Muslim jurists state that the poor person is the one who does not possess enough money to cover his food, dress, accommodation, and whatever he is responsible for without extravagance or niggardliness.
The European Council for Fatwa and Research, states the following: Jurists differ in the description of the poor person that Allah Almighty regards among those who are entitled to receive zakah in His saying, (Sadaqat (zakah ) are for the poor…) (At-Tawbah 9: 60). The acceptable among their sayings is that he is the person who does not possess enough money to cover his food, dress, accommodation, and whatever is necessary to him and to those he is responsible to sustain, without extravagance or niggardliness, like somebody who is in need of ten US dollars but has no more than two or three dollars.
However, we have to say that it is permissible to give zakah to the person whose poverty is evident, and to one who credibly claims to be poor and so is given the zakah, unless his apparent state indicates otherwise.