זכויות העובד הזר בסיעוד - מדריך להורדה ושיתוף עם המטפל/ת

💵 Salary

Minimum Wage (April 2026)

• Monthly: ₪6,443.85 gross
• Daily: ₪257.75
• Hourly: ₪35.40

Allowed Deductions (Maximum)

Your employer may deduct these expenses from your salary in case agreed up in front:

• Health Insurance: Your employer must arrange and pay for your medical insurance. Up to half of the actual cost may be deducted from your salary, and never more than 168.80 NIS per month (2026).
• Food: if your employer provides food and you agreed to it in writing, part of its value may be counted toward your salary. It is not an automatic 10% cash deduction.

Pocket Money (דמי כיס)

Many employers give weekly pocket money of about ₪100/week. This is an advance on your salary, not extra money. It is a common practice but not required by law and part of the overall salary that should be no less than 6,443.85 (April 2026) including the weekly pocket money. Any advance must be recorded and settled in your wage calculation.

🛋️ Weekly Rest Day

• You are entitled to one full rest day per week
• You choose your rest day according to your religion and custom (Friday, Saturday or Sunday), and it must be written in your contract
• The rest day is 25 full hours, on the same day each week

If You Work on Your Rest Day

If your employer asks you to work on your rest day, you must receive:

• You keep your full monthly salary, plus an EXTRA payment of 150% x (daily rate + hourly rate) = 439.74 NIS at the minimum wage (April 2026)

Rest time during the week

According to the Supreme Court ruling, the employee is entitled to rest during the workday, but this rest takes place inside the patient's home while the patient is resting. There is no legal obligation to allow the caregiver to leave the house every day (no legal right for two hours outside the home!). This does not cancel your right to reasonable daily rest and sleep - you cannot be expected to work around the clock.

Religious Holidays

• You are entitled to 9 paid holidays per year
• You can choose: Israeli holidays OR holidays of your religion
• You must tell your employer at the start which holidays you want

If You Work on a Religious Holiday

You keep your full monthly salary, plus an EXTRA 150% payment = 439.74 NIS, paid in the month the holiday occurred.

If the holiday falls on your weekly rest day and you worked - there is no double payment (439.74 NIS in total).

✈️ Annual Vacation

How Many Days?

• Years 1-5: 14 paid vacation days (16 calendar days including weekly rest days)
• Year 6: 16 paid days
• Year 7: 18 paid days
• Year 8: 19 paid days
• Years 9-13: one more day each year, up to 24 paid days from year 14
• Seniority is counted by calendar years (January-December), not from your hire date
• If you worked only part of a year, your days are prorated by the days you actually worked

Important Rules

• You must take at least 7 vacation days each year; with your employer's agreement you can carry the remaining days into the next 2 years
• Unused days are paid only when employment ends - for the current year and up to 3 years back
• Weekly rest days inside your vacation are not counted as vacation days

🏥 Sick Leave

How Many Days?

• You accumulate 1.5 sick days per month
• Maximum: 90 days total

Payment for Sick Days

• Day 1: No payment
• Days 2-3: 50% of daily wage
• Day 4 onwards: 100% of daily wage

🏦 Pension & Severance

Starting from Month 7 - Pension and Severance Payments

After 6 months of work, your employer owes you payments instead of pension insurance:

• 6.5% of your salary - instead of pension insurance
• 6% of your salary - toward severance pay
• A family that employs you directly cannot open a pension fund or deposit this money in a special account ("Pikadon") - that mechanism is only for nursing companies. Instead, your employer pays you this money directly when your employment ends
• If you resign, or are dismissed before one year: you receive 12.5% of your monthly salary for each month, starting from month 7
• If you are dismissed after at least one year, if your employer dies, or if you resign in circumstances that entitle you to severance by law: you receive 8.33% of your monthly salary from your FIRST month (severance), plus 6.5% from month 7

🏖️ Recreation Pay (Dmei Havra'a)

• After 1 year of work, you get recreation pay (dmei havra'a)
• 5 days × 451.50 NIS = 2,257.50 NIS per year (2026 rate)
• The number of days increases with tenure (6 days in years 2-3, 7 days in years 4-10)
• If your employer already paid 2026 recreation pay at the old 418 NIS rate, they owe you the difference

📝 End of Employment

Notice Period

In case of dismissal, below is the advance notice required by law:

• First 6 months: 1 day per month worked
• Months 7-12: 6 days + 2.5 days per extra month
• After 1 year: 1 month notice

In case you decide to resign, below is the advance notice required by law:

• After the first week and through 3 months: 7 days notice
• 4-6 months: 14 days notice
• 7-12 months: 21 days notice
• Above 1 year: 30 days notice

Final Payment (Gmar Heshbon)

When employment ends, you should receive:

• Any unpaid wages or salary differences
• Unused vacation days
• Recreation pay (if not paid)
• Holiday pay (if owed)
• Notice period pay (if not worked)
• Pension/severance payment

Note: unused sick days are usually not paid out.

📋 Your Contract and Insurance

• You must receive a written employment contract in a language you understand, and keep a copy
• Your employer must register you with the National Insurance Institute and pay the contributions - a family employer may NOT deduct this payment from your salary
• If your employer dies, your employment ends with full severance rights
• Live-in caregivers are not entitled to ordinary overtime pay (Supreme Court ruling), but you are entitled to reasonable daily rest and sleep

⚖️ Know Your Rights

📞 Need Help?

If you have problems with your employer, you can contact:

• National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi): *6050
• Population Authority: *3450
• Ministry of Labor: 1-800-354-354

📚 Sources

• Bituach Leumi - minimum wage rates: btl.gov.il – minimum wage
• Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee - 2026 housing deduction update (in force 1.9.2026): knesset.gov.il – press release
• Population & Immigration Authority - rights booklets in your language: gov.il – rights booklets
• Kol-Zchut worker rights encyclopedia (Hebrew) - deductions, rest-day pay, vacation, sick leave, pension replacement: kolzchut.org.il – foreign worker rights
• Bituach Leumi - employing a foreign caregiver in the patient's home: btl.gov.il – foreign caregiver