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Para. 3.4.8Status unknownSaudi ArabiaRegulation
Issued by Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA)
Zakat Percentage
According to Article 15 of the Regulations, the zakat percentage is 2.5% if the zakat year for the
zakat payer holding statuary accounts is Hijri year. If the zakat year for the zakat payer differs
from the Hijri year, the zakat percentage is calculated by dividing 2.5% over the number of
days of Hijri year multiplied by the actual number of days of Zakat Payer’s Zakat Year as per the
following equation:
Percentage of Zakat = (2.5% ÷ number of days of the Hijri year) x number of days of the fiscal
year of the Zakat Payer
The zakat year for a Zakat payer may differ from the Hijri year in several cases. In such cases,
zakat must be calculated according to the Zakat percentage based on the actual number of days.
The detailed cases related to this will also be reviewed in paragraph (4.4.2) of this guide.
The difference between the zakat
year and the Hijri year
Hijri Year
The zakat percentage for the
year is calculated as follows:
Actual number
of days in a
year
354 days
X
Zakat Percentage is
A Saudi company submits its zakat declaration based on its Gregorian financial year of 365 days.
What zakat percentage should be used?
The solution:
A Saudi company submits its zakat return based on its Gregorian financial year of 365 days.
What zakat percentage should be used?
354 days
X
365 Days = 2.5777%
A Saudi company submits its zakat declaration based on its first Gregorian financial year, which
runs from November 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025. What zakat percentage should be used?
The solution:
Since the actual number of days in the year is 426, the zakat percentage should be calculated as
follows:
Number of Actual
Days in the Financial
Year, The result is as
follows
354 days
X
354 days
X
426 Days = 3.0085%
Number of Actual
Days in the Financial
Year, The result is as
follows
354 days
X
Example (19)
Example (20)
3.4.9 Approved Financial Reports
The calculation of the zakat base for a zakat payer holding statuary accounts is based on the
zakat payer's financial statements and the classifications and categorizations of items therein.
Therefore, as stipulated in Article 9 of the regulations, applying the standards endorsed by the
Saudi Organization for Chartered and professional Accountants regarding the terms, accounting
treatments, and financial reports submitted to the Authority, unless otherwise stipulated in
the Regulations, or relevant laws, regulations, and rules. The Authority may amend the data of
Zakat Payers in the event that said data contradicts the accounting standards endorsed by the
Saudi Organization for Chartered and professional Accountants regarding the classification and
indexing.
As a result, the Authority has the right to amend the financial data submitted by the Zakat payer if
such data contradicts the accounting standards approved by the Saudi Organization for Chartered
and professional Accountants. This may result in the reassessment of the Zakat payer’s based
on the correct accounting treatments. Examples includes, but are not limited to:
Errors in classifying an item as current or non-current.
Errors in recognizing accounting revenue.
Errors in calculating certain items or transactions in the financial statements.
The aforementioned examples are non-exhaustive and represent some of the errors that
may occur in applying the approved accounting procedures or standards, which may lead the
Authority to correct the treatment of the item or transaction for zakat calculation purposes.
This emphasizes the importance for Zakat payers to verify their compliance with the correct
accounting treatments in accordance with the approved standards.
The Arabic text is the legally binding version. The English translation is provided for guidance only.
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