Maternity insurance in Israel is designed to guarantee basic conditions for mothers and newborns, and to provide a comprehensive compensation to the mother for loss of income due to pregnancy and childbirth.

Maternity insurance in Israel

Hospitalization subsidy

The payment made by the Caisse d'Assurance Nationale to the hospital for hospitalization expenses related to childbirth. Parents who have had their child born abroad by surrogate motherhood are also entitled to the hospitalization subsidy.

Birth bonus - Maanak Leida - מענק לידה

Paid to the woman after childbirth as a contribution to initial expenses.

The premium is paid in the first month after childbirth into the bank account where family allowances are paid, and on the first birth into the bank account communicated to the hospital.

Applications for hospitalization subsidies and birth grants (as well as family allowances).
Claims are submitted to the National Insurance Fund through the hospital where the birth took place.

The mother must therefore bring her identity card and that of her partner with her to the hospital, and inform the hospital of her bank account number.

January 2019 birth grant amounts in Israel :

• For the first child in the family: 1,778 shekels.
• For the second child in the family: 800 shekels.
• For the third child and each additional child in the family: 533 shekels.
• For twins: 8,888 shekels.
• For triplets: 13,332 shekels.

Childbirth allowance in Israel - Dmei Leida - דמי לידה

They are paid to a working woman who has gone on maternity leave, in the form of a lump-sum payment into her bank account. The purpose of the childbirth allowance is to compensate the mother after childbirth for her loss of income during the period in which she is unable to work due to pregnancy and childbirth..

Who is entitled to a birth grant?

• A salaried or self-employed worker employed in Israel (even if not an Israeli resident).
• A salaried worker employed outside Israel - under certain conditions.
• A woman aged 18 and over undergoing vocational training or rehabilitation - under certain conditions.

Conditions of entitlement to birth grant

• If insurance contributions are paid for the mother 10 months out of 14, or 15 months out of 22 before the "determining date" (the day on which she stopped working during her pregnancy and which ends with the birth) - she is entitled to a birth allowance for a period of 15 weeks.
• If insurance contributions are paid for the mother 6 months out of 14, before the "determining date" (the day on which she stopped working during the pregnancy and which ends with the birth) - she is entitled to a birth allowance for a period of 8 weeks.

These months will be counted as months in which insurance contributions have been paid, provided that they are before "the determining date":

• The months for which the woman worked and received a salary from her employer (including sick leave and vacation pay), or the months for which she had income from self-employment, and for which she paid insurance contributions on her earnings.
• Months for which the woman has received from the National Insurance Fund a birth allowance (for a previous birth), an accident at work allowance, an unemployment allowance, an accident allowance, a pregnancy monitoring allowance or a work incapacity allowance up to 100%.
• Months for which the woman has received vacation bonuses or compensation for annual leave from a supplementary fund.
• The first two months of unpaid leave. (for which the employer must pay insurance contributions).
• The months during which the woman studied as part of a vocational training course, provided she had worked for at least 30 continuous days prior to the "determining date".
• Months of compulsory military service - for a soldier who has interrupted her military service and started working under special conditions.

Working part of a month is considered a full working month.

Amount of birth grant 100% of earnings subject to insurance contributions after deduction of income tax, national insurance contributions and health insurance contributions.

To check your entitlement to childbirth benefit and the amount of childbirth benefit you are entitled to, go to birth grant calculator on the Caisse d'Assurance Nationale website.

Extended maternity leave

The mother is entitled to extend or share her maternity leave following the birth of several embryos (more than one child), or following her hospitalization or that of the newborn child for a period of at least 15 days.

The mother must notify the Caisse d'Assurance Nationale of the extension or sharing as soon as possible.

How can I receive childbirth benefits in Israel if I am an employee?

You must complete application form BL/355 for childbirth allowance and submit it to the branch of the Caisse d'Assurance Nationale nearest to your home.

The form can be picked up at any branch or downloaded from the Caisse d'Assurance Nationale website and sent by post or fax.

An employee can receive the application form from her employer.

Please note that :

• Self-employed workers and salaried workers whose employers have an arrangement with the National Insurance Fund for automatic payment of childbirth allowance do not need to apply.
• A mother who has received unemployment benefit one month before the birth, and a mother who has received pregnancy monitoring benefit one week before the birth, will receive the birth grant automatically and will not need to apply.

A mother who works during her maternity leave is likely to lose her entitlement to childbirth allowance.

Childbirth allowance in Israel for the father

A father is entitled to exchange part of his maternity leave with his wife, 6 weeks after the birth and for a continuous period of at least 21 days, provided that he and his wife have accumulated a period of insurance entitling them to a childbirth allowance.

The BL/360 application form can be downloaded from the Caisse d'Assurance Nationale website. In the case of a mother who is unable to care for her newborn child due to her state of health, her spouse will be able to exchange maternity leave with her at any time, provided he also meets the entitlement conditions.

Payment for a child whose mother has died

In the event of the mother's death during childbirth or in the year following the birth, a special payment will be made for the child, provided that the mother was entitled to a birth grant and/or birth pension and/or birth allowance.

These two types of payments are settled for a child whose mother has died:

Special allowance
Paid to the spouse or guardian for each child born of the same birth and residing in Israel. The pension is paid over 24 months, and in the case of a surviving spouse's allowance, or a dependent's allowance for a child, over 12 months.

Special allowance
Will be paid to the mother's spouse, should he or she stop working after her death to care for the child. An indemnity at a rate of 100% of the spouse's salary for the 3 months preceding the work stoppage. The allowance is paid for a maximum of 14 weeks from the seven days of bereavement, and only if its rate is higher than the special daily pension rate. If an indemnity is paid, the special pension will not be paid.

Participation in the cost of transporting the mother by ambulance

The National Insurance Fund contributes to the cost of transporting the mother to hospital in a Magen David Adom ambulance. Full details are available on the National Insurance Fund website.

Pregnancy monitoring allowance - Shmirat Herayon - שמירת הריון.

It is paid to a working woman who is obliged to interrupt her work during pregnancy because of a medical risk to herself or the fetus - as a result of the pregnancy; or in cases where the working environment endangers the woman or the fetus, and her employer has not found alternative work for her. The allowance is intended to compensate the woman for loss of earnings during pregnancy monitoring.

Conditions of entitlement

• A woman, resident in Israel, employed or self-employed, for whom insurance contributions have been paid for at least 6 out of 14 months prior to the "determining date" (the day she stopped working due to pregnancy monitoring).

Months considered to be months for which insurance contributions have been paid - see "birth allowance".

• She was in a period of pregnancy surveillance according to a medical certificate from a specialist in female diseases and childbirth - minimum 30 continuous days. Should she require an additional period of pregnancy monitoring - a minimum of 14 additional consecutive days for each additional period.
• The Caisse d'Assurance Nationale's medical specialist has authorized the request for pregnancy monitoring.
• If she does not receive payment following pregnancy monitoring by another organization.

Application for pregnancy monitoring allowance

You must submit the BL/330 pregnancy monitoring allowance form to the Caisse d'Assurance Nationale branch near your home. The application form is available at all Caisse d'Assurance Nationale branches and on the Caisse d'Assurance Nationale website.

The form must be accompanied by a medical certificate completed by a doctor specializing in women's diseases and childbirth.

The latest date for submitting the application form, together with the medical certificate, is 12 months from the start of the pregnancy monitoring period.

Payment of supplements to childbirth allowance, pregnancy monitoring allowance, adoption allowance and foster care allowance.l

A salaried employee who has received a childbirth allowance, pregnancy monitoring allowance, adoption allowance or foster care allowance may be entitled to a payment of the additional allowances received if, within 11 months of the first day of entitlement to the childbirth allowance, adoption allowance or foster care allowance, she has received an additional payment from her employer in the form of convalescence allowances, clothing allowances or bonuses exceeding a quarter of her ordinary monthly wage, adoption allowance or pregnancy monitoring allowance, she has received an additional payment from her employer, in the form of convalescence allowances, clothing allowances or bonuses exceeding a quarter of her ordinary monthly salary, or has received additional pay for the period prior to maternity leave.

The father going on maternity leave is entitled to receive supplements to his allowance. In order to verify her entitlement to supplements, the mother must send a request for payment of supplements to the maternity department of the National Insurance Agency nearest to her home, together with a payslip showing the additional payment made.

The application must be sent within 12 months of the start of entitlement to birth grant.