Can a company count the aid it distributes to its employees as zakat?

For aid and donations made by a company to be counted as zakat, the following conditions must be met:

• a) The donations must be given with the intention of zakat,

• b) The recipients must be among those who are religiously eligible to receive zakat,

• c) If the company is a corporation, the shareholders must authorize the managers to give zakat on their behalf,

• d) The aid must not be payments such as bonuses or other items that are contractually required to be given.

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu