Series: Financial Assistance in Israel (Part 1)

I have fielded many questions lately about getting financial assistance in Israel, for people who earn low wages.

Sometimes it happens that the only jobs available are minimum wage jobs - it happens a lot, especially in the area of the country where I live. You may also have found that until your Hebrew improves, your job options are severely limited.

As such, it's really hard to make ends meet, for many, many individuals and families.

I'm going to post a series of posts about government and other programs that will provide some assistance to those in need.

This first installment is about Bituach Leumi's Income Support (Havtachat Hachnassa) Benefit.

If you have no work, or only work at a low-wage job, you can apply for Income Support/Income Supplement. This benefit ranges from 1384 NIS to 4400 NIS.

There are a number of conditions for entitlement, so please be aware that not everyone is automatically entitled.

In general, you must be 20 or over, in the country at least 24 months, not in the army, not in a Kollel or College (except for vocational training programs), not a member of a kibbutz, and actively looking for work or for additional or better-paying work (via the Employment Office).

There are also other requirements about car ownership, owning more than one property, and investments, so you really need to read the guidelines carefully. There are also various "special cases" in which one or more requirement is not required.

Bituach Leumi has all the information IN ENGLISH on their website. You can find it here, along with application instructions.

I hope this information helps someone out there - so please share this with anyone who might find this helpful.

Be sure to check out the other installments in this series:
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5