Who Pays Zakat on a Trust Fund If the Beneficiary Has No Access to It?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

If I am 19 but still do not have access to the money, who is responsible for paying zakat on a trust fund exceeding the nisab amount set up by my mother—me or my mother?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

When it comes to the timing of Zakat on Child Trust Funds (CTFs), a mature child, like in your case, can pay Zakat on these funds annually if you have your own money, even before you have access to the money. However, it is also permissible to delay the payment of Zakat until the funds can be accessed. Once you have access, it will then be necessary to backdate and pay Zakat for the previous years from the time you became mature until you gained access to the funds.

Zakat is obligatory (fard) upon every legally responsible (i.e., a sane adult) Muslim who possesses the nisab (minimum zakatable amount) for one whole lunar year. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha’ Allah.

Related

• Zakat: A Comprehensive SeekersGuidance Reader
• Zakat Guide, Calculator, and Scholarly Advice
• Do I Owe Zakat on Unused Account Funds?

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance? You can choose from the Islamic Studies Curriculum or Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum and progress through each course step by step.

I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.