Mobility allowance in Israel (2026): who qualifies, how much and how to apply

Who qualifies

• An Israeli resident living in Israel, from age 3 to retirement age. Siblings with at least 80% each who live in the same flat can qualify before age 3.
• A leg impairment on the Mobility Agreement list: paralysis, amputation, ankylosis or limited joint movement, joint replacement, a shortened limb, arterial insufficiency in the legs, lymphatic disorders, congenital defects, short stature and others.
• With a valid driving licence: at least 40% mobility limitation.
• Without a licence: at least 60% and an authorised driver — a relative or carer with a licence who lives in the same building or within 1,500 metres and is approved by Bituach Leumi.
• Most benefits go to people who own and have a car, or are about to buy one.

A first claim cannot be made after retirement age. People who received the benefit before retirement age can, under certain conditions, keep receiving it.

How much

The car owner's allowance depends on engine size, the percentage, whether you have a licence and whether you work. 'Working' here means earning more than ₪2,838 a month from work, or serving as a regular soldier. People who need and use a wheelchair receive the working rate. For example, a car up to 1,800 cc with a driving licence:

A larger car or one with special accessories means a higher allowance. Workers who regularly drive to work, at least 40 km there and back, and worked six months in a row before applying get an increment.

People without a car receive ₪2,581 a month if they meet the conditions below.

Other benefits

• Standing loan: full or partial funding of the taxes on a new car, based on your percentage. Important: if you buy the car before the loan is approved, you will not get it. The loan is repaid to Bituach Leumi on the terms of the Mobility Agreement.
• A loan from the loan fund towards a new car.
• A loan or refund for car accessories and for a wheelchair lift.
• Driving lessons in a specially adapted car, and towing services.
• A disabled parking badge from the Ministry of Transport. Recipients with 60% or more get a text message asking them to update their car details, and the badge is then posted to them.

Allowance without a car

If you have no car, or your car is off the road, you may get the allowance if one of these applies:

• Aged 18 or over, at least 80% mobility limitation, working and not classed as disabled under the National Insurance Law.
• Aged 18 or over, receiving the special services allowance, with 100% or a need for a wheelchair.
• Receiving the disabled child allowance, with at least 80% or a need for a wheelchair.
• Living in an institution and leaving it by car at least six times a month, with 100% (adult), 80% (child) or a need for a wheelchair.

How to apply

1. Send the nearest district health office a request for a medical examination to determine mobility limitation, with up-to-date medical documents.
2. A Ministry of Health medical committee sets the percentage, whether you need a wheelchair, and whether the decision is temporary or permanent.
3. Bituach Leumi receives the protocol and treats it as a claim. You are usually asked for: a copy of your driving licence, a comprehensive car insurance policy, your last three payslips if you work, and a signed undertaking.
4. If you need a special vehicle, a vehicle size committee at the Medical Institute for Road Safety examines you as well.

The allowance is paid from the 1st of the month in which you applied to the committee, provided you claim from Bituach Leumi within two months of the committee's decision. Later claims are paid only two months back.

You can appeal the committee's decision to the Ministry of Health appeals committee within 60 days of receiving the protocol. If your condition worsens you can ask for a new examination, but the committee may also lower your percentage.

Children with limited mobility

A child receiving the disabled child allowance who also qualifies for mobility benefits usually has to choose. A child with at least 80% mobility limitation, or who needs and uses a wheelchair, can receive both. There is no allowance without a car before age 3.

Frequently asked questions

Worth checking too

• General Disability Allowance

  A monthly allowance for people whose earning capacity fell by at least 50% because of illness, injury or a birth defect. Up to ₪4,711 a month.

• Disabled parking badge

  Who qualifies for a disabled parking badge, who gets it without applying, where you can park with it and how to get a personal spot near home.

• Disabled Child Benefit

  For parents of a child with an illness, impairment or dependence on others, from 91 days to 18. ₪1,943–₪9,126 a month, up to a year back.

• 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.

Sources

• Bituach Leumi: mobility (Hebrew)
• Bituach Leumi: allowance eligibility (Hebrew)
• Bituach Leumi: allowance amounts (Hebrew)
• Bituach Leumi: claim and payment dates (Hebrew)
• Bituach Leumi: types of mobility benefits (Hebrew)
• Bituach Leumi: how a request is handled (Hebrew)