Short answer
Every Muslim who, at dawn on Eid day, owns wealth worth the nisab beyond basic needs must pay it in the Hanafi school, for himself and his young children. A husband does not have to pay for his wife or adult children, though he may with their consent. The other schools make the husband pay for his wife too.
Sadaqat al-fitr is wajib on a free Muslim who, at dawn on Eid al-Fitr, owns the value of the nisab in any wealth beyond basic needs and debts; a year does not need to pass over it. He pays for himself and for his minor children who have no wealth of their own.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- It is due from anyone who has food beyond what he and his dependants need for the day and night of Eid, and he pays for everyone he is obliged to support, including his wife.
- Maliki
- It is due from anyone who has food beyond what he and his dependants need for the day and night of Eid, and he pays for everyone he is obliged to support, including his wife.
- Hanbali
- It is due from anyone who has food beyond what he and his dependants need for the day and night of Eid, and he pays for everyone he is obliged to support, including his wife.
Explanation
In the Hanafi school zakat al-fitr is wajib (necessary, one level below fard); the other schools call it fard. It is due from a Muslim who owns the nisab in value at dawn on Eid day. Two things make it different from the yearly zakat:
- No year has to pass. If you reach the nisab the night before Eid, you pay.
- Any wealth beyond your basic needs counts toward the nisab, even things that carry no yearly zakat, such as an unused extra car or spare property.
Whom you pay for in the Hanafi school:
- Yourself.
- Your children below puberty. If a child has wealth of their own, it may be paid from that. A baby born before dawn on Eid is included; one born after is not.
- Not your wife, adult children or parents, who pay for themselves if they own the nisab. A husband or father may pay for them with their permission, and families usually do.
People who could not fast because of illness or travel still pay, since zakat al-fitr is tied to the day, not to the fasts. Someone who died before dawn on Eid owes nothing.
See how much zakat al-fitr is and when to pay it, or use the zakat al-fitr calculator for your family.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-A'laa 87:14
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ﴿١٤﴾
He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself
Several early scholars connected this verse with zakat al-fitr.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1503
Sahih... على العبد والحر والذكر والأنثى والصغير والكبير من المسلمين ...
"Upon the slave and the free, the male and the female, the young and the old among the Muslims."
Zakat al-fitr is due for every Muslim, children included, paid by whoever is responsible for them.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Zakat, chapter on sadaqat al-fitr. Due on the owner of the nisab beyond needs, for himself and his minor children, not for his wife or adult children.
- Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Zakat, chapter on sadaqat al-fitr. Non-growing wealth beyond needs counts toward this nisab, and no year is required.
- al-Majmu', Kitab Zakat al-Fitr. The Shafi'i rule that it follows the duty of maintenance, including the wife.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. 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.