Unemployment Benefits (Dmei Avtala)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   In brief

   Employees who were dismissed or resigned — including those who worked at two jobs and continued at one of them — and employees placed on unpaid leave (chal"at) at their employer's initiative are entitled, under certain conditions, to unemployment benefits to bridge the period until they find new work.

   • If you worked at two jobs and were dismissed from one, you can claim unemployment benefits for the job you lost while continuing to work at the other.
   • Your benefits will be calculated based on your income from both employers in the 6 months before the dismissal.
   • The salary you continue to receive from the second employer will be deducted from your unemployment benefit amount.
2. 2

   Who is eligible?

   Unemployment benefits are paid to salaried Israeli residents who have stopped working or been placed on unpaid leave, if they meet the following conditions:

   1. You are a salaried Israeli resident who was dismissed, resigned, or placed on unpaid leave (for the minimum required number of days).
   2. You are aged 20–67, though eligibility before age 20 is possible in certain cases (see below).
   3. You have completed the qualifying period (tkufat achshara) during which National Insurance contributions were paid on your behalf:
      • At least 12 months of work out of the 18 months preceding the 1st of the month in which you first registered at the Employment Service office, or
      • At least 12 months of work out of the 18 months preceding the day you stopped working, provided you first registered at the Employment Service office within 3 months of stopping work.

   Working for part of a month (even a single day) counts as a full month when calculating the qualifying period.

   • Self-employed workers and freelancers in certain fields may also be eligible under certain conditions.
   • If you meet the eligibility conditions for an additional National Insurance Institute benefit, you can check whether you can receive both benefits simultaneously using the National Insurance Institute calculator.

   If you do not meet the eligibility conditions for unemployment benefits, you can check your eligibility for an income support/income supplement benefit (gmilat havtachat/hashlamat hachnasa).

   National Insurance Institute calculator — two concurrent benefits
3. 3

   Eligibility before age 20

   You can receive unemployment benefits before age 20 in the following cases:

   • You are a soldier discharged from mandatory military service (not including discharge due to behavioural misconduct).
   • You received an exemption from mandatory service or a deferral for reasons related to health, family, education, security settlement, or national economic needs.
   • You completed 24 months of national-civic service.
   • You are a woman who completed 6 months of national-civic service and married within 30 days of ending that service.
   • You are the sole breadwinner for your family (parents, siblings, spouse), or you have a child and are their primary breadwinner.
4. 4

   Periods during which unemployment benefits are not paid

   You are not entitled to unemployment benefits during any period in which you are entitled to the following payments:

   • Maternity pay (dmei lida)
   • Work-injury pay (dmei pgi'a)
   • Vacation pay (dmei chufsha). If you have unused vacation days and have not received vacation pay for them, those days will be deducted from your unemployment period.
   • Advance notice pay, or pay in lieu of advance notice (for workers dismissed without advance notice).
   • Reserves (miluim) service payments.
   • Special adjustment allowances (dmei histaglut meyuchadim).
5. 5

   How to claim — Registration at the Employment Service

   • Register as a job seeker at the Employment Service office (lishkat hata'asuka).
   • It is recommended to register with the Employment Service immediately after stopping work (even if your entitlement to unemployment benefits begins later, for example in the case of resignation).
   • To shorten the registration process at the Employment Service office, you can complete an initial online registration on the Employment Service website.
   • Alongside registering at the office (and after completing the online initial registration), you can submit your claim to Bituach Leumi.
   • You can also register with the Employment Service and submit a claim to Bituach Leumi using a single combined form in your personal area on the National Identity System.
   • After completing the online registration (via the Employment Service website or the combined form on the National Identity System), you must arrive at the Employment Service office within 14 calendar days.

   Benefit calculation will begin retroactively from the date of your first registration.

   • Unemployment benefits are paid as a daily allowance, conditional on appearing at the Employment Service office on the days and at the times set for job seekers.
   • Appearance at the Employment Service office is not required in the following cases:
     • You are enrolled in vocational training (hachshara miktzo'it) that the Employment Service referred you to, provided you began studying within 12 months of the day you registered at the office as unemployed.
     • You are working in a job where the wage is lower than your unemployment benefit (and you are entitled to a grant for unemployed people working at low wages).
     • Your employer terminated your employment between 20 June and 31 August and is expected to re-employ you at the end of the summer.
   • Each month the Employment Service office or training centre sends Bituach Leumi a confirmation of the number of unemployment days registered for you in the previous month, based on your appearances at the Employment Service or participation in vocational training. Bituach Leumi will pay your unemployment benefits based on this confirmation.

   Combined registration and claim form — National Identity System
6. 6

   Payment date

   • Your first payment will be made shortly after your claim is processed. Subsequent payments will be made around the 12th of each month, for the days you appeared at the Employment Service in the previous month. Payment dates may change around holidays — see the National Insurance Institute benefits payment schedule.
   • If you resigned under circumstances not defined as justified, you will start receiving unemployment benefits only after 90 days from the date you stopped working. You can register at the Employment Service for the first time up to 3 months from the date you stopped working without affecting your qualifying period.

   If you served in the reserves (miluim) during the 90 days after resigning (under circumstances not defined as justified), you will still become entitled to unemployment benefits at the end of the 90-day period. The period during which you receive reserves service pay does not postpone the start of your entitlement.

   • If you refused an offer of suitable work (avoda mata'ima), training, a professional course, or retraining from the Employment Service office, you will start receiving unemployment benefits only after 90 days from the date of refusal, and 30 days will be deducted from the total payment days you are entitled to.

   National Insurance Institute benefits payment schedule
7. 7

   Payment days

   • The number of payment days varies according to the number of days in the month. Unemployment benefits are paid for every day of the week except Saturday (benefits are also paid for Sabbath eves and holidays that do not fall on Saturday).
   • If you appeared during the month on the days and at the times set for you, you will receive unemployment benefits for all possible payment days in that month.
   • In every period of 4 consecutive months, unemployment benefits will not be paid for the first 5 unemployment days. These 5 days are not deducted from the maximum number of days you are entitled to.
   • Bereavement days and sick days: For up to 30 days of illness during your unemployment entitlement period, no unemployment benefits will be paid for the first 2 days of absence, unless the illness lasted at least 12 consecutive days.
8. 8

   Entitlement period

   • The maximum number of days for which unemployment benefits are paid is determined by your age and the number of dependants (spouse and children).
   • You can use the maximum number of days within the 12 months beginning on the 1st of the month in which you first appeared at the Employment Service.
9. 9

   Repeat claim

   • If you have previously received unemployment benefits, you can submit a repeat claim only after 12 months from the start of the previous entitlement period, subject to all eligibility conditions including the qualifying period.
   • If you are a job seeker under age 40, received benefits for the maximum period, and submit a repeat claim before 4 years have elapsed since the start of the previous entitlement period, a partial entitlement will be set for the additional period.
10. 10

    Appeal against a National Insurance Institute decision

    • If you want to appeal a Bituach Leumi decision on eligibility, you must submit the appeal to the Labour Court (beit din la'avoda) within 12 months of the day the decision was communicated to you.
    • You can request free legal assistance in the appeals process from the legal aid offices of the Ministry of Justice.
    • If your claim was rejected, you can in certain cases ask a Claims Committee (va'adat tvi'ot) to review the decision — either instead of appealing to the Labour Court, or before doing so (depending on the outcome of the referral to the committee).
11. 11

    Concessions for women aged 57–67

    • From January 2022, the unemployment benefit entitlement period for women aged 57 and above was extended.
    • For more information and details about the concessions for women according to age, see the National Insurance Institute website.

    National Insurance Institute — concessions for women
12. 12

    Amount of unemployment benefits

    Your unemployment benefits are calculated in income brackets as a percentage of your average daily wage. As your wage increases, the benefit is calculated at a lower percentage.

    The table below applies for 2026:

    Portion of daily wage	Rate for those under age 28	Rate for those aged 28 and over
    Up to ₪207.5	60%	80%
    ₪207.5 – ₪311	40%	50%
    ₪311 – ₪415	35%	45%
    ₪415 – ₪2,075	25%	30%

    Example: A 35-year-old woman with an average daily wage of ₪500:

    • On the first ₪207.5 she receives 80% = ₪166 per day.
    • On ₪207.5–₪311 (₪103.5) she receives 50% = ₪51.75 per day.
    • On ₪311–₪415 (₪104) she receives 45% = ₪46.8 per day.
    • On ₪415–₪500 (₪85) she receives 30% = ₪25.5 per day.
    • Total daily unemployment benefit: ₪290.05.

    National Insurance Institute — unemployment benefit amountsNational Insurance Institute unemployment benefit calculator
13. 13

    Travel abroad

    • If you travel abroad during your unemployment period, you must report your departure date and return date to both the Employment Service and Bituach Leumi.
    • You will not be entitled to unemployment benefits for the time you are abroad.
    • When you return to Israel, you will be able to continue receiving the remaining unemployment days from your entitlement period, subject to appearing at the Employment Service.
14. 14

    Receiving two benefits simultaneously

    • If you meet the eligibility conditions for two benefits, you can check whether you are entitled to receive both simultaneously and under what conditions.
    • Use the National Insurance Institute multiple-benefits calculator to check the possibility of receiving more than one benefit.

    National Insurance Institute calculator — two concurrent benefits
15. 15

    Preserving pension rights

    • A salaried worker who had pension insurance and becomes unemployed may lose their insurance cover and other pension rights as a result of contributions to the pension fund or managers' insurance policy stopping.
    • To avoid losing your insurance cover, you can preserve continuity of pension rights in several ways.
16. 16

    Good to know

    • If you are sent to a job with a wage lower than the unemployment benefits you are entitled to, you can submit a claim for a wage-supplement grant (ma'anak l'hashlamat hasachar).
    • Bituach Leumi may investigate insured persons suspected of fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits, and in certain cases a criminal indictment may be filed.