks, stems, and other non-edible portions. If the harvest falls below this threshold, no zakat is obligatory, though voluntary charity is still encouraged. Each crop type is measured independently, meaning a farmer growing wheat and barley would assess each crop against the 653-kilogram threshold separately rather than combining them.
Can production costs and expenses be deducted before calculating agricultural zakat?
This is a point of scholarly disagreement among the major Islamic schools of jurisprudence. The Hanafi school permits deduction of production expenses including seeds, fertilizer, labor wages, and land rent before calculating the zakat amount, arguing that zakat should only apply to the net benefit received by the farmer. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools generally hold that zakat is calculated on the gross harvest without deductions, as the prophetic traditions mention only the harvest amount and irrigation method. The Maliki school takes a middle position allowing deduction of some costs. Most contemporary Islamic finance scholars recommend calculating both gross and net amounts and consulting a local qualified scholar for guidance specific to your situation.
When should agricultural zakat be paid and can it be delayed?
Agricultural zakat becomes obligatory at the time of harvest when the crop has ripened and is ready for collection, unlike wealth zakat which requires a full year of holding. The farmer should pay the zakat promptly after harvest, ideally before storing or selling the crop. Some scholars allow a reasonable delay for processing, drying, and preparing the crop, but unnecessary delays are discouraged. If the crop is damaged or destroyed after ripening but before harvest due to natural disasters beyond the farmer's control, many scholars exempt the farmer from zakat on the lost portion. The zakat should be distributed to the eight categories of eligible recipients mentioned in the Quran, with priority given to the poor and needy in the local community where the crops were grown.
Which crops does ushr apply to, and are vegetables included?
The schools differ. The Hanafi position is broad: ushr is due on essentially everything the land is cultivated to produce, including vegetables and perishable fruit. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali positions restrict it to staple crops that can be stored and measured by volume — wheat, barley, rice, dates and raisins being the classic examples — on the reasoning that the nisab of 5 Wasq is itself a measure of storable produce. Growers of perishable market vegetables are therefore treated very differently depending on which school they follow, which is why local scholarly guidance matters here.
How does ushr differ from the 2.5% zakat on savings?
Three things change. The rate is 10%, 5% or 7.5% rather than a flat 2.5%. There is no hawl: ushr falls due the moment the crop ripens, so a farmer taking two harvests in one year owes it twice, while savings are assessed once per lunar year. And the nisab is a weight of produce, 5 Wasq or about 653 kg, rather than a monetary value benchmarked to gold. The reasoning is that land yields its increase visibly at harvest, whereas money grows gradually and needs a year to be judged.
What rate applies when a field is watered partly by rain and partly by pump?
The general rule is that the dominant method sets the rate. If natural rainfall or a flowing spring supplies most of the water, the crop is treated as rain-fed at 10%; if pumped wells or purchased canal water do most of the work, it is treated as artificially irrigated at 5% (nisf ushr). Only when the two contribute roughly equally, or when the split genuinely cannot be judged, is the averaged 7.5% used. Estimate by the proportion of the growing season each source actually carried, not by the number of watering events.
Under a sharecropping arrangement, who owes the ushr — the landowner or the cultivator?
In a muzara'a sharecropping contract the crop is divided between landowner and cultivator, and the majority view is that each pays ushr on the share of produce they actually receive, with each share assessed against the 653 kg nisab in its own right. Some Hanafi jurists instead place the whole obligation on the landowner, treating the harvest as a yield of the land itself. Where land is rented for a fixed cash rent, most scholars hold the tenant who takes the crop is the one liable, since ushr attaches to the produce.
Do honey, livestock and farmed fish count towards this calculation?
No — ushr covers what the soil is cultivated to produce, so animals raised on the same farm fall outside Agricultural Zakat Calculator. Grazing livestock has an entirely separate zakat with its own nisab counted in head of animals rather than kilograms, such as forty sheep or goats, and a payment made in animals rather than a percentage of value. Honey is disputed, with some jurists applying a 10% rate by analogy with crops and others exempting it. Assess each category on its own rules rather than pooling the farm's total output.
References
Reviewed for accuracy by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer · Editorial policy
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