Israel Maternity Leave Benefit Estimator

Planning Maternity Leave in Israel With Confidence

Israeli parents navigating maternity leave—known locally as chofesh leida—must balance financial stability with the need to bond with their newborn. The National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) offers maternity allowances that replace a worker’s salary for a defined number of weeks, but the exact amount depends on employment history, average wages, and whether the leave is shared with a partner. Because expectant parents juggle baby preparations, doctor visits, and employer paperwork, calculating the allowance manually can be daunting. This estimator captures the main decision points: your salary average, months worked within the qualifying window, optional prenatal bed-rest weeks, partner transfers, and employer supplements. By turning these factors into immediate numbers, the calculator offers clarity on how much income will arrive during leave and where budget adjustments may be needed.

Bituach Leumi bases maternity benefits on the average salary reported in the three full months preceding the birth month, capped at a national insurance ceiling. Eligibility is determined by the number of months worked in the 14 months before leave begins. Working at least ten months grants a full 15 weeks of paid leave, while 15 months or more unlocks the extended 26-week allowance. Parents who work between six and ten months receive eight weeks. The allowance is paid weekly and can be split between parents. Some households opt for partial leave, returning to work part-time while continuing to draw a reduced allowance. Employers occasionally bridge the gap between the allowance and the worker’s normal salary, particularly in high-tech sectors competing for talent. The estimator surfaces all these levers in one accessible interface.

Understanding the Inputs

The average monthly salary field should reflect the gross pay reported to Bituach Leumi during the three months preceding leave. If your salary fluctuates (for example due to sales commissions), average the gross pay from pay slips or your accountant’s report. The ceiling field defaults to 49,150 NIS, a rounded representation of the National Insurance maximum monthly salary subject to maternity contributions; you can adjust it if updated tables publish a new cap. The months-worked input counts the number of months in which you made National Insurance contributions during the 14 months before leave. Part-time months still count if contributions were made.

The paid weeks field lets you explore whether to claim the full allowance or return to work earlier. Enter a value between zero and 26. The calculator automatically caps the paid weeks at the maximum your employment history allows. The partial percent field supports scenarios where you split leave into part-time work and part-time care. For instance, entering 60 models a 60 percent workload, reducing the allowance proportionally because the state expects you to earn income for the remaining 40 percent of the week. Bed-rest weeks capture doctor-approved prenatal hospitalization or rest periods that extend the allowance; the calculator adds them on top of your eligible weeks while respecting the overall cap. Partner transfer weeks represent the portion you plan to pass to your spouse or partner. Employer supplements, when offered, typically cover some or all of the difference between your usual salary and the state allowance; enter the percentage agreed upon with HR.

Computation Flow and Mathematical Basis

The estimator mirrors the Bituach Leumi rules while keeping the math transparent. First, it determines your maximum eligible weeks based on months worked: fewer than six months yields zero paid weeks, six to nine months grants eight weeks, ten to fourteen months grants fifteen weeks, and fifteen or more months grants twenty-six weeks. Let represent months worked. The eligibility function can be written as _\text{max} = { 0 if m < 6 8 if 6 ≤ m < 10 15 if 10 ≤ m < 15 26 if m ≥ 15 } . The requested weeks are constrained by _\text{paid} = min ( w _{\text{request}}, w _\text{max} ) . Approved bed-rest weeks are added and capped at 26 total weeks.

Salary calculations start by capping the average monthly salary at the insurance ceiling: _{\text{eligible}} = min ( s _\text{avg}, s _\text{cap} ) . The weekly rate is then _\text{week} = s _{\text{eligible}} / 4.345 , reflecting the average weeks per month used by Bituach Leumi. Partial leave reduces the allowance by multiplying by the fraction , where is the percent of full-time leave taken. The core allowance equals _\text{week} w _{\text{paid+bed}} p . The partner transfer reduces your paid weeks, so the calculator subtracts _{\text{partner}} from your own allowance and reports it as transferable weeks. Employer supplements address the salary gap: _\text{avg} × w _{\text{paid+bed}} / 4.345 − A , 0 ) t , where is the employer supplement percentage.

The calculator guards against inconsistent inputs: percentages cannot exceed 100, partner transfers cannot surpass the paid weeks, and negative values are rejected. This ensures the results align with administrative reality.

Worked Example for a High-Tech Employee

Consider Dana, a product manager earning 12,400 NIS per month. She has contributed to Bituach Leumi for 13 of the last 14 months, qualifying for 15 weeks of paid leave. Dana wants to take the full 26-week leave, splitting the final 11 weeks with her partner. She also plans to work at 40 percent capacity during weeks 13–26. Her average salary is below the insurance ceiling, so the eligible weekly rate equals 12,400 ÷ 4.345 ≈ 2,855.96 NIS. The calculator limits her paid weeks to 15, adds zero bed-rest weeks, and subtracts the 11 partner-transfer weeks, leaving 4 weeks of allowance in her own name beyond the initial 11 she keeps. Because she intends to work part-time, the allowance is multiplied by 60 percent (100 minus the 40 percent workload). The resulting allowance equals 2,855.96 × 15 × 0.6 ≈ 25,703.64 NIS. Dana’s employer offers a 50 percent supplement on any gap. Her full salary over 15 weeks would have been 42,839.4 NIS, so the gap is 17,135.76 NIS. The employer covers half, contributing 8,567.88 NIS. Dana’s total income during the 15 paid weeks becomes 34,271.52 NIS, and she can plan for a reduced salary afterward.

If Dana receives approval for two weeks of prenatal bed rest, the calculator adds them, bringing her paid weeks to 17 (still below the cap). Her allowance rises to 2,855.96 × 17 × 0.6 ≈ 29,161.48 NIS, and the employer supplement increases accordingly. By toggling the bed-rest field, she can estimate the financial impact of doctor-recommended rest before giving birth.

The comparison table illustrates how eligibility weeks and partial leave choices affect total income. Expectant parents can print or download the CSV to bring along to HR meetings, while financial planners can use it to project cash flow during maternity leave.

Interpreting the Output

The results panel highlights your maximum eligible weeks, the weeks you will actually receive (after transfers and partial leave adjustments), the weekly rate used in the calculation, the total allowance from Bituach Leumi, and any employer supplement. It also reports the number of weeks transferable to a partner, providing clarity for couples planning sequential leave. Because the tool formats amounts in shekels, you can quickly cross-reference them with your household budget categories such as rent, daycare deposits, or mortgage payments.

The copy summary button generates a structured recap suitable for email threads with HR or your accountant. The CSV download includes detailed rows for each component, making it easy to integrate into budgeting spreadsheets or share with a financial advisor. Couples can run the calculator twice—once for each parent—to understand how sharing weeks alters the family’s total cash flow. Freelancers can adjust the average salary field to model variable monthly income, while employees expecting raises can input projected salaries to see how future pay slips might influence benefits.

Limitations and Assumptions

This estimator simplifies several edge cases. It assumes maternity benefits are taxed similarly to regular salary; however, actual withholding may differ based on credits and deductions. It does not model self-employed advance payments or the deferral of National Insurance contributions sometimes granted to new parents. Bed-rest approvals often require additional forms and may not always result in full compensation; treat the bed-rest field as a planning scenario rather than a guarantee. Partner transfers are limited by law and employer policy, so verify your workplace’s procedures. Finally, the calculator does not replace personalized advice from Bituach Leumi or a certified accountant. Use it to build an informed baseline and to prepare documentation so official processes proceed smoothly.