Short answer
There is no fixed limit, and any amount given to an eligible person counts. In the Hanafi school it is disliked (makruh) to give one person enough to reach the nisab in one go, unless they are in debt or support a family. Giving enough to spare someone from asking is recommended.
Giving one poor person the value of the nisab (200 dirhams of silver) or more at once is makruh, but the zakat is still valid. A debtor may be given enough to clear his debts, and a person with dependants enough that each one's share stays below the nisab. Giving enough to spare him from asking is mustahabb.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The poor may be given enough to lift them out of need; al-Nawawi preferred a lifetime's sufficiency, such as capital or tools to earn a living.
- Maliki
- A poor person may be given up to a year's sufficiency.
- Hanbali
- A poor person may be given enough for a full year.
Explanation
You may give all your zakat to one eligible person or spread it among many. Both are valid. The question is how much at once, and here the schools take different approaches.
In the Hanafi school a person who owns the nisab beyond his needs counts as well off for zakat purposes. So it is disliked to hand one poor person, in one go, enough to make him own the nisab. The zakat still counts, because he was poor at the moment he received it. The jurists made exceptions:
- A debtor: you may give enough to clear his debts, even if it is a large sum, as long as what is left after the debts stays below the nisab.
- A family: a father of five may be given more, since the money is spread over the household and each share stays below the nisab.
- Giving in stages: you may give again after he has spent what you gave earlier.
The Hanafi books also say it is better to give a poor person enough to spare him from asking people for that day. The Prophet ﷺ said that a man whose property was wiped out by disaster may ask until he gets enough to stand on his feet, which shows the aim of helping someone to a decent living.
The other schools allow larger amounts: a year's needs in the Maliki and Hanbali schools, and in the Shafi'i school even what will make the person self-sufficient for life. A Hanafi wanting to set someone up in a trade can give in stages, or give the tools of the trade as goods. See what zakat can be used for.
The evidence
Quran, Surah At-Tawba 9:60
۞ إِنَّمَا ٱلصَّدَقَٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينِ وَٱلْعَٰمِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَٱلْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَٱلْغَٰرِمِينَ وَفِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ ﴿٦٠﴾
Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.
The verse names who may receive zakat but sets no amount per person.
Sahih Muslim 1044
Sahih... فحلت له المسألة حتى يصيب قواما من عيش ...
"Asking becomes permitted for him until he gets enough to live on."
Aid aims at lifting a person to a decent living.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Zakat, chapter on those to whom zakat may be given. Giving one person 200 dirhams or more is makruh but valid; sparing him from asking is preferred.
- Minhaj al-Talibin, Kitab Qasm al-Sadaqat. The poor are given their sufficiency; al-Nawawi preferred the sufficiency of a normal lifetime.
- al-Mughni, Kitab al-Zakat, on how much a poor person may be given. The Hanbali measure of a year's sufficiency.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.