General Disability Allowance in Israel (2026): who qualifies, how much and how to apply

Who qualifies

Israeli residents aged 18 to retirement age who meet all of these conditions:

• A medical disability of at least 60% has been set. With several impairments where one is at least 25%, 40% is enough.
• Because of the impairment they cannot work, or their earning capacity has dropped by 50% or more.
• For 90 consecutive days in the 15 months before the claim they had no income from work, or it did not exceed ₪8,261 a month (2026).

Special cases

• Homemakers: a medical disability of at least 50% and at least a 50% loss of the ability to run the household.
• New immigrants: you can apply 9 months after aliyah, and the allowance can start 12 months after aliyah.

How much is paid

If you have a spouse or children, a dependants' supplement may also be paid. Work out the amount, including the effect of earnings, with the disability pension calculator. Your spouse's income does not affect the entitlement itself, only the supplement.

How to apply

1. File a claim with Bituach Leumi, online or at a branch.
2. Attach medical documents for every impairment, not just the main one. Several impairments together can raise the disability percentage.
3. Attend the medical committee, which sets your medical disability percentage.
4. The claims officer sets your degree of incapacity, and the decision arrives by post.

If you disagree with the decision

• You can appeal a medical committee decision within 60 days.
• You can appeal the degree of incapacity within 60 days if it is 74% or less, or if you were found not to have lost earning capacity. Other decisions, such as on income or work periods, go to the Labour Court within 12 months.
• You can file a new claim after 6 months, or at any time if your health has worsened.

Help with applying: free and paid

Bituach Leumi runs Yad Mechavenet: free advice and preparation for medical committees, phone *2496.

If you use a rights company or a lawyer, the law caps their fee. A company may charge up to 11.25% of the allowance for the first 60 months plus a file-opening fee of up to ₪961 (2026). A lawyer who represents you at the medical committee may charge up to 13.75% plus the file-opening fee. VAT is added to all amounts, and apart from the file-opening fee you pay only if the claim succeeds.

Good to know

• Claiming from Bituach Leumi does not stop you claiming from a private insurer under a loss-of-working-capacity policy. Check whether you have one.
• While the allowance is pending, check whether you qualify for income support.
• If you start working, the allowance continues according to your income, and income plus allowance is always more than the allowance alone.
• People who receive the disability allowance until retirement age later receive an old-age pension no lower than their disability allowance.

Frequently asked questions

Calculators for this topic

• Disability pension calculator

  The pension by degree of incapacity, dependants' supplements and the effect of earnings.

• Disability percentage calculator

  Combines impairments like a medical committee and checks the thresholds for disability benefits and tax relief.

Worth checking too

• Preparing for a medical committee

  What to prepare, what happens in the room, expense refunds and appeal deadlines. Most health-related benefits go through the committee.

• Appealing a Bituach Leumi decision

  Where to file and how fast: appeals committee, advisory committee, claims committee or Labour Court — depending on the decision.

• Disability discounts and benefits

  What you get on top of the pension: discounts on transport, at your health fund, on arnona, water and electricity, at banks and on taxes — by percentage and benefit.

• Attendance Allowance

  For people aged 18 to retirement age who need a lot of help from another person with daily activities, or supervision. ₪1,943–₪9,126 a month.

• Income Support

  A benefit from age 20 for people with no income or low income. Paid only from the month you apply, so do not wait.

• Pension Fund Disability Pension

  A comprehensive pension fund pays a monthly pension if you lose at least 25% of your working capacity. Separate from Bituach Leumi.

• Loss of Working Capacity Insurance

  A policy that pays monthly when illness or injury stops you working. Many people are covered through managers' insurance and do not know it.

• Disability Tax Exemption (9(5))

  People with a disability of 90% or more, or who are blind, pay no income tax on earnings up to ₪445,200 a year.

Sources

• Bituach Leumi: general disability (Hebrew)
• National Insurance Law, chapter 9 and chapter 14 sign 2.1 (Hebrew)
• Kol Zchut: general disability allowance (Hebrew)