Question 1

Is a written employment contract mandatory?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The employer must sign a written employment contract with the worker, in a language the worker understands, setting out the terms of employment. The contract and the health-insurance policy must be kept at the workplace.

Question 2

Must the caregiver have a separate room?

Accepted Answer

The employer must provide suitable housing throughout the employment. A separate room is recommended for privacy; if that is not possible, reasonable conditions must be provided, including adequate sleeping space, a bed, a wardrobe, lighting, heating and cooling. Note that many private agencies require a separate room before bringing a worker from abroad.

Suitable accommodation must be in the patient's home: the worker sleeping there is a permit condition, with exceptions only in defined cases, such as a patient employing two workers who obtains an exemption for one of them. A separate room adjoining the house may be suitable, provided it is part of the patient's residential address and meets suitable-housing standards. Housing and health-insurance deductions together may not exceed 25% of the wage. If the worker has complaints about ventilation, heating or cooling, contact the agency to resolve it with the family.

Question 3

May the caregiver be assigned housework or care for other family members?

Accepted Answer

No. The caregiver may be employed only in nursing care of the patient and in the tasks defined in the contract and the permit. Other work, such as cleaning or housekeeping, is not allowed unless stated in the permit.

The worker provides nursing care and reasonable household help only for the patient named in the permit, and the duties are set out in the employment contract. Employing the worker for anyone else, even a family member of the patient, breaches the permit.

Question 4

Must the employer provide health insurance?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The employer must purchase, at its own expense, a private health-insurance policy for the worker, attach it to the contract and renew it before it expires. Part of the cost may be deducted from the wage within the statutory limits. Employing a worker without insurance is a criminal offence.

The policy is attached to the employment contract, which is given to the worker in a language they understand. Insurance is required for the whole period of employment, including a trial period. The policy is valid for a year and should be renewed 3 months before it expires. In 2026, up to ₪168.80 a month may be deducted from a home caregiver's wage for health insurance, and never more than half the employer's cost. The price of the policy itself varies between insurers.

Question 5

How long is the weekly rest, and what if the caregiver works during it?

Accepted Answer

The caregiver is entitled to 25 consecutive hours of weekly rest, including the rest day of their religion. During it they may stay in or outside the patient's home and are free of any duties. Work during the weekly rest is permitted only when necessary and with the worker's consent, and is paid at an increased rate on top of the monthly wage.

Rest-day work is paid on top of the monthly wage: 150% of a day's pay (monthly wage divided by 25) plus one hour at 150% of the hourly rate, because the rest lasts 25 hours. At the minimum wage of ₪6,443.85 this comes to about ₪440 for each rest day worked. The same calculation applies to work on a holiday.

Question 6

How many paid holidays is the caregiver entitled to?

Accepted Answer

The caregiver is entitled to 9 paid holidays per year, according to their religion or the Jewish holidays, as they choose. It is advisable to agree on the days in advance. A holiday falling on the weekly rest day counts as a rest day. Work on a holiday is paid at an increased rate. Holidays are separate from annual vacation.

The right to 9 holidays applies from the first day of work, so a worker employed for 3 months is entitled to the holidays that fell in that period. Choose the days in advance, ideally when signing the contract. A worker who is absent on a chosen holiday receives the regular wage as if they had worked the whole month; payment is part of that month's wage and may not be deferred to year end. A holiday that falls on the weekly rest day gives no extra pay. Holiday work is paid on top of the monthly wage: 150% of a day's pay plus one hour at 150%, about ₪440 at minimum wage. A worker whose religion has more than 9 holidays may use accrued vacation days for additional absence.

Question 7

Can the caregiver be paid instead of taking vacation?

Accepted Answer

No. The caregiver is entitled to actual paid annual leave, with the number of days set by seniority. A monthly or annual cash addition does not replace leave. Part of the leave may be carried over with the employer's consent. Unused leave is redeemed in cash only when employment ends.

Vacation pay is paid when the worker actually takes leave, at the regular wage; a vacation day is worth the gross monthly wage divided by 25. A fixed monthly 'vacation' supplement does not replace the leave itself. The worker must take at least 7 vacation days each year and may, with the employer's consent, carry the rest over to the next two years. Unused days are paid out when employment ends. The 9 holidays are a separate right and are not vacation days.

Question 8

What applies when the caregiver is ill and cannot work?

Accepted Answer

A sick caregiver may be absent and use accrued sick days on presenting a doctor's certificate. The first day is unpaid, the following days are partly paid, and later days are paid in full. The employer may not prevent the worker from going to the clinic or hospital. Sick days cannot be redeemed for cash.

There is no obligation to pay for the first sick day; days two and three are paid at 50% of a day's wage, and from day four the full wage, as long as the worker has accrued enough sick days. The worker accrues 1.5 sick days for each full month of work, up to 90 days.

Question 9

May the employer keep the caregiver's passport?

Accepted Answer

No. An employer is prohibited from holding the foreign worker's passport; doing so is a criminal offence.

Question 10

Must the foreign caregiver live in the patient's home?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The permit is granted to a patient who needs care or supervision for most of the day, so the caregiver lives in the patient's home and the employer must provide suitable accommodation there. An arrangement in which the worker works by day and sleeps elsewhere does not meet the permit conditions.

Key points:
• The worker may care only for the patient named in the permit. Actually working for someone else, even a relative, breaches the permit and the law.
• During the weekly rest the worker may choose whether to stay in the patient's home or elsewhere.
• An exemption from living in is considered only when a patient employs two foreign workers under one roof, for one of them only, on a reasoned request to the Authority. Such a request from a patient with a single worker is refused.

Question 11

Is a foreign worker entitled to maternity leave after a stillbirth?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A foreign worker is entitled to maternity leave like any employee in Israel, and a birth after at least 22 weeks of pregnancy, including a stillbirth, gives the same entitlement as a live birth. Leave is 26 weeks for a worker employed at least a year by the same employer, and 15 weeks for one employed less than a year.

When the baby is not alive, the worker may shorten the leave with her consent and written medical approval, provided at least 3 weeks have passed since the birth. Maternity benefit is paid by National Insurance subject to eligibility and the qualifying period; for a foreign worker, months worked in Israel on a valid visa count. A worker may not be dismissed during maternity leave, and she must regularise her status in Israel for that period.

Question 12

What should be done when a caregiver is injured at work, and who pays for the days of absence?

Accepted Answer

A work injury is an accident that happens during and because of work, or on the way between home and work. A foreign caregiver is covered by work-injury insurance like any employee.

Steps:
• The employer fills in their part of form BL/250, and the worker presents it for initial treatment at the health fund or hospital. It is a referral for treatment and does not replace the claim.
• After treatment, a work-injury benefit claim is filed with National Insurance, showing the link to work.
• For the day of the injury the employer pays the worker's regular wage.
• Injury benefit is paid for up to 91 days: for an absence of fewer than 12 days, from the third day after the injury; for a longer absence, from the day after the injury.
• For most employers, National Insurance recovers the payment for the first 12 days from the employer. According to the National Insurance website, this rule does not apply to an employer of a household worker, including a patient employing a caregiver at home.

The figure of "the first 9 days" borne by the employer is out of date. Inform the agency of any work injury, and for payment questions call National Insurance on *6050.