Nisab is the minimum wealth you must hold for a full lunar year before Zakat is due, and it can be measured against gold or silver. This covers both figures in Australian dollars, why they differ so widely, and how to work out which one applies to you.

Nisab is the minimum wealth you must hold for one lunar year before Zakat becomes due. There are two thresholds. As at 10 September 2026, the gold nisab sits at roughly A$17,220 and the silver nisab at roughly A$1,843. Here is which one applies to you.

Key takeaways

·       Nisab is measured as the value of 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver, so it is a weight of metal converted into Australian dollars rather than a fixed sum.

·       The two thresholds differ by thousands of dollars, so the standard you choose can decide whether Zakat is owed at all.

·       Most scholars and Zakat bodies recommend the silver nisab, because the lower threshold means more people give and more recipients benefit.

·       Both figures move with the gold and silver markets and with the Australian dollar, so the number you calculated against last year is unlikely to be correct today.

·       You compare your wealth against nisab on the same date each lunar year, and Zakat is 2.5 per cent of what you hold above it.

·       AusRelief publishes both thresholds in Australian dollars and updates them monthly, and they are the same figures behind the Zakat calculator.

What nisab actually means

Nisab is a floor. If the wealth you have held for a full lunar year sits below it, no Zakat is owed that year. If it sits above, Zakat is due at 2.5 per cent of the total rather than only on the amount above the line. The threshold exists so that Zakat falls on surplus wealth, not on the money a household needs to run on.

The figure comes from two classical measures of value: 20 mithqal of gold, or 200 dirhams of silver. In modern weights that is 87.48 grams of gold and 612.36 grams of silver. Some scholars round these to 85 grams and 595 grams, which shifts the result slightly without changing the method. Either way, the standard is a weight of metal, and the market converts that weight into Australian dollars.

The gold and silver nisab in Australian dollars today

Here are both thresholds as at 10 September 2026, calculated from spot prices in Australian dollars.

	Gold nisab	Silver nisab
Weight standard	87.48 grams of gold	612.36 grams of silver
Price per gram (10 September 2026)	About A$196.83	About A$3.01
Threshold in Australian dollars	About A$17,220	About A$1,843
Zakat at 2.5% on exactly that amount	About A$430	About A$46
Practical effect	Fewer people reach it	More people reach it

 

The gap between them is not a rounding error. Gold and silver were closer in relative value when the two measures were set, and they have drifted a long way apart since. That is why the same person can owe Zakat under one standard and owe nothing under the other.

Treat these as a snapshot. Gold and silver are quoted against the US dollar on international markets, so the Australian figure moves with the metal price and the exchange rate at the same time. Most quotes trace back to the benchmark set through the LBMA precious metal prices, while the currency side is published daily by the Reserve Bank of Australia. Both move constantly, so the threshold has to be refreshed rather than remembered.

Should you use the gold or the silver nisab

Use silver unless you have a specific reason not to. Most scholars and Zakat bodies recommend it, and the reasoning is straightforward: the silver threshold is lower, so more people cross it, more Zakat is collected, and more of it reaches the households entitled to receive it.

The argument for gold is still worth understanding. Silver has lost value against everyday costs over centuries, so a gold-based threshold arguably sits closer to what the original measure represented in purchasing power. Some scholars apply gold for that reason, particularly for people whose wealth is held mainly in gold jewellery.

In practice, most Australian households sit between the two figures, and that is where the decision matters. Someone holding A$5,000 in savings is above the silver nisab and well below the gold one. Under silver, Zakat of about A$125 is due. Under gold, nothing is owed.

Working out whether you owe Zakat this year

Four steps, in order.

First, pick your Zakat date. This is the day your wealth first passed nisab, and you use the same date each lunar year afterwards. A lunar year runs about 354 days, so your date shifts roughly eleven days earlier on the Gregorian calendar each year.

Second, add up your zakatable wealth on that date. After that, check the current nisab in Australian dollars rather than last year's figure. Finally, if your total sits at or above the threshold, Zakat is 2.5 per cent of the whole amount.

One point catches people out. Your wealth can dip below nisab during the year without cancelling the obligation, as long as it is above the threshold at the start and at the end of the lunar year. What matters is the anniversary comparison, not the daily balance.

What counts towards nisab

Counted	Not counted
Cash in the bank, at home and in digital wallets	The home you live in
Gold and silver you own, including jewellery	The car you drive and your household furniture
Shares and investments held for growth or resale	Tools and equipment used to earn your living
Money lent out that you reasonably expect back	Debts and bills that are due now
Business stock held for sale	Superannuation you cannot access, on most rulings

 

Jewellery is where opinions differ. Most scholars count gold and silver jewellery in full, while a minority exempt pieces in regular personal use. Business assets can also be involved, so if you run a company or hold property for rental income it is worth asking someone qualified rather than estimating. For everything more common than that, the Zakat calculator applies the current nisab and works out the 2.5 per cent for you.

Why the figure keeps changing

Check the threshold each time you calculate, and don't carry a figure over from a previous year. Metal prices move daily and the Australian dollar moves with them, so a threshold that was accurate in one quarter can be well out by the next. That is why AusRelief publishes both the gold and silver nisab in Australian dollars and updates them monthly. The figure on the site is the same one the calculator uses, so you are not checking one number and calculating against another.

Where your Zakat goes

Zakat has eight categories of eligible recipients set out in the Qur'an, and it can only be directed to those categories. AusRelief keeps Zakat funds separate for that reason. In practice that covers food aid for households facing sustained shortages, support for orphans and the families caring for them, clean water and sanitation, education where school costs are the barrier, and emergency appeals including Palestine and Lebanon. Eligibility applies here in Australia too, so the grocery drive programme, women and family support and crisis and emergency support all reach households under financial pressure locally. The full set of work sits on the projects page, and more on how the organisation operates is on the who we are page.

On accountability, registered charities lodge an annual information statement with the ACNC and the Charity Register is public and free to search, while sector standards sit in the ACFID Code of Conduct. Zakat itself is a religious obligation rather than a tax matter, though many contributions to Australian charities are deductible, and the ATO sets out the conditions for gifts and donations.

What steady support makes possible

Zakat arrives once a year for most people, and that shapes what can be planned. Communities set the priorities and AusRelief works to them, but a water survey, a school year or a food distribution schedule all need commitments that hold beyond a single season. So Zakat covers the obligation, while steady giving through a recurring donation or a one-off quick donation keeps the work moving between Zakat cycles. Some supporters start a fundraising campaign or volunteer their time instead. When people give together, the impact grows, supporting more families more consistently.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current nisab in Australian dollars?

As at 10 September 2026, the gold nisab is about A$17,220 and the silver nisab about A$1,843. Both are calculated from spot prices, so they change daily. AusRelief publishes both figures in Australian dollars and updates them monthly, and the same numbers sit behind the Zakat calculator.

Should I use the gold nisab or the silver nisab?

Use silver unless you have a specific reason not to. Most scholars recommend it because the lower threshold means more people give and more eligible recipients benefit. Gold is applied by some scholars on the argument that it sits closer to the original purchasing power, particularly for people whose wealth is held mainly in gold.

Do I owe Zakat this year?

You owe Zakat if your zakatable wealth stayed at or above nisab for a full lunar year, measured on the same date each year. Add up cash, gold, silver, shares and money owed to you, then compare that total against the current threshold. If you are above it, Zakat is 2.5 per cent of the whole amount.

How is the nisab threshold calculated?

Nisab is the market value of 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver, converted into Australian dollars at current prices. Some scholars use 85 grams and 595 grams. Because gold and silver trade in US dollars, the Australian figure moves with both the metal price and the exchange rate.

Why is the silver nisab so much lower than the gold nisab?

Gold and silver were closer in relative value when the two measures were set, and they have moved apart considerably since. Silver has fallen against gold over centuries, so the silver threshold now converts to a much smaller sum. The method has not changed. The market has.

Does my house or superannuation count towards nisab?

The home you live in does not count, and neither does your car, furniture or the equipment you use to earn a living. Superannuation you cannot yet access is excluded on most rulings. Cash, gold, silver, shares, business stock and money lent out that you expect back are all counted.

Want to know whether you have reached nisab this year?

Use the Zakat calculator at ausrelief.org to check the current threshold and see which projects your Zakat can support.