Q. Could you please let me know which is the best day in Ramadan to pay out one’s zakah?
C. Fazeela
A. There is no such a thing as the best day for the payment of zakah. Zakah is a duty which falls due on the same day every year, and it is a different day for everyone. A person becomes a zakah payer on the day he or she owns the equivalent of the threshold of zakah, which is 85 grams of gold. A person should mark that day, and every year he should calculate what he owns and if it remains over the threshold of zakah, he should pay zakah at the suitable rate, which is normally 2.5 percent.
Most people prefer to pay out their zakah in Ramadan, because good actions done in this blessed month are rewarded more generously by God. This is perfectly acceptable. You can choose to pay out your zakah in Ramadan, even though it is not yet due. In this case you pay it in advance, which is perfectly acceptable. However, you should not delay the payment of your zakah beyond its due date without good reason. If you are supporting a family or a person throughout the year, you may set your zakah liability, or a portion of it, aside, and pay the beneficiary regular installments. However, putting it aside is important, so that it is marked out as no longer belonging to you, but to its beneficiaries.