Can Amil Receive a Larger Portion of Zakat Funds Than Other Asnaf Such as the Poor?

JAKARTA — A member of the National Sharia Board of the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), Ustadz Oni Sahroni, has clarified that the portion of zakat funds that amil (zakat administrators) can receive has a maximum limit of 12.5 per cent of total collections. This explanation was provided following a narrative suggesting that the amount of zakat taken by amil should not exceed that of other asnaf (recipient categories).

According to Ustadz Oni, this provision refers to the distribution of zakat to eight categories of recipients (asnaf), of which amil is one party entitled to receive a share of zakat funds.

“The maximum is 12.5 per cent of total collections,” Ustadz Oni told Republika on Thursday, 12 March 2026, when asked to clarify the proportion of amil in zakat management.

He added that in licensed zakat organisations under supervision, there are typically clear policies and governance structures regarding the use of these funds. Such policies aim to ensure the operational needs of the organisation are met without violating Sharia provisions concerning amil’s rights.

“In licensed and supervised zakat organisations, there are usually policies and governance structures to ensure operational needs are met whilst still complying with provisions on amil’s rights,” he explained.

Previously, the financial reports of the National Zakat Amil Board (Baznas) for the periods ending 31 December 2024 and 2023 attracted attention on social media platform X.

The reports revealed that the allocation for amil amounted to IDR 83,165,311,532 in 2023, whilst the poor and destitute received IDR 55,554,330,122 and IDR 350,909,004 respectively. In 2024, the allocation for amil was IDR 107,658,965,760, whilst the poor and destitute received IDR 63,814,338,121 and IDR 1,544,478,794 respectively.