Fidyah in Singapore: S$5 a Day and How to Pay

With SedekahSG, fidyah is a flat S$5 for each fast that needs it, so your total is the number of days × S$5. MUIS’s own published rate is S$4 per day, after it moved the basis from a measure of rice to the cost of one moderate meal; older S$1.40 figures you may still see online are out of date.

1Who needs to pay fidyah in Singapore?

Fidyah is for someone who cannot fast in Ramadan and is unlikely to be able to make up the missed fasts later, for example because of chronic illness or old age.

MUIS's fatwa explanation¹ states: “Fidyah is a religious obligation in the form of compensation that must be fulfilled, normally through providing food to the poor or needy, when someone is unable to fast in Ramadan and unable to make up for the missed fasts due to certain reasons, such as chronic illness, old age, or prolonged health conditions.”

The MUIS factsheet³ sharpens that distinction: it concerns those “who are unlikely to be able to make up the missed fasts (qadha’).” Your reason for missing a fast therefore matters before the arithmetic does.

The scriptural explanation also links the obligation to feeding someone. In Sahih al-Bukhari 4505⁴, Ibn Abbas explains the verse concerning elderly people without the strength to fast: “they should feed one poor person for each day of fasting (instead of fasting).”

If your circumstances are less straightforward, ask your ustaz whether you owe fidyah, a make-up fast (qada), or both.

2Why did MUIS change its rate from S$1.40 to S$4?

MUIS changed the calculation’s basis from a quantity of rice to the cost of a moderate meal. Its announcement² explains: “The new approach moves away from the weight of rice-based system.”

The historical starting point was a staple-food measure. The fatwa page records: “To date, the fidyah and kaffārah rates are calculated based on one mudd (600 grams) of rice, which costs around $1.40.” That passage describes the earlier basis, not the revised payment instruction.

The announcement supplies the timeline: “The revision of the fidyah rate is meant to reflect current prevailing conditions since the previous fidyah rate of S$1.40 was established in 2014.” Reading an older page without its context can therefore produce the wrong calculation.

What research supports the meal-based approach?

MUIS’s fatwa cites an Institute of Policy Studies study of eating-out costs in Singapore. It reports that “a person requires an average of $16.89 per day to purchase complete meals from coffee shops, food stalls and hawker centres in Singapore.”

That daily food budget is background evidence, not the fidyah amount. The same discussion adds: “The study also found that one moderate meal costs an average of $4.” This is the meal figure relevant to the revised approach.

The Fatwa Committee’s conclusion is explicit: “The fidyah and kaffārah rates are $4 based on the average rate for one moderate meal and adjustments in food prices due to the economic conditions.” These are MUIS’s descriptions of the research and its religious decision, rather than a new calculation made by this article.

3How do you calculate your fidyah amount?

Once you have established the number of days requiring fidyah, multiply them by the daily amount. With SedekahSG, fidyah is a flat S$5 per day, so 10 days come to S$50.

MUIS publishes its own rate for its channels. The MUIS announcement² states: “Based on the new calculation methodology, the new fidyah rate is S$4.00 per day.” If you pay through MUIS instead, apply that rate to the same day count.

The following totals are arithmetic examples at SedekahSG’s S$5 per day, not additional categories of religious obligation. Choose the row matching your confirmed days, or apply the same multiplication to another day count.

Keep your day count separate from your payment record. If you are paying for someone else, confirm whose obligation the payment concerns and the days being covered before submitting it. This is a practical record-keeping suggestion, not an additional religious condition.

4What happened during the Ramadan 1447H transition?

The implementation included a temporary transition rather than an indefinite choice between rates.

MUIS’s announcement² states: “This transitional arrangement will remain in effect for one month throughout Ramadan, after which the new rate of S$4.00 will be fully implemented from 1 Syawal 1447H onwards on MUIS and mosque platforms.”

That distinction matters when reading a saved screenshot, forwarded message or older payment explanation. A reference to the transition should not be treated as permission to continue using the historical figure after full implementation.

During that month, people who had planned to pay at the old S$1.40 rate could still do so.

5Can you pay in money, and when can you pay?

Yes: MUIS’s permission for monetary payment predates this revision.

The fatwa page¹ states: “In 1998, the Fatwa Committee issued a fatwa permitting payment of fidyah and kaffārah in monetary form according to contemporary conditions, taking into account the needs of the poor and needy.”

The meal-based calculation therefore does not mean you must personally hand over cooked food when using the official monetary channel. It explains the basis of the amount being collected.

Payment is not confined to Ramadan. The announcement² says: “Fidyah and kafarah can be paid throughout the year as obligations arise.” If you are unsure whether you may pay ahead for days that have not yet been missed, ask your ustaz.

SedekahSGPay fidyah with SedekahSGChoose the number of days you owe and pay online in a few minutes, for yourself or on behalf of a loved one who has passed away.Support now →

6How do you pay fidyah, with SedekahSG or MUIS?

You can pay on SedekahSG’s fidyah page at a flat S$5 per day, or through MUIS’s online channel and mosque self-service kiosks at its published rate.

MUIS’s announcement² identifies “go.gov.sg/pay-fidyah (opens in new tab) for fidyah” and “Self-service kiosks at 51 participating mosques (Refer to Annex B)”.

1. Confirm your obligation. Establish which days require fidyah before entering a payment amount.
2. Choose your route. Use SedekahSG’s fidyah page (S$5 per day), go.gov.sg/pay-fidyah as printed in the MUIS announcement, or a participating mosque’s self-service kiosk.
3. Check your entry. Review the payment category and your day-based calculation before submitting.
4. Keep your confirmation. Save the transaction record alongside your own note of the days covered.

Annex B of the MUIS announcement lists the mosques with kiosks; check it before travelling.

On SedekahSG’s fidyah page, the amount is your number of days × S$5. For questions about how it is distributed, use the SedekahSG contact page.

7How is kafarah different from fidyah?

Kafarah concerns a different obligation. The MUIS factsheet³ describes kafarah as compensation for intentionally violating obligations or oaths in Islam.

For its feeding-payment calculation, the factsheet states: “For kafarah jimak, the payment is equivalent to feeding 60 people, and for kafarah yamin (nazar) the payment is equivalent to feeding 10 people.” The announcement adds: “The kafarah rate has also been streamlined to align with fidyah at S$4.00 per person.”

This table uses MUIS’s S$4 rate; with SedekahSG, fidyah is S$5 per day. The kafarah totals multiply MUIS’s feeding counts by the S$4 rate. This table is not a complete account of kafarah conditions or the order of its forms; ask your ustaz which obligation and form apply before paying.

MUIS lists a separate destination: “go.gov.sg/pay-kafarah (opens in new tab) for kafarah”. Do not use the fidyah day-count table to decide a kafarah payment merely because the unit rates match.

8Will MUIS’s rate change again?

MUIS’s rate may change: it has not announced a next revision date or amount.

The MUIS announcement² states: “MUIS will conduct periodic reviews of the fidyah and kafarah rates to ensure they continue to accurately reflect the true cost of an average meal in Singapore.”

For a future payment, check the published guidance again rather than treating this article’s MUIS figures as permanent. For separate voluntary giving, you can explore food support for madrasah students or water-well and wudu projects. Keep those project decisions distinct from establishing and settling your religious obligation.