Missed Fast (Qada) Calculator

What Is a Qada Fast?

So, what is a qada fast? A qada fast is the later make-up of an obligatory Ramadan fast that could not be kept, or was broken, for a valid reason such as illness, travel or pregnancy. In Islamic jurisprudence, making up a missed Ramadan fast is an obligation. This missed fast calculator — also a qada fast calculator and fasting debt calculator — estimates how many days you owe and helps you plan when to complete them.

How to Calculate Missed Fasts

Wondering how to calculate missed fasts? As a make up fast calculator, the tool counts your missed days for you. There are two ways to use it:

• Year-Based: Choose the year you started fasting and your average number of missed days per Ramadan. The tool multiplies the number of Ramadans by your yearly average and subtracts the days you have already made up.
• Manual Entry: Enter your total missed fasts and how many you have already made up directly.

The remaining number of days is your total fasting debt. Enter a weekly or monthly make-up plan to see how long completion will take and an estimated finish date.

Making the Intention (Niyyah) for a Qada Fast

The intention for a qada fast can be made up to before dawn. It is enough to intend the night before, before the pre-dawn meal (suhoor): "I intend to keep a make-up fast tomorrow." The intention is essentially of the heart; saying it aloud is recommended but not required. Unlike Ramadan itself, make-up and voluntary days have some flexibility in the timing of intention according to different schools.

Can a Make-Up Fast Be Broken?

If a make-up day is broken intentionally, only that day needs to be redone. Importantly, the heavy expiation (kaffarah) required for intentionally breaking a Ramadan day — fasting 60 consecutive days or feeding 60 poor people — does not apply to make-up days. Knowing this difference helps you fulfill religious obligations correctly.

On Which Days Can a Qada Fast Be Kept?

A qada fast can be kept on any day of the year, with two exceptions: it is forbidden on the days of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Outside these days, any day may be chosen. The month of Shaban (just before Ramadan) is especially recommended for making up the days you owe, as it is a time the Prophet was known to fast frequently.

What Is Fidya? Who Can Pay It?

Fidya is a financial alternative for those who permanently lose the ability to fast — for example, the elderly or those with a chronic illness with no hope of recovery. A fidya sufficient to feed one poor person is given for each missed day. The exact amount is set locally and updated each year. Those who are able to make up the days must do so rather than pay fidya; fidya is only for those who genuinely cannot keep them.

Note: Qada and kaffarah (expiation) are different concepts. A qada fast is the day-by-day make-up of fasts missed for a valid excuse. Kaffarah is a heavy penalty for intentionally breaking a Ramadan fast (60 consecutive days, or feeding 60 people). For someone who intentionally breaks a qada fast, only re-doing that day is required, not kaffarah.

Who Needs to Make Up Missed Fasts?

Anyone who reached the age of accountability and then missed Ramadan days for a valid reason carries a make-up obligation. Common situations include:

• Illness: Days missed during a temporary illness are made up once health returns.
• Travel: A traveller may postpone the obligation and complete it later in the year.
• Pregnancy and nursing: Mothers who could not keep some days make them up when they are able.
• Menstruation and postnatal bleeding: These days are always made up later; they are never simply skipped.
• Years before becoming regular: Many people start keeping Ramadan consistently as adults, leaving a debt from earlier years.

In every case the principle is the same: a missed Ramadan day is a debt to be cleared, not a loss. Enter your figures, get a clear total, and work through them at a comfortable pace.

Tips for Completing Your Make-Up Plan

• Use cooler, shorter days: Autumn and winter days are shorter, making the obligation easier to fulfil.
• Pair with recommended days: Mondays and Thursdays, or the white days of each lunar month, are good options.
• Stay consistent: One or two days a week steadily reduces a large debt without strain.
• Finish before next Ramadan: Many scholars recommend clearing the previous year's debt before the next Ramadan begins.

How to Use This Missed Fast Calculator

In Year-Based mode, select the year you started keeping Ramadan and your average missed days per year, then set a weekly make-up plan. In Manual Entry mode, enter your total and a plan (days per week or month). The tool shows your total debt, remaining days and an estimated finish date. This calculation is an estimate and is not a religious ruling; consult a qualified scholar for your specific situation.