Sick Days

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   In brief

   Sick days are paid absences from work when the employee is ill — their own illness, or, in certain cases, a family member's.

   Key rules at a glance:

   • Employees accrue a minimum of 1.5 sick days per full month of work (18 days per year).
   • Unused days carry forward — up to a 90-day accumulation cap.
   • Standard sick pay tiers: Day 1 = no pay, Days 2–3 = 50%, Day 4 onwards = 100% of regular salary. Many workplaces pay better than this — some from the very first day.
   • Employer accrues days automatically and must itemise sick balance on every payslip.
   • Employer cannot fire you during a paid sick leave.
   • Certain sectors have higher accrual — see below.
2. 2

   Who is eligible?

   All salaried employees in Israel are entitled to accrue and use sick days, from their first day of work.

   Sick pay can also be used when caring for a spouse, parent, or child in certain circumstances.

3. 3

   How sick pay is calculated

   Employees who have accumulated sick days are entitled to sick pay for absences due to illness. These are the statutory minimum tiers:

   Day of absence	Minimum sick pay rate
   Day 1	No pay
   Days 2–3	50% of regular salary
   Day 4 onwards	100% of regular salary

   Each day paid is deducted from your accumulated sick-day balance.

   Many employers pay more than the minimum. Collective agreements and individual employment contracts often provide full pay from the very first day of illness, with no unpaid or half-paid days at all. Check your employment contract or ask HR — the law sets the floor, not the ceiling.

   How sick pay is calculated varies by pay structure — different formulas apply for monthly-salaried, hourly workers with a full weekly schedule, hourly workers with a partial weekly schedule, and workers with multiple jobs.

4. 4

   When you're NOT entitled to sick pay

   Even if you have accumulated sick days, you're not entitled to Dmei Machalah in these cases:

   • Shift workers who had no shift scheduled on the days of absence.
   • Work injury victims during the period they receive Dmei Pgi'ah (injury benefit) from Bituach Leumi.
   • Road-accident victims (unless their employment contract specifies otherwise) — compensation typically comes via the traffic-accident claim system.
   • Anyone who worked at another job during the sick period.
5. 5

   How to claim — the process

   Being absent for illness does not require prior employer approval. Accrual is automatic.

   To receive sick pay you must:

   1. Have accumulated sick days remaining in your balance.
   2. Present the employer with a medical certificate (Ishur Machala) (or the relevant certificate for family-illness cases).

   Payment timing:

   • If you submit the medical certificate at least 7 days before the salary payment date, sick pay is paid on the regular payday.
   • If you submit later, it's paid on the next payday after submission.

   If the employer refuses to pay:

   1. First, notify the employer in writing of your legal entitlement.
   2. If the issue continues, 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.
6. 6

   You cannot be fired during paid sick leave

   It is illegal for an employer to dismiss you on days you're absent due to illness and receiving sick pay.

   Exceptions:

   • The prohibition does not apply to sick absences that don't qualify for sick pay (i.e. once you've used up your accumulated balance).
   • The prohibition does not apply to absences for a family member's illness.

   See also our guide on What to pay attention to if you're being dismissed.

7. 7

   Sectors with better-than-minimum terms

   Some industries have negotiated better sick-day terms through collective agreements or extension orders. If you work in one of these sectors, you accrue more than the statutory minimum:

   Sector	Accrual
   Contract (staffing-company) workers — private sector	2 days/month (24/year), 130-day cap
   Contract workers — public sector	Per law or higher collective agreement at the worksite (whichever is higher)
   Security and guard workers	2 days/month (24/year), 130-day cap
   Event-venue workers (2+ years' seniority)	2 days/month (24/year), 90-day cap
   Event-venue workers (< 2 years)	1.5 days/month, 90-day cap
   Hotel industry (first 12 months)	2 days/month (24/year)
   Hotel industry (13–36 months)	66 days total
   Hotel industry (37–84 months)	110 days total
   Hotel industry (85+ months)	220 days total
   Construction / renovation workers — years 1–2	18 days/year
   Construction / renovation workers — year 3+	25 days/year, 161-day cap
   State employees	Per Civil Service Regulations (Takshir), section 33.2
   Metal, electricity, and electronics industry	Via employer contribution to a sick-day insurance fund

   * This table is not exhaustive. Many individual workplaces — regardless of sector — offer better sick-leave terms than the legal minimum, such as full pay from day one or a higher annual accrual. Always check your own employment contract or collective agreement, and ask HR if you're unsure.

8. 8

   Good to know

   Redemption (Pidyon): Unlike vacation days, unused sick days are NOT redeemable on end of employment — unless your employment contract specifies otherwise. You lose them.

   Tax and social: Dmei Machalah is subject to income tax and Bituach Leumi contributions, counts toward severance pay (Pitzuei Piturim) calculations, and requires pension contributions.

   Sick during vacation: If you fall ill during annual vacation, those days convert to sick days (if you have accumulated sick days AND present a medical certificate). Only the remaining days count against your vacation balance — see our Annual Vacation Days guide for details.

   Ran out of sick days? You can use accumulated vacation days instead (with employer consent — reasonable refusal only). If no vacation left, you can request unpaid leave (chufsha lelo tashlum). Some workplaces allow a "negative sick balance" charged against future accrual — not common.

   Effect on other benefits:

   • Paid sick days accumulate seniority for Dmei Havra'a and toward Severance Pay (capped at 30 days per work year).
   • Paid sick days count as work days for accruing annual vacation.
9. 9

   Frequently asked questions

   How do I know how many sick days I have? Every payslip must itemise your accumulated balance, days used, and remaining days.

   What if I only need to be absent for part of a day? The law does not address partial sick days — case law hasn't clarified this either. Check with your employer or HR on their practice.

   I was fired a year and 2 weeks after starting, but was out a month with illness during that year. Am I entitled to severance pay? Yes. Sick-day absences do not break continuous employment for severance-pay eligibility. Whether you received sick pay or not doesn't matter for continuity — you get severance pay after completing a full work year at the same employer.

   Do sick days count toward severance-pay calculation? Only sick days you were paid for count, and no more than 30 days per work year.

   Can I get sick pay if I'm out of accumulated sick days? No. Once your balance is zero, you can only use vacation days (with employer approval) or take unpaid leave.

10. 10

    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