Congratulations, your family is expanding! Familiarize yourself with the rights that mothers and fathers are entitled to during the period of pregnancy and childbirth
A new baby comes with many obligations but also comes with many rights from the state. It is worthwhile to get information about how to interact with the medical system and with your workplace at all stages of family planning, during fertility treatments, nine months of pregnancy, birth and maternity leave.
We are here to help you make sense of the many rights and procedures - because if you aren't sleeping at night, it should only be because the baby is teething.
Medical Rights Prior to Pregnancy
Medical Rights Prior to Childbirth
Medical Rights After Childbirth
Employment Rights During Pregnancy/Fertility Treatment
- Sick Days For Fertility Treatment
- Prohibition of Firing an Employee Undergoing Fertility Treatment
- Prohibition of Firing a Soldier in Regular Service who is undergoing Fertility Treatments
- Informing the Employer about the Pregnancy
- Prohibition of Discrimination Against a Pregnant Employee
- Prohibition of Firing a Pregnant Employee
- Prohibition of Firing a Pregnant Soldier
- Prohibition of Employment Discrimination in Jobs one is sent to by the Unemployment Office
- Work Restrictions for Pregnant Women
- High-Risk Pregnancy Employment Rights
- Bed Rest Benefit
- Unpaid leave for a pregnant employee who is absent from work due to the type of work, the location, or expected manner of performance
- Pension and Provident Fund Contributions While on Bed Rest
- Prohibition of Changing the Position or Salary of a Pregnant Employee
- Absence from Work Due to Routine Pregnancy Tests
- Sick Days Due to a Spouse's Pregnancy or Childbirth
- Payment for Work Absences for a Pregnant Government Employee
Employment Rights During Maternity Leave
- Maternity Leave
- Maternity Leave for the Spouse of a Woman who Gives Birth
- Additional Maternity Leave for the Spouse of a Woman who had a Multiple Birth
- Maternity Leave for a Disabled Woman
- Temporarily Discontinuing Maternity Leave Due to Hospitalization of the Mother or Newborn
- Extending Maternity Leave Due to Hospitalization of the Mother or Newborn
- Spouse's Absence from Work Due to Hospitalization of a New Mother (Unpaid Leave)
- Pension and Advanced Study Fund Contributions During Maternity Leave
- Prohibition of Firing an Employee on Maternity Leave
- Prohibition of Firing a Soldier During Maternity Leave and After
- Sick Days Due to a Spouse's Pregnancy or Childbirth
- Fathers' Leave after birth
Employment Rights After Maternity Leave
- Limitation of Work Hours Following Maternity Leave
- Prohibition of Changing the Position or Salary of an Employee During and After Maternity Leave
- Prohibition of Firing an Employee Following Maternity Leave
- Return after Maternity Leave to the same position with the same conditions
- Nursing Time at Work (Parenting Hour)
- Absence of an employee because of Reserve Duty of his/her spouse
- Unpaid Leave Following Maternity Leave
- Resignation in Order to Care for a Child
- Rights of Breastfeeding Women
- Shortened Workdays in August and September for Parents who are Government Employees
- Special Vacation Day in August and September for Parents who are Government Employees
- Shortened Workdays for Parents who are Government Employees
Payments and Allowances
- Maternity Grant
- Maternity Grant for victims of violence that are single parents
- Maternity Allowance (Maternity Pay)
- Maternity Allowance for the spouse
- Maternity Allowance for a Released Soldier who has begun Working
- Maternity Allowance for those who have completed National Service and began Working
- Childbirth Allowance
- Child Allowance for a woman with disability who is a single parent
- Special Allowance for a spouse whose wife has a disability
- Monthly Allowance and Benefit when the mother has passed away
- Child Allowance
- Bed Rest Benefit
- Payments in Addition to Maternity Allowance, Bed-Rest Benefit, Adoption Allowance or Fostering Allowance
- Payment to Teaching Staff for Vacations in Addition to Maternity Pay
- Provision of Benefits to those whose claims were rejected
- Receiving Income Support without Going to an Employment Office
- Severance Pay without a Waiting Period
- Payment for Hospitalization Expenses (Hospitalization Grant)
Rights and Financial Benefits
- Exemption from paying hospital parking fees for parents of hospitalized premature infants
- Savings Plan for each Child
- Convalescence Pay from the Health Funds
- Income Tax Credit Points for Parents of Toddlers (under age 6)
- Income Tax Credit Points for Parents of Children Under Age 5
- Income Tax Credit Points for Parents of Children Under Age 18
- Small Gifts - Gift Cards from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to mothers receiving income support
- Assistance in paying for childcare for working mothers
- Financial Support for Pregnant Olim (Immigrants)
Higher Education
Army Service
- Maternity Grant for Soldiers in Compulsory Service
- Granting leave to a Reservist Soldier who's spouse is the ninth month of pregnancy
- Granting leave to a Reservist Soldier who's spouse is on bed-rest
- Exemption from Reserve Duty due to the Birth of a Child
- Freezing reserve duty for a solider on maternity leave
- Releasing a reservist from duty who has triplets or more
- Hour of absence for the spouse of someone who is a Reservist Soldier
- Mahut - The Center for Assistance and Treatment of Soldiers in Unplanned Pregnancy
Foreign Workers
- Rights of Foreign Workers During Pregnancy and After Birth
- Absence from Work for a Foreign Worker During Pregnancy
- Coverage of Hospital Expenses for a Foreign Worker to Give Birth (Hospitalization Grant)
- Maternity Grant for a Foreign Worker
- Childbirth Allowance for a Foreign Worker who Gave Birth to 3 or More Children at the Same Time
- Maternity Leave for a Foreign Worker
- Unpaid Leave Following Maternity Leave for Foreign Workers
- Living and Working in Israel as Foreign Worker After Giving Birth
- Child Allowance for Foreign Workers
Additional Rights
Termination of Pregnancy
Rights and Guides
Aid organizations
- List of Organizations that Aid with Pregnancy and Birth
- General List of Health Aid Organizations
- Employment and Employee Rights Aid Organizations
Government agencies
Court Rulings
- Paying a employee her wage due to absence from work due to amniocentesis test
- Employees pregnancy benefit returning to work from maternity leave will be calculated on the basis of the usual wage earned has it not been for a vacation.
- It is prohibited to refuse hiring someone solely because she is pregnant
- It is prohibited to discriminate against an employee due to personal status
- Prohibition of Discrimination Against a Pregnant Employee
- A woman is not obligated to inform that she is pregnant during the hiring process
- Firing a pregnant employee shortly before she has been working for 6 months
- Layoffs due to downsizing does not ease regulations regarding the firing of pregnant women
- It is prohibited to discriminate against single women undergoing artificial insemination
- Commissions are considered part of the salary for the purpose of calculating maternity pay
- Prohibition to discriminate against a woman on maternity leave when giving holiday gifts
- Compensation of NIS 57,000 for an employee who was fired after her return from maternity leave because her replacement was preferred over her
- A worker after maternity leave must be allowed to return to work in practice, and her working days can not be redeemed for money
- Firing of a worker, 60 days after she returned from maternity leave is considered against the laws
- Failure to allow a woman to return to the same work, under the same conditions after her maternity leave is considered to be dismissal without cause
- A Transgender Man who gave Birth is Permitted to Remain Registered as a Man in the Population Registry
Laws & Regulations
- The National Health Insurance Law
- The National Insurance Law - Section C: Maternity Insurance
- The Employment of Women Law
- The Equal Employment Opportunities Law
- The Israel Defense Forces Career Service Law (Regular Service Female Soldiers)
- Public Health Regulations (Sperm Bank), 5739-1979 (on the Nevo website)
- Public Health Regulations (In Vitro Fertilization), 5747-1987 (on the Nevo website)
Credits
- Original translation performed by The Shira Pransky Project as part of a grant from The Fellowship Fund.