Unemployment - Maximum period of entitlement

The maximum period for payment of unemployment benefit depends on your age and the number of your dependents (Dependent husband, Dependent wife, children), and it is paid to you within 12 consecutive months from the date on which you registered as seeking employment at the Employment Service Bureau:

The son or daughter of an insured person (including foster child, adopted child and grandchild supported entirely by the insured person, except for a married child) who meets one of the following conditions: *up to age 18; *if completing his studies at a post-elementary educational institution or studying in a framework to complete matriculation exams, or having a learning disability and studying in a framework recognized by the NII– up to age 20; *if in a pre-army IDF framework – up to age 20;* if a volunteer in a framework of public service for up to 12 months and his army service is deferred due to this volunteering – up to age 21; *if serving compulsory service in the IDF – up to age 24; *if serving in the voluntary National Service – up to age 24;*if studying in an "atuda" framework and deferring army service due to studies – up to age 24.

A wife is considered to be dependent on the unemployed man if she meets all the following conditions: a. She has been the wife of the unemployed person for at least a year or has borne him a child; b. She is at least 45 years old or is caring for his child; c. Her income is not over 57% of the average wage.

A husband is considered to be dependent on the unemployed woman is he is at least 70 years old, or if he as at least 50 years old and his income is not over 57% of the average wage.

An unemployed person aged 45 or older, or aged 35 or older who has three dependents - will receive unemployment benefits for a maximum period of 175 days.

An unemployed person aged 35 or older who does not have three dependents , or under the age of 35 who has three dependents - will receive unemployment benefits for a maximum period of 138 days.

An unemployed person at least 28 years of age who has not yet reached the age of 35, who does not have three dependents - will receive unemployment benefits for a maximum period of 100 days.
For those first registering from December 1, 2009 to December 30, 2010, unemployment benefits will be paid for a period of 125 days.

An unemployed person at least 25 years of age who has not yet reached the age of 28, who does not have three dependents - will receive unemployment benefits for a maximum period of 67 days.
For those first registering from December 1, 2009 to December 30, 2010, unemployment benefits will be paid for a period of 97 days.

An unemployed person under the age of 25 who does not have three dependents - will receive unemployment benefits for a maximum period of 50 days.
For those first registering from December 1, 2009 to December 30, 2010, unemployment benefits will be paid for a period of 65 days.

An unemployed person aged 20 years of age who has not yet reached the age of 35, who has three dependents - will receive unemployment benefits for a maximum period of 138 days.

An unemployed person aged 35 or older who has three dependents - will receive unemployment benefits for a maximum period of 175 days.

A discharged soldier or girl who completed a period of volunteering in National Service -  will receive unemployment benefits during the first year of release from compulsory service, for a maximum period of 70 days.

A person entitled to unemployment benefits who is undergoing vocational training, whose education is less than 12 years of schooling, will be entitled to unemployment benefits during his studies, even for the period of time that exceeds the maximum unemployment days due to him, but no more than 138 days.

table - Maximum days of unemployment

A person who was unemployed in a certain year and again became unemployed in the following year – the number of days of entitlement for payment each month in an unemployment year may be affected by the number of unemployment days paid for in the previous year.

Please note:

A person who terminated his employment of his own volition, without justification will only begin to receive unemployment benefit 90 days after the date of termination of the employment.

A person to whom the Employment Service Bureau offered suitable work, which he refused, or a person to whom the Bureau offered training, advanced training or professional retraining, which he refused - will begin to receive unemployment benefit only 90 days after the date of the refusal, each time that he refuses as stated, and 30 days will be deducted from the number of days due to him.

A person who received payment from his employer due to not informing him in time of his dismissal is not entitled to unemployment benefit for the period for which he received this payment.

The work offered is considered to be suitable work if it meets the following conditions: a. It is the type of work at which the unemployed person worked in the three years preceding his unemployment, or any other work suiting his professional training, educational level and condition of health; b. the wages of the work offered are at least equal to the unemployment benefit which would be due to him were he entitled to it; c. the work offered does not require a change in his residence, according to the rules which have been determined. Conditions a and b above do not apply to persons under the age of 35 from the third month of their unemployment onwards, nor do they apply to seasonal workers.