Can I pay zakat for my parent who died?

Unpaid zakat is a debt

When a Muslim dies, their debts are paid before the estate is shared out. The Quran repeats this in the inheritance verses:

A woman asked the Prophet ﷺ whether she should perform Hajj for her mother, who had vowed to do it and died first. He said yes, and compared it to paying a debt, adding that Allah is more entitled to have His debt paid (Sahih al-Bukhari 1852). Many scholars apply the same reasoning to zakat. For how the estate is divided, see Do I have to follow Islamic inheritance rules in my will?

What the schools say

• Shafi'i and Hanbali: unpaid zakat must be paid from the estate before inheritance, whether or not your parent left a will.
• Hanafi and Maliki: it is paid from the estate only if your parent asked for it in their will (from up to one third). Otherwise, heirs are strongly encouraged to pay it, but it isn't forced.

If you don't know exact amounts, make a fair estimate for the missed years. The same method helps when you've missed years yourself. See What if I forgot to pay zakat for years?

Paying from your own money

If the estate is small or already shared, you can pay your parent's missed zakat yourself. Scholars agree that giving charity for a deceased Muslim benefits them. A man told the Prophet ﷺ that his mother died suddenly and asked whether she would be rewarded if he gave charity for her, and he said yes (Sahih al-Bukhari 1388). See Can I give charity on behalf of someone who died?

If your parent wasn't Muslim

Many converts have non-Muslim parents. Zakat was never an obligation on them, so there is nothing to pay off. Honour them in other ways: speak well of them, keep their good friendships, and care for your living relatives.