Conditions of entitlement

The first condition: The deceased man was a resident of Israel at the time of his death.

If he was not born in Israel - provided that he first immigrated to Israel before reaching age 60-62, in accordance with his date of birth, as specified in the following table:

The deceased woman was a resident of Israel at the time of her death and was one of the following:

(A woman who was not born in Israel - provided that she first immigrated to Israel before reaching age 60-62, as specified in the table above)

• She worked as a salaried employee or was self-employed.
• She was not married (except for a widow who was receiving a survivors’ pension or a dependents’ pension).
• She was married and her husband was not insured due to his age at the time he immigrated, or because he was not a resident of Israel.
• She received a general disability pension.
• She was an aguna as defined by law.

The second condition: The deceased man or woman completed one of the following qualifying periods (insurance):

• 12 months before the date of death.
• 24 months, consecutive or not consecutive, in the 5 years before the date of death.
• 60 months (5 years) consecutive or not consecutive, in the 10 years before the date of death.
• 144 months (12 years), consecutive or not consecutive.
• 60 months, consecutive or not consecutive, from the date as on which he/she first became a resident of Israel, provided that the number of months that he/she was not insured does not exceed the number of months that he/she was insured.

In the following cases, completion of a qualifying period (insurance) is not required:

The deceased died within one year from the date that he/she became a resident of Israel.

•   He/she died before the age of 19.
•  He/she was the main wage earner for the spouse or the children.
•  She died within one year from the date on which she was divorced or widowed. 

- If the deceased woman had children (according to the definition of an “orphan,” as shown below) but she did not complete the required qualifying period (insurance), only her children are entitled to a survivors’ pension.

- A man who first immigrated to Israel after the age specified in the above table, is not covered by survivors’ insurance, but his widow may be eligible for a special survivors benefit, if she has not yet reached retirement age.

The third condition: The applicant is among the survivors of the deceased:

A widow

A widow is a woman who was married to, or the common-law wife of, the deceased,
who lived with him under one roof until his death, and meets one of the following conditions:

• She was married to, or the common-law wife of, the deceased for at least one year (or six months if she was age 55 or older and the time of his death).
• She bore the deceased a child.

A woman who lived separately from the deceased must also meet one of the following conditions, in addition to the above conditions:

• The period of separation was less than 36 months.
• During the last year, or part of the last year of the deceased’s life, they lived together.
• During the last year, or part of the last year of the deceased’s life, he actually paid her alimony or was obligated to pay her alimony under a court judgment or a written agreement.
• Before the death of the deceased, he received an increment to his old age pension or his disability pension for her.

A widower

A widower is a man who was married to, or the common-law husband of, the deceased, who lived with her under one roof until her death, and was married to her or was her common-law husband for at least one year before her death (or six months if he was age 55 or older and the time of her death), and he meets one of the following conditions:

• He has an orphaned child who is entitled to a survivors’ pension.
• His income from all sources is up to NIS 4,549 per month (as of January 1, 2009).

The entitlement is examined according to the means test and is calculated on the basis of his annual income in the 12 months that preceded the month of the wife’s death or the year in which the wife died (from January to December of that year). A year after the date of entitlement, his income according to the tax year (from January to December of that year) will be examined.

A man who lived separately from the deceased must meet one of the following conditions in addition to one of the above conditions:

• The separation period was less than 36 months.
• In the last year or part of the last year of the deceased’s life they lived together.

Common-law spouse

Under the National Insurance Law, common-law spouses are deemed to be married. Therefore, if after becoming widowed, you are living under the same roof as spouses without being formally married, you must immediately notify the National Insurance Institute of your arrangement. Non-notification is liable to cause you to incur debts that you will be required to refund.

Orphan

An orphan is a child of the deceased at the time of his death (this includes a stepchild, an adopted child or grandchild, for whom the deceased was the sole support, except for a married teenage boy or girl), if he or she meets one of the following conditions:

• He is less than 18 years old
• He is less than 20 years old and is completing his studies in a post elementary institution or studying toward completion of the matriculation examinations, or has a learning disability and is in a framework recognized by National Insurance Institute.
• He is less than 20 years old and is a cadet in an IDF pre-military framework that is recognized for that purpose.
• He is less than 21 years old and he is performing volunteer public service for up to 12 months, and his compulsory IDF service has been deferred due to his volunteer service.
• He is less than 22 years old and is performing his compulsory IDF service (the entitlement period is 36 months).
• He is less than 22 years old and is performing voluntary National Service (in frameworks recognized by the National Insurance Institute).
• He is less than 22 years old and is studying in an officer candidate academic training program and his compulsory IDF service has been deferred due to his studies.
• With no age restriction - a soldier in compulsory IDF service who performed volunteer public service for one year before the age of 21, and his IDF service was deferred due to his volunteer service. The entitlement period is 36 months in compulsory service.

As of March 1, 1999, children left by a married woman who did not work outside her household (a housewife) are entitled to the benefit.

The fourth condition: There are no arrears in the insurance contributions.

If, during his lifetime, the deceased was in arrears in paying insurance contributions, his survivors are liable to lose the pension, or to receive a reduced pension. In such a case, the right of the survivors to a grant for equitable reasons will be examined (there is no need to submit a claim).

If the employer of the deceased was in arrears in making the insurance contributions, the survivor’s pension will not be adversely affected.