Malaysia Zakat fitrah rates for Ramadan 2012

Zakat, or paying alms, is the third of the Five Pillars of Islam, and refers to spending a fixed portion of our wealth for the poor or needy. The payment of zakat is obligatory for all Muslims. There are two main categories of zakat:

• Zakat Fitrah –which is zakat on self (sort of a ‘head tax’) payable by ALL Muslims during the month of Ramadan. In Malaysia, the Zakat Fitrah rate is determined by each state’s Religious Council.
• Zakat on wealth -which comprises all other types of zakat, such as on business, savings, income, crops, livestock, gold, etc. It is payable on wealth that has been held for a period of at least one Islamic (Hijri) year.

The time to pay Zakat Fitrah is during the whole month of Ramadan, up until the morning of Aidil Fitri (before the start of the Aidil Fitri prayer). Muslim public is advised to pay early to avoid last minute rush to pay.

Below are the Zakat Fitrah rates for Ramadan 2012/1433H for each state in Malaysia.

State	Zakat Fitrah Rate (RM)
Kelantan	7.00
Terengganu	4.50, 7.00 and 7.60
Pahang	7.00
Perlis	6.00
Kedah	7.00
Pulau Pinang	7.00
Perak	7.00
Selangor	7.00
Negeri Sembilan	6.50
Melaka	6.50
Johor	5.00 and 8.00
Sarawak	6.50
Sabah	7.00
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan	7.00