israeli-unemployment-benefits-navigator

name: israeli-unemployment-benefits-navigator description: "Walk a user through Israeli dmei avtala (דמי אבטלה / unemployment benefits) end to end: check eligibility under the 12-of-18 month qualifying period (tkufat akhshara, or 6-of-18 during Shaagat HaArie chal"t), calculate the 2026 progressive benefit, map max days by age and dependents (50 to 300), warn about the 90-day resignation wait, surface stackable benefits (hashlamat hachnasa, hachshara miktzoit, severance interaction), and generate a Sherut HaTaasuka and Bituach Leumi application checklist. Use when a user asks about dmei avtala, eligibility, how much avtala they will get, how to apply, was laid off, fired, or placed on chal"t in Israel. Do NOT use for other Bituach Leumi programs (israeli-bituach-leumi), net salary (israeli-payroll-calculator), reservist pay (israeli-miluim-manager), aliyah benefits (israeli-aliyah-navigator), or employment contract review." license: MIT allowed-tools: '' compatibility: Works with Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor. Optional pairing with kolzchut MCP for live rule lookups. No network required for standalone calculations.

Israeli Unemployment Benefits Navigator

Problem

Every year, tens of thousands of Israelis lose their job or are placed on unpaid leave (חל"ת) and leave avtala money on the table because the rules are dense, the qualifying period is easy to miscount, and the Bituach Leumi website buries the progressive benefit formula under links. Resigning without knowing about the 90-day waiting period, registering late at Sherut HaTaasuka, or forgetting that only 12 salaried months out of the last 18 qualify, all cost real shekels. A separate set of users miss out on stackable benefits (hashlamat hachnasa for low earners, vocational training stipends, the 2026 שאגת הארי emergency 6-of-18 track) because nobody told them. This skill gives a clear "Am I eligible? How much will I get? What do I do first?" answer in one pass, with a personalized application checklist the user can execute the same day.

All ₪ amounts in this skill are 2026 figures (effective 01.01.2026) and are linked to inflation. They re-link in January 2027. Always cross-check against btl.gov.il/benefits/Unemployment/Pages/hisuv.aspx for the current year before quoting numbers to a user.

Instructions

Step 1: Collect User Inputs

Step 2: Check Eligibility (tkufat akhshara)

Run the eligibility gate in this order. Stop at the first failure and tell the user exactly which rule blocks them.

Under Israeli law, a month with even a single day of salaried work counts as a full qualifying month. Mandatory IDF service, paid parental leave (dmei leda), miluim days, and paid sick leave from the employer all count toward the qualifying period. Osek (self-employed) months do NOT count toward standard akhshara, even if Bituach Leumi was paid.

Self-employed to salaried trap. A frequent rejection: someone closes their osek murshe, becomes a shakhir for 7 to 10 months, then gets fired. They have under 12 qualifying months and are denied. If a user lists recent osek months, count only the salaried months in the 18-month window; if it is under 12, advise waiting until they reach 12 (one extra month of salaried work can flip eligibility).

Step 3: Check Waiting Period (reason for termination)

What "suitable" means (post-2024 BL clarification): salary within 25% of prior wage, commute under 60 minutes (or remote-eligible), profession within one degree of prior role. After day 60 of unemployment, the suitability test relaxes (claimants are expected to broaden their search).

Severance pay (pitzuei piturin) interaction. Legal pitzuim do NOT delay or reduce avtala. Adam meritzon (severance beyond the legal floor, e.g., generous "golden parachute") CAN postpone the start by the equivalent number of months under National Insurance Law s. 174 ("tashlumei avoda"). Ask the user if they received any payment beyond the standard pitzuim formula.

Justified-cause resignation grounds (skip the 90-day wait): documented health deterioration (must be from a rofeh tasukati / occupational physician, not a regular GP), 25%+ unilateral cut in pay over a 6-month window (excluding voluntary bonus reductions), forced relocation, sexual harassment with documented complaint (Tikkun 232 of 2023 shifted some burden of proof onto BL for harassment and wage-delay cases), spouse's job moves to another city, marriage relocation, return from leda when employer refuses to restore the role.

Step 4: Calculate Maximum Benefit Days

Use the age + dependents table. "Dependents" = spouse + children the user supports. A working spouse earning above ~½ the average wage may not count as a tlui (BL evaluates per case).

The maximum days must be used within 12 months from the 1st of the registration month. The special women's track uses 18 months instead of 12.

Step 5: Calculate Daily Benefit Amount

The daily benefit is based on the user's average daily wage over the last 6 full months of work.

Step 5a: Average daily wage

average_daily_wage = (gross salary over last 6 months) / 150

(The divisor is 150, not 180, because Bituach Leumi assumes 25 working days per month * 6 months.)

Step 5b: Apply the progressive formula for 2026

Under 28 years old:

Aged 28 and over:

Sum each bracket contribution to get the gross daily benefit.

Step 5c: Apply the 2026 daily ceilings

• First 125 days of unemployment: maximum ₪550.76 per day
• Days 126-175: maximum ₪367.17 per day
• Days 176+ (women's 300-day track only, ages 57-67 born 1960+): maximum ₪201.03 per day
• Cap whatever the formula produces to these ceilings

For long entitlements (138, 175, 300 days), the average daily benefit drops once the user crosses day 125. Do not multiply the day-1 rate by total max days; project the front portion at the higher ceiling and the tail at the lower ceiling.

Step 5d: Payment cadence (5-weeks-per-month quirk)

Bituach Leumi pays per "reporting weeks" (chodesh dmei avtala = 4 or 5 weeks depending on Sundays in the month), not per calendar month. Roughly four months a year contain a 5-week BL month, producing about 31 paid days. When projecting cash flow for the user, label the figure "approximate monthly" and show daily * 25 as a baseline only.

Step 5e: Deductions

The gross benefit is taxed like income:

• Income tax at the user's marginal rate (often near 0% for low-wage earners after credits/zikui)
• Bituach Leumi: fixed ₪48 per month as of 2026 (effective 01.01.2026; kolzchut.org.il still displays the older ₪32 figure, btl.gov.il is authoritative)
• Mas briut (health tax)

The net amount the user actually receives is the gross benefit minus these deductions. Rule of thumb: low-income claimants net close to 100%, mid-income about 85-90%, high-income (hitting ceilings) about 80-85%. Do not promise the user the gross number as take-home.

Worked example (28+ earner making ₪15,000/month gross):

6-month gross total: 15000 * 6 = 90,000
average_daily_wage: 90000 / 150 = 600

Bracket 1 (up to 207.50): 207.50 * 80% = 166.00
Bracket 2 (207.50 to 311): (311 - 207.50) * 50% = 51.75
Bracket 3 (311 to 415): (415 - 311) * 45% = 46.80
Bracket 4 (415 to 600): (600 - 415) * 30% = 55.50
daily_gross: 166.00 + 51.75 + 46.80 + 55.50 = 320.05

Ceiling check: 320.05 < 550.76 (ok for first 125 days)
Approx monthly gross (25 working days): 320.05 * 25 = 8,001.25
Net (after BL 48, health, marginal tax): typically ~85-90% of gross

Step 6: Generate the Application Checklist

Give the user a personalized, ordered checklist. Each step references a real form or portal.

1. Register online at Sherut HaTaasuka
   URL: https://www.taasuka.gov.il
   - Required within 3 months of last workday
   - Bring: teudat zehut, last 3 payslips, termination letter

2. Visit your local Sherut HaTaasuka branch in person within 14 days
   - The online registration is not valid without this in-person follow-up
   - Bring: original teudat zehut, sefach, all docs from step 1
   - Output: dorsh avoda status, scheduled reporting days

3. File the Bituach Leumi unemployment claim
   URL: https://www.btl.gov.il
   - Unified online form through gov.il national ID login
   - Required: bank details, termination letter, 6 most recent payslips, FORM 126 (annual employer summary, NOT the monthly Form 100), completed Form 1514 from employer
   - If the employer refuses to fill Form 1514: under BL חוזר אבטלה 1342, a tatzhir + 3 payslips + bank statements showing wage transfers can substitute

4. Attend scheduled reporting (harshama) at Sherut HaTaasuka
   - Attend every scheduled meeting or face suspension
   - Apply to the required number of jobs per reporting period
   - Accept "suitable" offers under the 25%/60-min/profession test (relaxes after day 60)

5. Monitor the Bituach Leumi decision
   - First payment typically lands 30-45 days after registration
   - Check decision letter for any denial grounds

6. If denied or underpaid, file an appeal (irur)
   - Step A (informal): write to your local BL branch va'adat tvi'ot within 6 months of the decision, attach new evidence
   - Step B (formal): file at Beit Din Ezorit L'Avoda within 12 months of the original decision
   - If appealing a Va'adat Ararim ruling specifically, the deadline drops to 60 days
   - Free legal aid: Hasneguria HaMishpatit (Public Defender) for low-income claimants

Step 7: Flag Common Denial Risks

Warn the user if any of these apply to their case:

Special Cases

Shaagat HaArie 2026 Emergency Chal"t Regime

Codified in חוק התוכנית לסיוע כלכלי (הוראת שעה) (תעסוקה), התשפ"ו-2026, which passed second and third readings on 4.5.2026 and was published in ספר החוקים 3525. Its companion business-side law (חוק התוכנית לסיוע כלכלי (הוראת שעה) (סיוע לעסקים ולמוסדות ציבור), התשפ"ו-2026) covers business compensation and the 20% employer reservist refund. Applies if the user is on chal"t between 28 Feb 2026 and 14 Apr 2026 (extendable by joint Finance and Labor minister order to 14 May 2026).

Continuous, includes weekends and holidays. The 5-day / 10-day count is calendar-consecutive: Shabbat, חג, and Yom HaAtzmaut all count toward the threshold. Splitting the leave (e.g., 4 days off, work Friday, 4 days off) does NOT aggregate; each block is evaluated independently and must clear the bifurcated minimum on its own.

Retroactive halat reporting allowed. Employers may report chal"t to Bituach Leumi retroactively back to 28.2.2026 once the halat agreement is signed. This matters for employers who placed staff on leave verbally first and only formalized later.

Form 100 is the employer's halat authorization. For dmei avtala purposes, the employer files Form 100 with the exact halat start and end dates; this is the document Bituach Leumi treats as proof the leave was employer-initiated. (Separately, the employee's standalone BL claim still requires Form 126, the annual employer summary, not Form 100. See Gotcha #11.)

Employer-initiated vs employee-initiated. Most halat under this regime is employer-initiated and routine. Employee-initiated halat IS allowed but raises a justification question at BL: a claimant who pushed for the leave themselves without documented cause (medical, family, dependent-care) may be treated as voluntary cessation and pulled into the 90-day waiting period despite the emergency framework. Walk the user through their circumstances carefully.

Working during the halat even partially disqualifies. Even one day of paid work for the halat employer (or any other employer) inside the halat window may void the claim for the entire halat period, not just the day worked. Vacation pay (חופשה בתשלום) and sick pay (דמי מחלה) received during the halat have the same effect: they signal the employment relationship was not actually suspended.

Additional income offsets (not full disqualifiers). Self-employed (עוסק) income or pension payments received during the halat trigger a קיזוז (offset) against the daily benefit, not a hard disqualification. Bituach Leumi applies the standard partial-employment reduction (roughly 75% of the additional gross is deducted from that period's avtala).

Self-employed who is ALSO salaried (חצי-חצי). A claimant who runs an עוסק and draws a regular salary can claim dmei avtala on the salary component only, with a רואה חשבון אישור attesting to income from both sources for the relevant 6-month base period. The osek months still don't count toward akhshara (Gotcha #6 applies), but the salaried portion is paid normally.

Recurring claimants (מובטלים חוזרים). The Shaagat HaArie act extends and eases entitlement for claimants who previously exhausted avtala benefits, including a shortened re-qualifying window and an extension to the 12-month consumption clock for those affected by the war period. Specific extension parameters are set by minister order; check btl.gov.il/StateOfEmergency/ShaagatHari for the current calibration before promising days.

Workers aged 67+ get a special grant, not avtala. Claimants above the avtala age ceiling receive a dedicated emergency grant under the same act in lieu of regular dmei avtala. The grant is one-time, age-conditioned, and filed through the Bituach Leumi Shaagat HaArie portal (not the standard avtala flow). Verify the current amount on the BL emergency page before quoting.

Verify the final extension date and any further parameter changes at btl.gov.il/StateOfEmergency/ShaagatHari/Pages/halat-shaagatHari1.aspx before quoting numbers; the framework was amended multiple times between March and May 2026.

Vocational Training (hachshara miktzoit) During Unemployment

Claimants placed in an approved Sherut HaTaasuka training program (kursim mukarim, maslulei mahalehet) keep receiving avtala throughout the program, and may receive an enhanced stipend (dmei kiyum) in addition. Days spent in training do NOT consume max-days the same way active job-seeking days do, verify with the case worker before assuming.

Refusing an assigned training course is treated like refusing a job offer: 90-day waiting penalty + 30-day deduction. Encourage the user to attend.

Stacking with Hashlamat Hachnasa (Income Supplementation)

Avtala benefits below the household subsistence threshold can be topped up with hashlamat hachnasa for low earners with dependents (especially single parents, families with 3+ children). Typical supplementation is ₪1,500 to ₪2,000 per month. File via Bituach Leumi form 5320. Do not assume this is automatic, the claimant has to apply separately.

Reservists, Returning Israelis, Foreign Treaty Workers

• Laid off during or shortly after long miluim service. Hok Khayalim Meshukhrarim s. 41a forbids dismissal during miluim and 30 days after. The avtala registration window is extended for the miluim period; a hekel mizvad waiver is granted on request.
• Worked abroad recently. If the user worked in a country with a bilateral social-security treaty (US, UK, Germany, France, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Romania, Uruguay, others), foreign months can count toward akhshara via form בל/627. Bring the foreign country's social-insurance statement.
• Foreign workers on permit. Generally not entitled, with narrow exceptions for some Palestinian workers and caregivers.

Maternity Leave Edge Cases

• Months on dmei leda count toward akhshara.
• The 60-day post-leda period is a protected period under Hok Avoda Nashim s. 9. Firing during this window without a Labor Ministry permit is illegal, register as fired AND consider a separate labor-court complaint.
• Extending leda with chofesh lelo tashlum (CHALAT) up to 12 months does not break tkufat akhshara.
• Drawing dmei leda blocks avtala for the leda period; switch carefully when leda ends.

Sickness or Disability During Avtala

• Cannot draw both avtala and dmei machala simultaneously. Report sickness to BL within the reporting cadence; switch to sick-pay status. Some sick days still consume avtala max-days.
• Receiving full nechut klalit (75%+) blocks avtala. Partial disability (under 75%) sometimes allows partial avtala, case by case.

Bundled Resources

References

Scripts

Recommended MCP Servers

If neither MCP is installed, the skill still works from the built-in reference tables, but the user should cross-check numbers against kolzchut.org.il or btl.gov.il before taking action.

Gotchas

1. Confusing qualifying months with calendar months. One day of salaried work in a month counts as a full month. Agents often miscount because they assume 30 days equals 1 month. Use the "any paid day in the month" rule.

2. Telling a resigner they get 90 days of nothing AND 90 fewer days total. The 90-day waiting period blocks payments for 90 calendar days, but does NOT reduce total max days. Refusing a suitable job DOES both: 90 wait + 30-day deduction. Do not conflate them.

3. Mixing up the under-28 and 28+ rate tables. The under-28 rates are significantly lower (60/40/35/25%) than the 28+ rates (80/50/45/30%). Agents often grab the wrong table for a 26-year-old.

4. Ignoring the 3-month registration window AND the 14-day in-person follow-up. Online registration alone is invalid. The user must show up in person at the local Sherut HaTaasuka branch within 14 days. Force-majeure waivers exist (hospitalization, miluim, abroad for emergency).

5. Applying the wrong daily ceiling past day 125. After 125 days, the ceiling drops from ₪550.76 to ₪367.17. Agents keep using the higher number and overstate the back portion of long entitlements.

6. Counting osek (freelance) months as qualifying. Only salaried (shakhir) work counts toward standard akhshara. A year of freelance equals zero qualifying months.

7. Promising the gross amount as net. Benefits are taxable. Take-home is always lower (BL ₪48/month, health tax, income tax at marginal rate). Show gross AND estimated net.

8. Telling someone the BL pays neat calendar months. BL pays per reporting weeks (chodesh dmei avtala). Some months have 5 reporting weeks (about 31 paid days), some have 4 (about 25). Daily * 25 is an approximation, not a guarantee.

9. Quoting 2026 figures past Jan 2027. All ₪ values re-link with inflation each January. Always check btl.gov.il for the current year before stating numbers.

10. Assuming the 90-day clock starts when work ended. It starts on the registration date at Sherut HaTaasuka, calendar days. A delayed registration delays the clock too.

11. Recommending Form 100 instead of Form 126 for the standalone avtala claim. Form 100 is monthly withholding (per payslip). The employee's standalone BL avtala claim needs Form 126 (annual employer summary). Bringing Form 100 alone causes rejection. However, Form 100 plays a different and required role under the Shaagat HaArie chal"t track: the employer files Form 100 with the exact halat start and end dates to authorize the leave for BL purposes. So Form 100 IS the right document on the employer side; it's the wrong document on the claimant side. Don't conflate them.

12. Treating "single parent" as automatic 3+ dependents. This shortcut appears in some BL guidance but the actual tlui count depends on the children supported. A single parent with 1 child counts as 2 tluyim, not 3+. Count actual dependents.

Reference Links

Troubleshooting