Fatwa ID: 08086

Answered by: Alimah Aisha Quresh Islamic Ruling on Charging a Call-Out Fee for Service Providers

Question:

Assalaamu Alaykum,

I pray you are well and in good health and Iman.

What is the Islamic ruling on charging a call-out fee?

A call-out fee, in this context, refers to a charge applied by service providers, such as electricians, for visiting a customer’s premises to assess a job. For example, as an electrician, I charge a call-out fee to visit the customer and provide a quote for the required work. If the customer accepts the quote, the call-out fee is deducted from the final bill. However, if the customer does not accept the quote, I retain the call-out fee.

I kindly request your guidance on whether this practice is permissible in Islam and the considerations involved. Thank you for your time and for providing clarity on such matters. May Allah bless you for your efforts.

Was salaam

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Walikum Salam,

It is permissible for you to charge a call-out fee for your time and cost as you are not charging for any work you have not completed. Therefore, it is permissible for you to charge this amount and retain the amount as long as this has been made clear to the customer before you go out on the call.

Reference:

Radd al-Muhtar vol. 6 pg. 423 states:

«إذا كانت الزيارة فقط لتقييم العمل ولا يشملها العمل الفعلي، يجوز أخذ أجر على ذلك بشرط أ.»

“If the visit is only to assess the work and does not include the actual work, it is permissible to take a fee for that, on condition that…” (The condition is implied: that this fee is agreed upon beforehand).

Only Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) knows best.

Written by Alimah Aisha Qureshi
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham