Can I give zakat to my own children?

Why children are excluded

Zakat is meant to leave your wealth and reach people outside your own responsibility. A parent already has to provide for their children; see Who has to provide for children in Islam? If you paid your child's food or rent from zakat, the money would really be serving your own household, so you'd be both giver and beneficiary.

The Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools all apply the same rule to your direct line in both directions: children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents. See Can I give zakat to my parents or siblings?

Spending on family is still rewarded

Islam doesn't treat money spent at home as second-best. The Quran names parents and relatives first when it talks about spending:

So feeding, clothing and educating your children counts as charity in its own right. It just doesn't replace the zakat you owe others.

Adult children who are struggling

What if your grown-up son is unemployed or your married daughter is in debt? Most scholars still say no, because the parent-child line is excluded regardless of age. Some, including Ibn Taymiyyah, allowed zakat to an adult child for a need the parent isn't obliged to cover, such as a debt, when the parent can't help from other funds. It's a minority view; ask a scholar before relying on it.

Voluntary sadaqah, on the other hand, can go to your children freely. Ma'n ibn Yazid's father left charity with a man in the mosque, and Ma'n ended up taking it. The Prophet ﷺ said the father had what he intended and the son had what he took (Sahih al-Bukhari 1422).

What about my children's own zakat?

If your child owns wealth above nisab, such as savings or an inheritance in their name, many scholars say zakat is due on it and the guardian pays it. See Do children have to pay zakat?