Weekly Salary
Question :

I know that when a person receives income then he has to pay one-fifth of it after expenses for the year. However, if I receive a weekly salary and I pay the khums from it every week, have I paid the obligatory khums for the year?

Answer :

If one pays khums every week from his weekly salary, then he does not have to pay khums at end of the khums year. If he did not do so, as he is permitted to delay the payment of khums until the end of the khums year, then he can pay the khums from the remainder of his earnings after the payment of the yearly expenses.

Calculations of Khums
Question :

I work and I do not know how to pay the khums out of my money. I get £300 every week; do I pay khums every week, every month, or after I pay my expenses?

Answer :

It is obligatory on every duty-bound individual to determine a khums fiscal year and calculate the remaining money after covering his expenses and pay the fifth of the remainder.

Business on Credit
Question :

I have started my business last year on credit basis and by the grace of Allah I have completed one year of business this year. So please tell me how I should calculate khums from business earnings even if I still have debts to clear.

Answer :

With the assumption that you paid khums on the capital money before you used it for the business, at the end of the khums year the debts and all other paid expenses for that year are deducted from the profits, and khums is due on the remaining balance. If the balance is zero or negative, no khums is due for that year.

Khums Calculations
Question :

If I had $1000 at the end of a year after deducting expenses, and I paid khums leaving $800. During the following year, I spent $200 from the $800. By the end of the year, I saved an extra $400 after expenses. Must I pay khums on $200 or $400?

Answer :

Your net wealth is $1000, whereas $800 is the 80% of last year’s net income after khums was paid. This means that your net income for this year is $200 from which you have to pay khums ($40). Therefore, for the next year $960 will be exempted from khums ($800 from the previous year, plus $160 remaining from the current year).

Khums Calculations
Question :

If I have started employment and am earning my own income, how do I give khums? Do I give 20% of my salary each time it enters my bank account? Do I wait a year and then give 20% of what I have left?

Answer :

If the salary payments are deposited in an account in a private or government bank, then it is subject to khums. This also applies to a transfer of the salary payments to an account in a private bank.
If the salary payments are transferred into an account in a government bank, then it not considered owned until it is withdrawn physically and khums is not due before that.
It is obligatory to pay khums at the end of the khums year from what remains after any expenses paid.

Joint Account
Question :

My wife and I are both working. We have a joint current account into which both our salaries are deposited. At the end of the year, a sum remains in the balance. All our expenses are met from this account, and there is no discrimination as to whose money is being utilized. How do we calculate khums that is due?

Answer :

You can calculate the khums of the amount in the bank account by calculating 20% of the remaining balance.

Khums Calculations
Question :

I have recently bought a house. I also have a fixed deposit, plus a sum of US dollars and some gold.
Kindly let me know how to calculate khums I have to pay, if this is the total wealth?

Answer :

If you did not live in the house until after the end of the khums year, then the khums is the fifth of the house’s value. If you lived in the house before the end of the khums year, then the house is not a subject to khums. You should pay khums from your savings and the unused gold.

Never Paid Khums
Question :

I have been working and earning money for some time, but never paid Khums. Is it still obligatory on me to pay Khums on my minor monthly savings at the end of each year? Is it true that I need to fix a date in a year and calculate how much Khums is due on that date every year?

Answer :

Yes, this is true; you should determine the beginning of the Khums year, which is a set date ever year. For the past period in which the Khums has not been paid, you will need to agree with your Marja or his agent on an appropriate set date and to calculate the due Khums accordingly.
Additional to this, you will need to pay the Khums of all unused items in your possession, include money you have in your hands as cash and what you have saved in the bank.
Once the due Khums has been paid, you are left with 80% of the original amount. Khums will not be paid on this 80% remainder again, and you are to calculate the next Khums payment on any further savings at the next set date.

Khums Calculations
Question :

If the value of my debt is greater than the value of my wealth by the end of my khums year, is khums applicable upon me if there was an increase in my wealth from the previous year, but that I still do not have enough to completely pay off the debt from a loan?

Answer :

If you have debts from this present year that remained unpaid at the end of the khums fiscal year, and they are more than the net profit of this current year, then you do not have to pay khums.

Debts and Khums
Question :

Do we have to pay khums on any savings, even if I have a debt which I am paying in weekly or monthly instalments from my savings?

Answer :

If one took a loan for the purposes of spending it for the current year’s expenses, the outstanding balance of the loan at the end of the khums year can be deducted from the total savings. If the debt is greater than all the savings from that year, then there is no khums to pay. If not, the difference is subject to khums.

The Value of an Item
Question :

When calculating the worth of the items that I own for the purposes of establishing the amount of khums due, do I take into consideration its value at the end of the khums year, or the price I paid for it?

Answer :

Khums is payable on those items which have remained unused until the end of the khums year. The amount payable is based on the value at the end of the khums year.

Khums Calculations
Question :

In order to calculate the khums at the end of the fiscal year, do I consider the money or savings which I have earned only a few weeks ago and which have remained unspent?

Answer :

Yes, the unspent savings and monies at the end of the khums year should be considered, whether that money was with you throughout the whole year or you just received it.

Khums Calculations
Question :

At the end of the khums year, I have some unspent savings as well as loans that I have to pay back. Can I deduct the loans from the saving and pay the khums on the remaining balance?

Answer :

Yes, one should pay khums on the savings deducting the amount of the unpaid loan, if the borrowed money was spent to cover the expenses of the past year and not for that of previous years. However, if the loan was spent on expenses of previous years then it should not be deducted.

Khums Calculations
Question :

I have some money in the bank. It has been there for one year. I have access to some of it only. The rest I do not have access to until next year. Do I have to pay khums on the amount that I do not have access to?

Answer :

You should pay the khums on the amount that you do not have access to once you do gain access to it.

The Beginning of the Khums Year
Question :

I started working in December last year, and got my first pay around January this year. I tried saving since then but did not have much and I am not sure if any money remained for a full year or not. I began saving again last year in August and now I do have savings. Shall I consider August as my Khums year-end or January?

Answer :

The beginning of the khums year is the day one makes a profit, even when he was a child. Based on this, it does not matter when you started your work.
Since you do not know this day, you should set the khums year by reconciliation (Musalahah) with the Marja or his agent.

The Price of an Item
Question :

What does one do if he cannot remember the price of a book that he bought? It is been a year and khums is due on it.

Answer :

The khums is payable based on its value on the day khums becomes applicable on it.

Khums Calculations
Question :

A man gave khums from 40,000 Rubles net income one year. During the following year, he spent the remaining amount on his expenses. At the end of that year, he had a net income of 150,000 Rubles. Will khums be liable on the 150,000 Rubles or is 40,000 Rubles exempted from it?

Answer :

There is no khums on the money from which khums was already paid, i.e. the 32,000 Rubles (which is 40,000 minus 8,000 khums). So khums will be paid from 118,000 (which is 150,000 minus 32,000).

Khums Year
Question :

I have been working and I was not able to make any savings from my earning, except that in the month of Dhil-Qa’dah I saved some money and I anticipate saving some money the following months too. Will I pay my religious dues for the Islamic year (Muharram-Dhil-Hijjah) even if I only just started to save some money, or will I pay them when a year passes from obtaining the savings (i.e. next Dhil-Qa’dah)?

Answer :

If the beginning of Muharram is the first day of your khums fiscal year then khums is payable at the end of Dhil-Hijjah, even if you started saving in Dhil-Qa’dah and did not save anything before that.
The khums fiscal year begins when one gains any money in his life, even when he was a child. If you know that day then this is when you pay khums on any profit that remains unspent, even if you received the money days before this date. If you do not know that day exactly, then you should refer to the religious authority, i.e. the marja that you follow or his agents, to determine a day to be the start of your khums fiscal year.

Khums
Question :

If I did not pay khums for some previous years, do I need to pay a fifth or a quarter from this year's income?

Answer :

It is sufficient to pay the fifth in your case.

Khums and Student Loans
Question :

This is my first time paying khums. I have some student loans and other debt from several years ago. When I add all of my savings accounts, stock accounts, retirement accounts, etc, my total surplus income is slightly more than my total debt. Do I pay khums on the difference (the total surplus income minus total debt) or do I pay khums on the total surplus income?

Answer :

If a loan is taken within this khums fiscal year, it can be deducted from the savings of that same year. If the loan was taken in an earlier year, it cannot be deducted from the savings of this year.