How to Send Zakat to Pakistan from Abroad, Step by Step

Every year, Pakistanis living abroad send zakat to Pakistan — to relatives, to local mosques, and to welfare organisations. Doing it well means three things: making sure the people who receive it are eligible, choosing a route you can trust, and keeping a record. This guide explains each step, using Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) as one example of where you can give.

It is general guidance, not a fatwa. For questions about your own wealth, ask a scholar you trust.

Can zakat be sent to another country?

Most scholars allow zakat to be sent from the country where you live to another country, especially when the need there is greater or when relatives in need live there. Some prefer that zakat is spent locally first. If you are unsure, ask a scholar you trust. What matters most is that zakat reaches people who are eligible under Shariah — such as the poor, the needy and those in debt — and that it is not used for anything else.

Step 1: work out what you owe

Zakat is 2.5 percent of qualifying wealth that has stayed above the nisab for a full lunar year. Qualifying wealth usually includes cash, savings, gold, silver, shares and business stock, minus debts that are due. Add your figures in the Zakat calculator, and see working out the nisab for the threshold in any currency.

Step 2: choose who receives it

You can give to an eligible relative directly, or through an organisation that checks need. If you choose an organisation, look for three things: it keeps zakat separate from other money, it explains how recipients are checked, and it publishes what it can about where money goes. PHWO keeps zakat apart, gives it only to eligible people, and never uses it for running costs. Its where your money goes and transparency pages explain more.

Step 3: pay online, safely

Most people abroad now pay zakat online through their bank. To give to PHWO, choose Zakat on the Donate page, then send an international payment from your bank to the account details shown there — copied from that page only, never from a message. Your bank converts your currency into rupees; ask about the rate and any fees. If a relative in Pakistan has a local bank account, they can send it for you and name you as the donor.

Step 4: confirm and keep a record

Keep it with your zakat notes, so next year you can see what you paid and when.

Keep reading

Giving from a particular city? See Zakat from London or Zakat from New York, or browse every city and guide on the donate-from-abroad hub. Ways to give explains goods, equipment, waqf and legacies.

Families in Pakistan who need support can use the zakat calculator, and PHWO also runs Free Online Classes, which needs volunteers and laptops. Before you give, read what PHWO publishes on transparency; when you are ready, choose your gift on the Donate page.

Frequently asked questions