Vacation Leave

Both full-time and part-time employees in Israel are entitled to paid annual leave. Part-time employees receive leave on a pro-rated basis or at 70% of full-time wages. Employees also receive their regular salary during vacation days.

How long an employee has worked at a company determines the minimum required vacation days they’re entitled to. Leave accrual begins after three months of continuous employment with the same employer. Employees working a six-day workweek may qualify for extra vacation days. 

For employees working a standard five-day workweek (excluding weekends, sick days, and public holidays), the minimum entitlements are as follows:

• First five years of employment: 12 days per year

• Sixth year of employment: 14 days

• Seventh year of employment: 15 days

After the seventh year, employees gain one additional vacation day per year of employment, up to 20 days annually.

Sick Leave  

Employees in Israel accrue 1.5 days of sick leave for each full month of employment, up to 90 days. If an illness extends beyond an employee’s accrued sick leave, the Israeli National Insurance Institute (NII) provides compensation for the remaining time off.

Sick leave can only be applied to weekends or holidays if the employee is typically scheduled to work on those days. Employees are also legally permitted to use their sick leave to care for an ill family member. Unless their employment contract specifies otherwise, employees aren’t entitled to financial compensation or reimbursement for unused sick days.

In Israel, employees aren’t paid for the first day of sick leave but receive 50% of their salary for the second and third days and 100% from the fourth day onward. Sick leave costs are shared between employers and social security. To claim sick leave pay, employees must provide a sick leave certificate issued by their HMO or signed by a doctor.

Parental Leave

Israeli parents, including adoptive parents, parents who delivered via surrogate, and same-sex couples, are entitled to statutory parenting leave. All leave must be taken during the birth mother’s period of entitlement. Leave duration differs for birth mothers and other parents. 

Parental leave allowance is determined according to income and associated national insurance payments, up to a maximum of 1,655 ILS per day. The daily entitlement is the higher of the following amount:

• An employee’s income in the three months preceding the end of work divided by 90

• An employee’s income in the six months preceding the end of work divided by 180

Maternity Leave

Pregnant employees must notify their employer by the fifth month of pregnancy. Employers cannot require pregnant employees to work overtime, dismiss them after six months of service, or terminate employment within 60 days of parental leave.

Employees in Israel who give birth are entitled to at least 15 weeks of maternity leave or more, depending on tenure:

• 12+ months with the same employer: 26 weeks, with up to seven weeks available before the due date

• Less than 12 months: 15 weeks, with up to seven weeks available before the due date

Leave may be extended in cases like multiple births or hospitalization, though this extension is unpaid. Employees can extend leave by a quarter of their months of employment (up to 12 months post-birth).

Paternity and Other Types of Parental Leave

Biological Fathers and Same-Sex Partners

Biological fathers and same-sex partners are entitled to at least seven days of leave if the child’s mother qualifies for parental leave. Leave is paid from the national social security in Israel. Leave can be taken:

• With the birth mother: Up to seven days during the birth and postpartum period, deducted from the final week of the mother’s maternity leave

• Replacing the birth mother: After six weeks, the father or partner can take at least seven consecutive days of leave while the mother returns to work

For multiple births, leave may be extended up to five weeks.

Adoptive and Intended Parents

Parental leave is equivalent to maternity leave and applies to adoptive parents of children under 10, parents via surrogacy, and male same-sex couples. Parents may divide their leave, ensuring neither takes less than seven consecutive days at the end of the period while the other parent returns to work. Leave starts when custody of the child is taken.

Leaves of Absence

Other types of common and excused leaves of absence in Israel include: 

• National Service Leave: Employees who miss work due to military service are entitled to receive their full salary through the National Insurance Institute

• Bereavement Leave: Employees with at least three months of service to an employer are entitled to seven days of bereavement leave and their regular salary following the death of an immediate relative