Children

In a family in which the two spouses are living with their children, the allowance is paid to the mother.

Divorced parents - The allowance is paid to the parent who has actual custody of the children.
If some of the children are living with the mother and some are living with the father, each parent is entitled to the allowance for the children in his or her custody, as specified in the court judgment, and each parent must submit a separate application to split the file to the branch of the National Insurance Institute closest to his or her place of residence.

Separated parents -  If some of the children are in the mother’s custody and some are in the father’s custody, the allowance is paid to each parent separately according to the number of children in his or her custody and each parent must submit a separate application to split the file.

Entitlement to the allowance begins from the month in which the claim is submitted.

Residents of Israel who adopt a child are entitled to a child allowance. The allowance is paid once a month, on the 20^th of the month.

The amount of the allowance is determined by the number of children in the family, by their birth dates and by whether or not the family is entitled to a subsistance benefit from the NII. The amount of the allowance is according to these three factors:

If a child is born in – or immigrates to – Israel before the 15^th of the month, the allowance will be paid for that month.
If a child is born in – or immigrates to – Israel on the 16^th of the month or later, the allowance will be paid as of the first of the following month.
Entitlement to the allowance concludes at the end of the month in which the child reaches the age of 18.

The death of a child:
The allowance is paid for a child who lives at least seven days, or was discharged from the hospital.
If a child for whom the allowance was paid dies, entitlement to the allowance will terminate three months from the end of the month in which the child died.

A claim for a child allowance can be submitted in two ways:
1. In the hospital in which the birth occurred.
2. By submitting a personal claim.

If you did not submit the claim for a child allowance in time, the National Insurance Institute is entitled to approve your claim for a retroactive period of time that may not exceed one year prior to submission of the claim.

If the child was born after July 1, 2003, and was not registered in the population registry within 30 days of the date of the birth, the allowance will be paid retroactively for up to 3 months only.

The National Insurance Institute may deduct from the child allowance any debt (such as overpayment of child allowance or other benefits, and insurance contribution debts) owed by the insured or his spouse.

The National Insurance Institute pays a study grant at the beginning of the school year for children between the ages of 6 and 14 whose parents meet the conditions specified below. The grant is deposited in the bank account in which the child allowance is deposited.

Before the start of each school year, the NII publicizes the birth dates of the children who are entitled to the study grant that year.

In a family in which both spouses live with their children, the allowance is paid to the mother, so the allowance is paid into the bank account of the children's mother or the joint account of both parents.

A request to change the place of payment must be submitted to the NII branch closest to the place of residence on the form Application to change the place of payment.

        To clarify the rate of the child allowance to which you are entitled, you can obtain information through the automated telephone response 24 hours a day at 02-6469666.

         Immediately upon returning from abroad after a stay of more than 3 months, or after the end of a period of dispatch or sabbatical, check your entitlement to a child allowance.

Any of the following is entitled to a child allowance:

1.   An Israeli resident who has one child or more.
2.   Someone who is not a resident of Israel, but lives in Israel with one or more of his children, provided that he has been working in Israel as a salaried employee or as a self-employed worker for at least 6 months, and he has a visa from the Ministry of the Interior to live and work in Israel.
3.   A child who immigrated to Israel without his parents.
4.   A person who is caring for a child that is not his own child - provided that he was appointed as guardian or as the recipient of the allowance, and provided that he has been supporting the child for at least 12 months. The allowance is paid as of the 13^th month (after 12 months of support).

Conditions of entitlement for receiving the allowance:

      1.   The child is not yet 18 years of age.
2.   The child is living in Israel.
There is no entitlement to the allowance for a teenage boy or girl who marries.

A person whose life is centered in Israel. Among the criteria for determining residence in this context: permanent place of residence, place at which the family is staying, place of the children's education, main place of work, place of learning.

A child under the age of 18, living in Israel.

A child who lives abroad for over 3 months is not entitled to continue receiving the allowance as of the fourth month of his stay abroad, unless he or his parents meet one of the following conditions: