Is it permissible to count the money paid monthly for the sponsorship of an orphan or a Palestinian family as zakat?

The questioner is not required to pay zakat merely out of apprehension. Rather, she should inquire about the ruling of zakat on her wealth if she possesses any. If she paid the money with the intention of zakat, it would suffice her, provided she was liable for zakat. What is given for the sponsorship of an orphan or a family is not considered zakat unless the beneficiaries are among those eligible for zakat, and the giver intended at the time of giving that what she was paying was zakat. Zakat may not be delayed after it becomes due, but it can be paid in installments before it becomes due.