Arnona Discounts!

I told you all about the "Working Families Grant"/Ma'anak Avodah back in February. In case you missed that, here's the short version: It's a government program to give a little extra cash to families who are earning on the lower end of the spectrum. It's pretty simple - if you qualify, you go apply for it - it's simple to do, and you'll get some money from the government in your bank account once you're approved.  If you haven't yet checked if you should apply, go ahead and read my post from February about it! Then, register for your grant. Important: You will NOT get this grant automatically, you MUST apply for it.

There are several programs "out there" designed to help people with lower income, besides the Ma'anak Avodah. So today, I'm going to give you the basics of one that many people already know about, but some don't: Arnona Discounts.

Misrad Hapnim has some say in Arnona rates and discounts, and all the various discounts are listed on their website. You can see them here, in the original Hebrew.

There are a lot of different categories, including Holocaust survivors, People with Disabilities, Former Refuseniks, Righteous Gentiles, Senior Citizens, and more. Today I am going to focus on the "Low Income" category. (Family size/income levels/discount amount taken from Kol Zchut.) 

Here's what you need to know:

You apply for the discount at your local municipal offices by filling out a form.
You will be asked to supply copies your tlushim (payslips) from the last several months. If you are atzmai, you will be asked to supply a certain amount of documentation.
In some cases the municipality will order a full financial audit before granting the discount.
In most cases, the discount applies to the arnona charges for the the first 100m - if your home is bigger than 100m you pay the full rate on the portion over 100m.

The table below will help you determine if you are eligible for an Arnona discount. Look for your family size, and determine whether your monthly income is in a discount-eligible bracket.

Family size           Monthly Income up to this amount                 Discount amount
1                             2703                                                               up to 80%
                               2704 - 3108                                                     up to 60%
                               3109 -  3513                                                    up to 40%

2                             4054                                                                up to 80%
                               4055 - 4662                                                     up to 60%
                               4663 - 5270                                                     up to 40%

3                             4703                                                                up to 80%
                               4704 - 5408                                                     up to 60%
                               5409 - 6113                                                     up to 40%

4                              5351                                                               up to 80%  
                                5352 - 6154                                                     up to 60%
                                6155 - 6957                                                     up to 40%

5                              6535                                                               up to 80%
                                6536 - 7515                                                    up to 60% 
                                7516 - 8496                                                    up to 40%

6                              7719                                                               up to 80%
                               7720 - 8877                                                     up to 60%
                               8878 - 10,035                                                  up to 40%

7                              8903                                                               up to 90%
                                8904 - 10,238                                                 up to 70%
                                10,239 - 11,574                                              up to 50%

8                              10,087                                                            up to 90%
                                10,088 - 11,600                                               up to 70%
                                11,601 - 13,113                                               up to 50%

9                               11,271                                                            up to 90%
                                 11,272 - 12,961                                              up to 70%
                                 12,962 - 14,652                                              up to 50%

10+                              up to 1252 per person                                   up to 90%
                                   up to 1440 per person                                   up to 70%
                                   up to 1628 per person                                   up to 50%




I hope this information helps some people out there get the discount they deserve on their Arnona (municipal taxes)! And to those who hesitate to ask for this discount - please don't hesitate! Getting this discount will help you out, and there is nothing to be embarrassed about if you apply for it. Asking for this discount (that you deserve) does not make you less of a responsible person, it just means your income needs a boost, like so many others in this country. And this is one way the government gives you that boost. So go ahead and apply!

Please share this post with your English speaking friends in Israel, so as many people as possible who are eligible for these discounts can go apply for them!

And don't forget to find me on Facebook, so you never miss out on a money-saving post!