Does zakat have to be paid in Ramadan?

No — zakat al-mal is tied to your own wealth's lunar year, not to a particular month, so it becomes due the moment a full hawl passes over wealth that has reached the nisab, whatever month that happens to be, and it must then be paid without delay. Allah says of crops, "and give its due on the day of its harvest" (Quran 6:141), showing that the due date follows the wealth itself. Many Muslims deliberately time their zakat with Ramadan seeking greater reward, which is fine if their hawl genuinely completes then or if they are paying early — but one may not postpone zakat past its due date merely to wait for Ramadan, since delaying an obligation without excuse is sinful. The only zakat actually bound to Ramadan is Zakat al-Fitr, which the Prophet ﷺ made obligatory at the end of the fast.

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