Introduction:

The National Insurance Institute pays families a monthly allowance to assist covering expenses associated with raising children. Parents receiving subsistence benefits are entitled to receive an increased child allowance
A child allowance claim must be submitted within 12 months of the beginning of eligibility (retroactive payment of the allowance will only be provided for the 12 months that preceded submission of the claim)
Click here for the National Insurance Institute's child allowance entitlement calculator
Starting from January 2017 the government will open a personal savings plan for every child eligible for child allowance.
For more information, see the National Insurance Institute's English website

Forms

  • Families living in Israel receive a monthly allowance to assist covering expenses associated with raising children.

Who is Eligible?

  • The allowance is paid for children living in Israel under the age of 18 who are not married.
  • Each of the following are entitled to receive a child allowance:
    • Israeli residents with one or more children.
    • Children who move to Israel without their parents.
    • Those with custody over a child who is not theirs, and who have a guardian appointment order. Those who do not have an order may be appointed to be the child allowance recipient for the child after submitting the proper documentation to a National Insurance Institute branch.
    • Those who are not Israeli residents, but who live in Israel with one or more children, on the condition that they work in Israel as a salaried or self-employed worker for at least 6 months and have a residency and work permit.

Eligibility for Children Living Abroad

  • A child who moves abroad is entitled to continue receiving the allowance for the first 3 months living abroad. Starting from the fourth month living abroad, the child is no longer eligible for the allowance.
  • Upon returning to Israel after living abroad, the National Insurance Institute should be contacted as soon as possible in order to resume payment of the allowance.
  • In certain cases, eligibility continues even after 3 months living abroad. This is the cases if one of the following conditions is met:
  • One of the parents was sent abroad by an Israeli employer and National Insurance contributions and income tax are deducted from his/her wages as legally required.
  • One of the parents is on sabbatical or participating in a continuing education program on behalf of an Israeli employer.
  • One of the parents or children is receiving medical treatment abroad that cannot be provided in Israel. In such a cases, entitlement for the allowance is established following approval from a National Insurance Institute doctor.
  • One of the parents is a local Israeli employee - If the employee is temporarily living abroad and an Israeli delegation/mission there (an official delegation of an Israeli government ministry abroad) has hired him/her as a "local Israeli employee" for temporary employment according to a special contract.
  • For children residing in a country with which Israel has signed a social security convention, entitlement for the allowance will be reviewed according to the conditions of the convention between Israel and the country in which they are residing. For more information, see: [[he:שמירת זכויות בביטוח הלאומי במעבר בין מדינות אמנה|Maintaining Social Security Rights when Moving between Countries that are Convention Signatories].

How to Claim It?

Automatic Payments

  • In most cases, the National Insurance Institute begins paying the allowance automatically according to the information submitted to the hospital.
  • Women giving birth to their first child or intended parents in accordance with The Surrogate Motherhood Agreements Law must provide the hospital with her bank account details or details of her account shared with her spouse.
  • Allowance payments commence after the child is at least 7 days old or the parents have taken the child home from the hospital.

Submitting a Claim

  • In the following cases, the allowance is not paid automatically and a claim must be submitted to the National Insurance Institute:
  • Every child who is born should be registered with the population authority within 30 days of their birth, otherwise the benefit will only be paid for the three months preceding the claim.
  • The claim must be submitted within 12 months from the ate of entitlement (i.e date of birth, immigration to Israel, adoption date or date of entry to Israel.) In cases where the claim is filed after the lapse of 12 months from the date of the entitlement, the pension will be paid only for the 12 months prior to the filling of the claim.
  • For details on the process of filing, see Submitting a Child Allowance Claim.

Allowance

  • A family where both parents are living with their children: The allowance is paid to the Mother, thus the bank account should be in the name of the mother or a joint bank account shared by both parents.
  • Adopted parents: The complete allowance is paid to the adopted parent/s for additional details see Child Allowance for Adoptive parents
  • Families in which the parents are divorced
    • The allowance is paid to the parent who has legal custody of the children.
    • If some children are under the custody of one parent and others under the custody of the other, each parent is entitled to an allowance for the children over which s/he has legal custody.
    • In general, if there is no reason for the National Insurance Institute to think that the mother does not have custody of the children the National Insurance Institute will continue giving the child allowance to the mother after the divorce. When it is not clear which parent has custody of the children, the National Insurance Institute requires proof to verify where the children actually reside. The best form of proof is a judgement from the family or religious court where custody is regulated. In the absence of a judgement (of if the verdict does not address the question of custody,) the parent requesting the benefit must prove by other means that the children reside with them (e.g. affidavits of parents of other relatives, divorce agreements, ect.)
    • In order to receive the allowance, the parent must complete an application form and submit it to a branch of the National Insurance. You can also apply online.
  • Families in where the parents are separated:
    • The allowance is paid to the parent with whom the children reside.
    • If some children are under the custody of one parent and others under the custody of the other, each parent is entitled to an allowance for the children over which she/he has custody.
    • The parents must complete the application form and attach relevant documentation related to matters of custody.
  • Children who are not in their parents custody: The allowance is paid to the legal guardian who has a guardian appointment order from the courts, or to the person whom the National Insurance Institute has appointed to be the allowance recipient for the child (in order to be appointed an allowance recipient, it is necessary to present relevant documentation to the National Insurance Institute, such as approval from a social worker, social services authorities, etc.
  • Same-Sex Couples with the equal authority over the child(they are both legal guardians or adoptive parents) - The partners are able to chose who will received the child benefit. (This choice also has implications on how many Income tax credit points each of the partners receives.) For further details seeChild Allowance for Same Sex Couples.

Changing Payment Details

  • In order to change payment details (bank account details) or the allowance recipient, a Change Request Form must be filled out and submitted to the National Insurance Institute.

Beginning of Allowance Entitlement and Payment

  • For children who are born, make aliyah, or adopted (based on the date of actual placement with the adoptive family) through the 15th of the month - Payment of the allowance will begin from the 1st of the month in which they were born, made aliyah, or were adopted.
  • For children who are born, make aliyah, or adopted (based on the date of actual placement with the adoptive family) from the 16th of the month onward - Payment of the allowance will begin from the 1st of the month following the month in which they were born, made aliyah, or were adopted.

End of Allowance Entitlement and Payment

  • The allowance is paid until the end of the month in which the child turns 18 years old.
  • If a child passes away, payment of the allowance continues for 3 months following the month in which the child passed away.

Child Allowance Rates

Factors Impacting the Allowance Amount

  • The child allowance amount is calculated according to the following components:
    • Number of children in the family
    • Birth dates of the children
    • Entitlement of one of the parents to subsistence benefits from the National Insurance Institute
  • The allowance amount may be calculated using the National Insurance Institute child allowance calculator


Child Allowance Rates for Children Born Before 31.05.2003 (right as of 2018)

Child's place in the family Allowance amount for the child
First child 150 NIS
Second child 189 NIS
Third child 189 NIS
Fourth child 336 NIS
Fifth child and on 354 NIS

Child Allowance Rates for Children Born Starting 01.06.2003 (right as of 2018)

Child's place in the family Allowance amount for the child
First child 150 NIS
Second child 189 NIS
Third child 189 NIS
Fourth child 189 NIS
Fifth child and on 150 NIS

Supplement for Parents Receiving Subsistence Benefits

Please Note

  • The National Insurance Institute is permitted to deduct any outstanding debts owed to it by one of the parents (as the result of over-payment of the allowance or other benefits in the past, or non-payment of National Insurance contributions) from the allowance.
  • Starting from January 2017 the government will open a personal savings plan for every child eligible for a child allowance. For more information see Savings Program for each Child.

Appeals

Government Agencies

Laws and Ordinances

Additional Publications

Credits