Can I Deduct up to a Year Worth of Long Term Debt Payments When Calculating Zakat?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaikum.

There seems to be conflicting opinion regarding zakat on long term debt.
On one hand I have found that I can deduct up to a year worth of long term debt payments when calculating zakat but there is a position saying that long term debts are not deductible – only immediate payments are.

I would like to follow the opinion of the first one but feel conflicted, which one is correct?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

I pray this finds you in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.

Both are correct.

Deducting only the immediate, upcoming payment is better for the poor because it enables more zakat to be given. Yet it is also permitted to deduct the entire year’s worth of payments, as this is the original position of the school, in the context of some contemporary nuances.

And Allah knows best.

wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani