Does a husband have to pay his wife's zakat?

Her wealth, her zakat

Islam gives women full financial independence. A wife keeps her own income, savings, inheritance and mahr, and her husband has no right to it unless she gives it freely. Because zakat is tied to ownership, each spouse pays on what they own. This also means a husband must support his family from his own money, while a wife's wealth stays hers. See What is mahr and how much should it be?

Paying on her behalf

A husband (or anyone else) can pay zakat for someone else's wealth, as long as:

• she knows and agrees, since zakat needs an intention from the owner or their authorized representative,
• the amount is calculated correctly on her wealth,
• it reaches eligible recipients.

Many couples do this out of love, for example a husband paying the zakat on his wife's jewelry. That's a generous gift, not an obligation. See Do I pay zakat on gold jewelry I wear?

Joint accounts

For joint accounts or shared savings, work out who owns what. If each spouse contributed half, each pays zakat on their half if their total wealth is above the nisab. Couples often find it easier to agree in writing whose money is whose, which also helps with wills and inheritance. See Do I have to follow Islamic inheritance rules in my will?

Zakat al-fitr is different

Zakat al-fitr is due "on every Muslim slave or free, male or female, young or old" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1503). The Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools say a husband pays it for his wife as part of supporting her. The Hanafi school says a wife pays her own, though a husband may pay it for her. See How much is zakat al-fitr and when do I pay it? Also note that a husband can't give his zakat to his wife; see Can a wife give zakat to her husband?