Unemployed
Question :

I am currently unemployed and looking for work. Is khums obligatory on me to pay? Who do I pay it to?

Answer :

Khums is obligatory once a year. It is on what exceeds the expenses during the year. One should refer to an agent of the marji', and determine a fixed yearly time to pay khums after calculating it.

Hajj and Khums
Question :

I work for a retail company in the West, and they pay my wages directly into my bank account. This money has never been withdrawn by me and has sat in my account since it was transferred. I do transfer a part of it into another savings account through the internet every month. After a year of transferring, but never withdrawing and holding the money physically, will this money be subject to Khums, and is Hajj obligatory on me if there is enough in the savings account to cover Hajj costs?

Answer :

If you work in a state establishment and your salary is transferred directly to a state-owned bank, then the laws of khums and Hajj do not apply on the salary. They both apply on amounts that you withdraw from the bank. Both conditions must be present (working for the state and the bank being owned by the state) in order for this ruling to apply.
If one of the two conditions are not fulfilled, like if you work for a private establishment or the amount is transferred to a private bank, or both of them are not present, the regular laws of Khums and Hajj apply. That is, if the amount adds up to what is sufficient to cover the cost of Hajj, it becomes obligatory. Likewise, Khums has to be paid from the unused portion of it at the end of the Khums year.

Khums on Prohibited Expenses
Question :

Is it obligatory to pay khums on what is spent on prohibited expenses, such as paying a barber to shave one's beard?

Answer :

Khums is not obligatory on expenses if they were spent in prohibited ways. However, a believer is expected not to perform any prohibited thing even if he thinks it is small, since it is a disobedience to Almighty Allah.

Khums and Loan
Question :

I have taken some money as a loan from my father and I am using it for my business. Will I need to pay Khums on this?

Answer :

Khums is not obligatory on the loan, it is obligatory on the profits.

Paid Khums
Question :

Do I need to pay Khums on the money for which I have paid last year?

Answer :

It is not obligatory to pay Khums from monies that Khums was paid from in past years.

Khums
Question :

I own some items at home. Do I pay khums on them every year even if I have used them?

Answer :

If they were used, then it is not obligatory to pay khums for them. Otherwise, they are subject to khums once.

Khums on the Remainder
Question :

Regarding khums, suppose I purchase a box of 100 pens from a store. But I only use 20 of those pens in one year. Is there khums due on the remaining 80 pens? Or are they all considered to be "used" as soon as I open the original box from the store? I have a similar question about a notebook. Suppose I buy a notebook with 100 pages and only use 20 of those pages. Is there khums due on the unused paper in that notebook (80 pages) after one year from its purchase? Or is khums no longer due the moment I wrote in one page of the notebook?

Answer :

If what you need can only be obtained in a larger quantity, then khums is not applicable on what remains from that. For example, if you need a notebook of 20 pages, but you could not find a 20-page notebook, and the closest to it is a 100-page notebook, then the unused part of the notebook will not be subject to khums. Similarly, if you need 20 pens, and you can purchase 20 pens without needing to buy 100 pens, then the unused pens will be subject to khums.

Khums on Pention
Question :

I work as an employee in a Government office in India, and some amount from our monthly salary is paid towards a pension fund. This amount remains in their custody and at the disposal of the Government. When the employee retires, the money with interest will be paid back to him. If the employee at some point during his service requires some money from his pension fund, it is paid to him with the condition that he pays it back within a specific timeframe. Now the question is if the employee, during his service period, withdraws some amount from his pension fund account, has he to pay the Khums of this amount immediately considering that it has been there for more than a year? What is the ruling on the amount which he redeposits into this account?

Answer :

Khums does not apply to the portion that the government deducts from the salary of the individual. Khums is applicable on withdrawn amounts at the khums year-end, not immediately. Khums is also applicable on the amount that is redeposited, and is payable when the Khums year ends.

Savings
Question :

I opened a savings account in the bank in my name. This is a family savings account which everyone in my family will contribute to and put money in until it accumulates. Seeing as it is not only my money but belongs to the family, who is it that will have to pay the khums for this?

Answer :

It is obligatory to pay the khums from your own money, not from the money of other people. If the money is mixed with the money of others, it does not affect this obligation, so it is better for each person to keep account of his share.

Khums on Books
Question :

Is there any Khums payable on books given to me by someone as a gift if it stays in my personal library for a period of a year?

Answer :

If you needed them or made use of them even for a short period of time, then khums is not due on them.

Minimum Balance
Question :

My bank has given me the option of free transactions if I maintain a balance of $1500 all the time. Do I have to pay khums on this amount at the end of the khums fiscal year?

Answer :

Khums is payable if the amount was deposited into the account and maintained for one full year.

Business Purposes
Question :

Is there any khums on the money which is deposited into accounts for business purposes?

Answer :

The said money is an income, and it is therefore liable for khums at the year-end in the usual manner, if khums has not already been paid from it.

Khums on Gifts
Question :

Is there any Khums on gifts?

Answer :

If it or some of it remains unused till the khums year-end, then it is subject to khums.

Car as a Gift
Question :

My father bought for me a car as a gift, and he said that he paid khums from the money he used to purchase the car. Does this mean I am exempt from paying khums again on the car?

Answer :

Whether your father paid khums on the money or not, the car is considered as an income for you. However, if you used it for your personal need then khums is not due on it. If you did not use it until the end of your khums year, then it is subject to khums.

The Dawry of the Daughter
Question :

Where we live, it is customary for the parents to begin saving money and collecting the dowry of the daughter, such as jewelry, furniture and utensils, many years before the wedding. Is Khums obligatory on such money and items?

Answer :

The normal rules of Khums still apply in such a case. So, if one purchased the said goods and did not use them for a year, Khums is payable on them. However, if he gave them to his daughter before the end of his khums year, he does not have to pay khums for them. She has to if they remain unused till her khums year-end.

Money from the Parents
Question :

I live with my parents; if my father gives me money and it passes my Khum-year should I take khums out of the remaining money?

Answer :

Yes, it is subject to khums.

Charity
Question :

Every morning, I put certain amount of money in a small box for charity. At the end of a year or so, I give this amount to the needy people. If my Khums date comes before this payment, should I pay khums from this amount also?

Answer :

If you, when you place the monies in the box, intend to remove the amount from your ownership, then you do not need to pay Khums from such amount on the Khums year-end.

Gift or Inheritance
Question :

Prior to the recent death of my Christian grandfather, he gave me $5,000. This would have been money I inherited, but he did not leave it to me in his will, to avoid having to pay taxes to the government on it. Must I pay khums on this money?

Answer :

If your grandfather has given you the mentioned amount of money as a gift while he was alive, then it is an income subject to khums, similar to other earnings. If the money was given to you as a trust that you will own after his death, then it is an inheritance that is not subject to khums.

Lottery and khumus
Question :

If I win a lottery then must I pay Khums from it right after I receive it, or can I spend it for a year and whatever is left after that will be liable for Khums payment?

Answer :

It is obligatory to pay the Khums from what is left at the end of the set khums fiscal year.

Khums on Gold
Question :

According to the edict that I have read, khums is obligatory on coined gold which remains unused for a year. Is khums also obligatory on gold bars? If so, will khums become payable on the annual khums date or after a year from the date of purchase of the gold bar?

Answer :

It is obligatory on every individual to pay the fifth of his/her net profit that remains at the end of the khums year, whether these profits were silver or gold coins, or in the form of bars, and whether the profits were real estates or other kind of assets.