Five different ways to pay zakat in Singapore

Muslim household heads have to pay zakat (tithe/alms giving) every year during the fasting month, right up to before the Hari Raya prayers at the end of bulan puasa.
The zakat is, of course, one of the five pillars of Islam.
The money is used to help the poor, etc.

Like every year in Singapore, the Mufti of Singapore, Syed Isa Semait - yes, Darul Dollar also has a person called a mufti - will send me a letter to remind me to pay zakat. Even when I was renting out my flat all those years, the Mufti sent me a letter because my address is computerised into the Muis system.
The colourful letter is in Malay and English.
Syed Isa presides over Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura or Muis. See its website - all in English to reflect the main language of all Temasekians, including the fabled 'oppressed Malays'.

Over the years, I have paid my zakat at mosques and suraus in Malaysia and Singapore, and in shopping malls in Malaysia. Face to face through an amil - an official appointed by the religious authorities to accept the zakat.

This year, after receiving the Mufti's letter, I actually read through the details of what's inside (jangan marah ah Pak Mufti, lama saya tak jumpa beliau ni).

The zakat rate in Singapore this year is:
a) S$4.50 (RM10.35) per person based on the price of 2.3kg of rice of normal grade - the type consumed by most people. So if I have 5 people in my family, I pay S$4.50 x 5.
OR
b) S$6.50 (RM14.95) per person based on the price of 2.3kg of rice of a HIGHER GRADE - the type consumed by those with the means to eat better-quality rice.

In Malaysia, I am quite sure, there is only one grade of zakat.
In Singapore, YOU decide whether you want to pay more (if you are earning a higher salary and eat better grade rice), or not.

Additionally, the letter lists the MANY ways to pay zakat in Singapore.

(1) The traditional method of going to a mosque or surau to pay through an official.

(2) Using cheque and mailing it to Muis, ensuring it arrives before Raya. Or pass it to a mosque official at a mosque or surau.

(3) Using the thousands of AXS Stations found all over Singapore. What are these? These 'access'/AXS (get it?) machines look like ATM machines except you can pay all types of bills using it.
Bring, say, your electricity bill, or cable-TV bill, stand in front of these machines, punch numbers, shove the bill into the machine, and then it asks for money!
Either use your Cashcard, or ATM card, or Nets card, or cash, or cheque, and pay.

4) Pay online using eNets Debit - ie you must have an Internet banking account.

5) Using what it calls Fitrah Telepoll, calling in to pay zakat.
Each call you make will debit S$4.50 or S$6.50 per call - there are two different 1900- numbers given for the different rates.
Ie if you have 5 family members, you call five times and the money will be sucked out from your phone credit! Amazing (to a boy who lived in kampung Keramat-Setiawangsa-WangsaMaju like me, anyways).

The Mufti, bless his beard, reminds people to 'pasang niat' (stating your intention in your heart that the funds are for paying zakat) before paying, or making the call, or signing onto the internet banking account!

I have tried (1) of course, I hated using cheques in (2), and I get intimidated by AXS machines (3).
So I tried paying using my internet account (4), since that is how I pay my phone, bill for water-electricity, cable-TV and credit-card bills.
Finished in 10min without leaving my desk.
Though of course not as syiok as going to the mosque, queueing up and paying. Perhaps.

Maybe next year I will try (5).

The letter also teaches us how to calculate paying zakat for our other assets - like savings in the bank, pension funds or gold bars and stocks.

Wanna know more? go to http://www.muis.gov.sg/cms/services/zkt.aspx?id=2232
Brilliant. Takbir!