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Is Zakat obligatory on bank deposits designated for equipping children, and on end-of-service benefits and work injury compensation?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

We ask Allah to have mercy on your father. Depositing money in interest-based (usurious) banks is not permissible except out of necessity, and the money must be withdrawn immediately if the banks are usurious. These funds are to be divided among the heirs according to Islamic law. For anyone whose share reaches the nisab (the equivalent of 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver), zakat becomes obligatory after a full lunar year has passed from the day of the father's death. If the share does not reach the nisab, then no zakat is due on it. Zakat is obligatory on saved money, even if it is for a dowry or trousseau. For the gratuity from the father's employer, if it meets the nisab, the calculation of the year (hawl) begins from the day it came into possession. If it does not meet the nisab, then there is no zakat on it. If the nisab was met before it came into possession, the majority opinion is that it is assigned its own independent year (hawl) from the day it became owned.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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