Q: Is the responsibility of Zakat a strictly individual responsibility or can it be joint say in the case of husbands and wives?
الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومسلما ومنه الصدق والصواب
A: Zakat is strictly a personal obligation. Even in jointly owned wealth the obligation of zakat remains personal. Thus, if a husband and wife jointly own a zakatable asset, zakat will only be payable for each if his/her ownership proportion reaches the level of nisab, either of itself or in conjunction with his/her other zakatable asset/s if any. However, the husband and wife may agree to pay the zakat of each other.