Content Creator, Affiliate Marketing-Freelancer Must Pay Zakat? This Muhammadiyah Guide

JAKARTA – The growth of the digital economy in Indonesian society has given rise to new sources of income, including the profession of content creators active across various social media platforms.

In response, the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership’s Majelis Tarjih dan Tajdid (Fatwa Council on Jihad and Reform) issued a fatwa on zakat on assets and digital income. It contains guidance on fulfilling zakat obligations for Muslims working in the fields of content creation, affiliate marketing, and digital freelancing.

The Majelis Tarjih dan Tajdid defines digital income zakat as zakat levied on material rewards or financial gains earned by an individual through expertise, services, or creativity on digital platforms. The zakat object includes content creators, affiliate marketers, and digital freelancers.

Content creator income may come from AdSense, sponsorship, endorsements, and audience appreciation (gifts) received by YouTubers, TikTokers, Selebgram, and the like. As for affiliate marketing, it is the commissions earned from promoting other people’s products via digital links. Meanwhile, digital freelancers provide services such as graphic design, programming, article writing, or online consulting, paid through digital payment gateways.

“Secara syariah” - “From a Shariah perspective” - the income from digital professions is categorised as al-māl al-mustafād, i.e., wealth derived from a particular effort or profession. In contemporary ijtiihad (jurisprudence), this income is equated with profession zakat because it stems from the utilisation of energy, mind, and time that yields real economic value,” said the fatwa quoted by the Majelis Tarjih dan Tajdid PP Muhammadiyah, signed by Chair Dr Hamim Ilyas, cited by Republika on Sunday (8/3/2026).