Annual Vacation Days (Chufsha Shnatit)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   In brief

   Every employee in Israel is entitled to at least 12 vacation days per year. Generally, the number depends on various factors: length of service, location of employment, salary, etc. For example, the public sector provides more vacation days, and some companies have no limit on vacation days at all.

   Key rules at a glance:

   • The employer decides when the employee takes vacation, but must consider employee requests and cannot unreasonably refuse.
   • The employer cannot force an employee to use vacation days they have not yet accrued.
   • The employer can set collective vacation (chufsha merukezet) for the entire workplace in advance.
   • Unused days can generally be accumulated for up to 2 additional years, unless the employment contract sets more generous terms.
   • Hourly or daily wage employees are entitled to vacation only after being employed at least 75 continuous days by the same employer.
   • Working youth (bnei noar) are entitled to 18 days per year, regardless of seniority.

   For the government reference guide, see the Ministry of Labor's annual vacation page.

2. 2

   Who is eligible?

   All employees are entitled to annual paid vacation, but the way eligibility is calculated depends on your pay structure:

   Monthly salaried employees — entitled from day one; the number of days accrued increases with your seniority.

   Hourly or daily wage employees — eligible only if:

   • You have worked at least 75 continuous days for the same employer, or
   • You have a written employment contract with the employer for a period longer than 74 continuous days.

   If neither condition is met, you may still be entitled to a temurat chufsha (vacation equivalent payment).

   Working youth (bnei noar) — always entitled to 18 days per year regardless of seniority.

   Important: In every case, eligibility only applies after you have accrued vacation days, and only up to the amount you have accrued.

3. 3

   How many vacation days do you get?

   The number of vacation days depends on:

   • Your seniority (vetek) at the workplace.
   • Your number of workdays per year.
   • The length of your legal relationship with the employer.
   • The number of workdays per week at your workplace (5 vs. 6).

   Tip: Certain sectors (e.g. state service) grant additional entitlements — such as more accrued days per month worked — beyond the statutory minimum.

4. 4

   Who decides when you take vacation?

   In principle, the employer decides when you take vacation — but must consider your requests and give reasonable justification for any refusal.

   When the employer wants to send you on vacation:

   • If the vacation exceeds 7 days brutto (including Friday/Saturday), the employer must notify you at least 2 weeks in advance. Otherwise the days cannot be deducted from your accrued balance.

   When you (the employee) can choose the date and the employer cannot refuse:

   • You may take 1 day at any date of your choice, provided you notify the employer at least 30 days in advance.
   • You may take 1 additional day from the official list of choice days (yamim l'bchirah), again with 30 days' notice (see below).
   • You may take a day off to vote in party primaries elections ("primaries"), with at least 14 days' advance notice.

   Continuous vs. split vacation:

   • In principle, annual vacation should be continuous.
   • With mutual agreement (and approval from the workers' committee, if any exists), it may be split — but at least 7 days must remain continuous.
5. 5

   Choice days — the official list

   As mentioned above, employees are entitled to take up to 2 days per year of their own choice — at least one of them must be from the specific list of dates set in the addendum to the Annual Vacation Law. The list covers religious and national days across all major communities in Israel.

   Jewish dates:

   Fast of Gedaliah; Erev Yom Kippur; Erev Sukkot; Hoshana Rabbah; Sigd (Ethiopian Jewish festival); Fast of the 10th of Tevet; Fast of Esther; Purim; Shushan Purim; Erev Pesach; Erev of the Seventh Day of Pesach; Mimouna; Lag BaOmer; Erev Shavuot; Fast of the 17th of Tammuz; Tisha B'Av; Erev Rosh Hashanah.

   National / secular dates (for all workers):

   International Women's Day; Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah); Israel Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron — the eve of Independence Day); Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day); May 1st (International Workers' Day); Victory Day over Nazi Germany; Herzl Memorial Day; Civilian New Year (Novi God / Sylvester).

   Personal memorial day:

   For fallen IDF soldiers or victims of hostile action — the day is available to close relatives (parents, grandparents, spouse, children, siblings).

   Other communities:

   The addendum also lists specific choice-day dates for the Samaritan, Christian, Muslim, Druze, and Circassian communities — covering major religious festivals, holy nights, and memorial days observed by each. If you belong to one of these communities, check the addendum for your specific eligible dates.

   Important: If a collective agreement (heskem kibutzi) applies at your workplace, it may add additional dates as choice days beyond this statutory list. It's worth checking with your workers' committee or HR.

6. 6

   Days that don't count as vacation days

   The following days are not counted in your vacation balance and cannot be deducted from your accrued days:

   • Reserve military service (Miluim) days.
   • Strike or lockout days (except state service employees).
   • Maternity leave / birth and parenting leave (Chufshat Leidah) days.
   • Advance notice period (Hoda'ah Mukdemet) for dismissal or resignation — the employer cannot require you to use vacation during advance notice.
   • Days you are unable to work due to illness or accident (Yamei Machalah).
   • Mourning days (Yamei Evel) taken for religious or customary reasons.
   • Legal holidays (Dmei Chagim) on which work is prohibited by law.
   • Days off resulting from a collective agreement (heskem kibutzi) or established workplace custom.
   • Election day (Yom HaBchirot LaKnesset) shabaton.

   Example: An employee takes a 14-day vacation that includes 2 public holidays. They are counted as being on vacation for 12 days (not 14). The employer must not deduct the 2 holidays from the accrued vacation balance.

7. 7

   Falling ill during vacation

   If you go on vacation and become ill or are injured in an accident during the vacation:

   • The vacation is paused from the moment of the illness or injury.
   • The days you were sick are not deducted from your vacation balance.
   • Instead, those days are counted as sick days (Yamei Machalah) and you may be entitled to sick pay (Dmei Machalah) for them.

   To document this, you'll typically need a medical certificate covering the days of illness.

8. 8

   Accumulating vacation days

   In principle, you should use your vacation days in the same year they are accrued and are not allowed to accumulate them.

   However, with the employer's agreement, you may use only part of your vacation — but at least 7 days per year — and carry the remainder forward for use in the next 2 years of employment.

   • Employer silence counts as agreement: an employer who does not send you on vacation is treated as having agreed to the accumulation (per Labor Court rulings).
   • If you accumulate more than allowed or don't use the carried-over days within 2 years of the year they were accrued, you may lose entitlement.
   • To make days expire, the employer must prove they gave you the opportunity to take vacation and that you did not use it for reasons within your control.

   Exception — reserve service or state of emergency: If you couldn't use your vacation because of Miluim or an emergency (matzav cherum), you can carry over the unused days for the next 2 years without the employer's agreement.

   Note: The obligation to allow you to take vacation rests on the employer. If the employer prevents you from taking vacation, they cannot later delete accumulated days from your balance.

9. 9

   Redemption of unused vacation days (Pidyon Chufsha)

   When your employment ends, if you have unused vacation days you are entitled to redeem them for a cash payment (Pidyon Chufsha).

   • You can redeem days accrued in the final year of employment plus the 3 preceding years.
   • Calculation: total accrued days from those 3 preceding years + days accrued in your final year, minus days already used during the same period.
   • You are also entitled to redeem days shown on your payslip (tlush sachar), even if those days are beyond the statute-of-limitations period — provided the payslip accurately reflects the balance.

   Important:

   • Pidyon Chufsha cannot be paid during ongoing employment as a substitute for actually taking vacation. Any such payments during employment do not offset your Pidyon entitlement at the end.
   • If your employer waives your work during the advance notice period, advance notice days and vacation days cannot overlap.

   See also our guide on What to pay attention to if you're being dismissed and Severance Pay (Pitzuei Piturim).

10. 10

    Employer duties: register and payslip

    The employer must:

    • Maintain a vacation register (pinkas chufsha) recording all details relating to each employee's annual vacation.
    • Itemise on every payslip (tlush sachar):
      • The number of vacation days used during the pay period.
      • The amount of Dmei Chufsha paid for them.
      • The remaining balance of vacation days.
11. 11

    What if the employer breaches your rights?

    If the employer refuses to pay Dmei Chufsha or won't let you take vacation:

    1. First, notify the employer of your legal entitlement in writing.
    2. If the issue continues, you can file a complaint with the Ministry of Labor's Enforcement Unit.
    3. You may also file a claim with the Labor Court (Beit HaDin LaAvoda) — you can do both simultaneously.

    Important — statute of limitations: Vacation-day claims can only be made for the last 3 full years of employment at the workplace, unless the employment contract specifies otherwise.

    You cannot legally waive your annual vacation entitlement — in whole or in part. If you agreed to waive it (due to misunderstanding or employer pressure), that agreement has no binding force.

12. 12

    Helping organisations

    Government hotlines:

    Organisation	Phone
    Sh'il (Citizens' Advice Service)	118
    Report labour-law violations — Ministry of Labor Enforcement Unit	*2570
    Report workplace discrimination — Equal Employment Opportunities Commission	074-7696565
    Central Government Response Centre	1299