Maternity

The hospitalization expenses for childbirth are paid directly to the hospital by the National Insurance Institute, for women who are also eligible for a birth grant. The hospitalization grant is a uniform payment and the amount is determined in the regulations.

A birth grant is a payment made to a new mother to cover some of the initial expenses of the birth.

A mother who gives birth to three or more children in one birth is also entitled to a childbirth allowance, provided that 30 days after the birth at least three of the infants have survived.
The mother is entitled to a childbirth allowance if she is entitled to a birth grant. If the mother did not survive, her spouse or the guardian of the children is entitled to the childbirth allowance. 

If a woman dies in childbirth or within a year from the date of the birth, a special payment will be made for the newborn, provided that the deceased mother was entitled to a birth grant and/or a maternity allowance.

Benefit paid to a working woman who is compelled to be absent from work during pregnancy due to medical risk to her or to the fetus - stemming from the pregnancy.

 A maternity allowance is paid to a working woman who goes on maternity leave. The maternity allowance is designed to compensate the new mother for the loss of her salary or income during the time she is not working, due to the pregnancy and birth.
As of May 1, 1998, a father is entitled to replace his spouse during part of the maternity leave and to receive a paternity allowance as prescribed by law.

A woman who is a salaried employee, who received a maternity allowance, risk pregnancy benefit or adoption benefit may be entitled to the payment of differentials on the benefits that she received.

Who is entitled?
A woman who, within 12 months of the first date of titlement to a maternity allowance, adoption benefit or risk pregnancy benefit received differentials or additional payment from her employer (such as vacation pay, clothing allowance or a bonus) which exceeds one quarter of her regular monthly salary. A father who takes maternity leave is also entitled to payment of the differentials on the benefits.

How is your entitlement checked?
To check your entitlement to the differentials, send a letter requesting the differentials to the Maternity Department at the National Insurance Institute branch closest to your place of residence, along with your salary slip showing the additional payment that was made.

The request can be sent by mail or placed in the service box outside the branch.

Under the law, an Israeli resident who adopts one or more children up to the age of 10 is entitled to receive the same allowances and benefits given to a new mother who has given birth. The purpose of the law is to ensure the parent and child proper conditions and to compensate the parent for the loss of income due to the adoption.

As of March 16, 2008, the National Insurance Institute pays the cost of transporting a woman in labor to the hospital by Magen David Adom ambulance, provided that she is transported to the hospital closest to her location and that the birth occurs at that hospital within 3 days of the trip.

The National Insurance Institute pays Magen David Adom directly and the new mother is exempt from payment.

The National Insurance Institute may give equity grants - according to criteria, rules and amounts determined in the regulations - to a self-employed worker whose claim for a maternity allowance or risk pregnancy benefit was rejected due to arrears in payment of insurance contributions, and to a woman whose claim for a birth grant was rejected because she was not hospitalized for the birth.

The equity grant will be given instead of the risk pregnancy benefit or the maternity allowance or the birth grant, and eligibility will be examined according to the principles of equity determined in the regulations. For the application form - click here.

An Israeli resident or the wife of an Israeli resident who gives birth abroad is entitled to a hospitalization grant and a birth grant.
An Israeli resident who gave birth abroad is entitled to a birth grant if she is an employee who is employed outside Israel, provided that she and her employer are Israeli residents and her employment contract is connected with Israel or she is a local Israeli worker. 

A woman whose baby died after the 26^th week of pregnancy is entitled to a hospitalization grant, a birth grant and a maternity allowance, just as a woman who gives birth to a live infant, according to all the rules prescribed by law.