Maanak Avodah 2023 - Reminder to apply!

It's time for your yearly reminder to check if you might be able to claim this benefit! Maybe you've heard about this already, and maybe this is new information for you. There is a reverse-tax benefit in Israel for low-income families. It's called the "Maanak Avodah" or "Working Grant". The point of this grant is to put more money in your pocket if you earn less than a certain amount of money!

Please don't miss out on this if you qualify - apply as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment later. It won't take much of your time to apply, and you can do it now, BEFORE YOU FORGET! Right now, you can still apply for the 2022 grant AND the 2023 grant. 
  
Updated information for the 2023 grant: 
Who can apply for this grant?

You can apply for this grant if: 

1. You were employed or self-employed
 
2. You were 21 years of age or older, and have minor children*, or 55 years of age or above, even if you have no minor children
 
3. You did not own more than 50% of a property or rights to a property (anywhere in the world) in the 2022 tax year, other than your primary residence
 
4. If you have one or two children, or are age 55+ without children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,320 and 6,980 you may be eligible for this grant. If you are a single parent of 1-2 children (with custody of your minor children), your average monthly income must fall between 1,420 and 10,570 NIS to qualifyץ
 
5. If you have 3 or more children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,320 NIS and 7,650 NIS, you may be eligible for this grant. If you are a single parent of 3 or more children (with custody), you may qualify if your income is between 1,420 and 12,900 NIS per month.

*children who are counted are those who are under the age of 19 as of 31/12/2023

How do you apply? 

Online, using the Israeli tax website - this option allows you to apply for 2023 and 2022 if you missed this reminder last year.

OR
At the post office, where you'll need to answer a few questions. BE SURE to bring your teudat zehut (ID card) and either your checkbook or an "ishur" from your bank that you have an account with them. Please keep any paperwork you receive at the post office and/or in the mail. This option only allows you to apply for 2023.

If you have questions after you've applied, or to check the status of your application, you can check the status of your request online in your "eizor ishi", or call *4954 or or 02-565-6400 to speak with the Tax Authority. 

Your payment may arrive in anywhere from 1-4 installments.

How much can you expect to receive? 

The amount you receive will vary depending on your circumstances, and if you qualify, could be up to 9,720 NIS.

Your spouse's income may affect your eligibility, as may various other factors.

I hope this helps some of you out there! It's worth it to check if you are eligible.

Please share this information with your friends and family who may benefit from it!

Don't miss out on useful tips and tricks for living in Israel! Follow me on FB and join my Kosher Frugal group!

Ma'anak Avodah - What you need to know!

Maybe you've heard about this already, and maybe this is new information for you. There is a reverse-tax benefit in Israel for low-income families. It's called the "Maanak Avodah" or "Working Grant". The point of this grant is to put more money in your pocket if you earn less than a certain amount of money!

Please don't miss out on this if you qualify - apply as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment later. It won't take much of your time to apply, and you can do it now, BEFORE YOU FORGET! Right now, you can apply for the 2016 grant AND for the 2017 grant. The application deadline is supposed to be November 30 of each year, but the system is currently still accepting late applications for the 2016 fiscal year.
  
Updated information for the 2017 grant: 
Who can apply for this grant?

You can apply for this grant if: 

1. You were employed or self employed
 
2. You were 23 years of age or older, with minor children, or 55 years of age or above, without minor children
 
3. You did not own more than 50% of a property or rights to a property in the 2016 tax year, other than your primary residence
 
4. If you have one or two children, or are age 55+ without children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,060 and 6,126 you may be eligible for this grant. If you are a single parent of 1-2 children (with custody of your minor children), average monthly income must fall between 1,270 and 9,400 NIS
 
5. If you have 3 or more children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,060 NIS and 6,736 NIS, you may be eligible for this grant. If you are a single parent of 3 or more children (with custody), you may qualify if your income is between 1,270 and 11,474 NIS per month.

How do you apply? 

Online, if you have applied at least once in the last TWO years.

If you have not applied in the last 2 years, all you have to do is go to the post office and answer a few questions. BE SURE to bring your teudat zehut (ID card) and either your checkbook or an "ishur" from your bank that you have an account with them. Please keep any paperwork you receive at the post office and/or in the mail. 

If you have questions after you've applied, or to check the status of your application, you can call *4954 or 1-222-4954 or 02-565-6400 to speak with the Tax Authority. 

How much can you expect to receive? 

The amount you receive will vary depending on your circumstances, and if you qualify, will vary from 20 shekels/month to 720 shekels/month (240 shekels yearly to 8,640 shekels yearly). (These amounts are based upon older information, and I'll update when the exact amounts for this year are published.)

Your spouse's income may affect your eligibility, as may various other factors.

I hope this helps some of you out there! It's worth it to check if you are eligible.

Please share this information with your friends and family who may benefit from it!

2016 Maanak Avodah

Please note: the deadline appears to have been extended, at least for online applications. You can still submit 2015 and 2016 applications at this time. (2015 applications, according to the site, are being accepted thru Dec. 31, 2017, and 2016 applications are being accepted thru Dec. 31, 2018) Of course, I still recommend you just go ahead and do it today, instead of waiting!

Maybe you've heard about this already, and maybe this is new information for you. There is a reverse-tax benefit in Israel for low-income families. It's called the "Maanak Avodah" or "Working Grant".

(There is more detailed information below.)

Please don't miss out on this if you qualify - apply as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment later. It won't take much of your time to apply, and you can do it now, BEFORE YOU FORGET! The deadline to apply is November 30, 2017.
 
Updated information for the 2016 grant:
Who can apply for this grant?

You can apply for this grant if: 

1. You were employed or self employed
 
2. You were 23 years of age or older, with minor children, or 55 years of age or above, without minor children
 
3. You did not own more than 50% of a property or rights to a property in the 2016 tax year, other than your primary residence
 
4. If you have one or two children, or are age 55+ without children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,050 and 6,090 you may be eligible for this grant. If you are a single parent of 1-2 children (with custody of your minor children), average monthly income must fall between 1,260 and 9,330 NIS
 
5. If you have 3 or more children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,070 NIS and 6,766 NIS, you may be eligible for this grant. If you are a single parent of 3 or more children (with custody), you may qualify if your income is between 1,260 and 11,400 NIS per month.
How do you apply? 

Online, if you have applied at least once in the last TWO years.

If you have not applied in the last 2 years, all you have to do is go to the post office and answer a few questions. BE SURE to bring your teudat zehut (ID card) and either your checkbook or an "ishur" from your bank that you have an account with them. Please keep any paperwork you receive at the post office and/or in the mail. 

If you have questions after you've applied, or to check the status of your application, you can call *4954 or 1-222-4954 or 02-565-6400 to speak with the Tax Authority. 

How much can you expect to receive? 

The amount you receive will vary depending on your circumstances, and if you qualify, will vary from 20 shekels/month to 720 shekels/month (240 shekels yearly to 8,640 shekels yearly). (These amounts are based upon older information)

Your spouse's income may affect your eligibility, as may various other factors.

I hope this helps some of you out there! It's worth it to check if you are eligible. (If you're not eligible, that's not a bad thing, really. I know some of you complained to me last year that you were not eligible, but that means you are earning more money than the people this program is supposed to help.) 

AND, GET THIS: right now the system says you can apply for either 2015 or 2016 grants online. So for those of you who missed the 2015 deadline, you may still be able to apply! If you have never applied for this grant before, you can call Mas Hachnasa and request an extension - call *4954 and ask to apply for the ma'anak avodah late -- "liftoach pniyah l'maanak avodah b'ichur". You may be able to get them to let you apply late.

Please share this information with your friends and family who may benefit from it!

Series: Financial Assistance in Israel (Part 4)

The National Initiative for Nutrition Security is a program sponsored by "Eshel" that operates in 24 municipalities around the country.

The program provides assistance with food for low income families, as well as workshops about nutrition and finances.

The program provides EITHER a monthly box of food, containing approximately 75 kg of dry goods, OR a preloaded debit card (with 300-600 shekels/month) that can be used at a number of supermarkets. (I don't think you get a choice of benefits, different areas have different programs.)

This program serves the following areas: Yerucham, Rahat, Be'er Sheva, Kiryat Malachi, Netivot, Lachish, Dimona, Sderot, Tsfat, Kfar Manda, Ma'alot, Karmiel, Nahariya, Assafiya, Chatzor HaGlilit, Gilboa, Baka-Al-Garbiyya, Ariel, Ramle, Afula, Yavne, Migdal Ha'Emek, and Beitar Illit.

Your local social services office can help you get on the list if you qualify. For more information about the Eshel program, call 02-6501036.


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 1 

Part 2
Part 3
Part 5

Also, if you haven't yet familiarized yourself with the list of price controlled foods in Israel, please do so! I'm still waiting for them to switch out the white bread for whole wheat bread, and add basic produce items to the list...

Series: Financial Assistance in Israel (Part 3)

If you haven't yet seen the other parts of this series, please be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Today I'm writing about Rental Assistance.


There are a number of criteria - and they are somewhat complicated - for eligibility. The only way to find out for sure if you are eligible is to check with one of the companies that works with the Ministry of Construction and Housing to determine eligibility. There may be a small fee to use their services, please be sure to ask when you schedule an appointment.

Some of the people who may qualify are (I am basing this off information obtained from the Ministry of Construction and Housing's website):

Elderly people whose only income is ‘Old Age Allowance’ and ‘Income Supplement’

Disabled people whose income is based upon on a 75% or more ‘Unfit for Employment’ Allowance – the level of assistance is determined by family composition: singles, couples, couples with children, or single parent families.

Disabled Holocaust Survivors with 49% disability and "damage Level" 1, 2, or 3

Disabled individuals who live on ‘Subsistence Allowances’ and have reached the status of ‘pensioners’.

Individuals who meet eligibility criteria and who receive ‘Child Support’ from NII.

Singles age 55+, couples, couples with children, common-law or single parent families whose income depends upon an ‘Assured Income Allowance’ (Havtachat Hachnasa) and began receiving assistance from June 2002 onwards. The level of assistance is determined according to both family composition and the type of benefits: normal/expanded, special or disability benefits.

Assistance Based Upon Income:
Families without Children:

Qualifying Income is between 4505 and 5631 shekels/month (Gross Income)

Families with Children:

Couple + child: Qualifying income is between 4954 and 6192 shekels per month (Gross)

Couple + two children or more: Qualifying income is between 6059 and 7574 shekels per month (Gross)

Single-parent family: Qualifying income is between 6284 and 7855 shekels per month (Gross)

The process of applying for assistance may not be easy, but if you have low income as listed above, it is worth it to go to one of the companies that helps with this (Amidar, Milgam, and Madar) and apply.

*Olim also receive an automatic rental subsidy as part of the Absorption Basket, but in some cases, they can receive additional income-based assistance.

If you know someone who will be helped by this article, please forward it to them!

Be sure to check out the other installments in this series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 4
Part 5

Series: Financial Assistance in Israel (Part 2)

If you missed Part 1 in this series, please be sure to check it out!
 
"Ma'anak Avodah" Info (formerly Negative Income Tax)

NEW: You can now apply for the Maanak Avodah ONLINE. Currently, the online system is available only for people who have applied in the past. But this is a HUGE step forward! CLICK HERE to go to the online application

You can apply for this grant if:

1. You were employed or self employed
2. You were 23 years of age or older, with minor children, or 55 years of age or above, even without minor children
3. You did not own more than 50% of a property or rights to a property in the 2015 tax year, other than your primary residence
4. If you have one or two children, or are age 55+ without children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,060 and 6,141 you may be eligible for this grant.
5. If you have 3 or more children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,060 NIS and 6,750 NIS, you may be eligible for this grant.

*Some people will be eligible for the grant even if their monthly income falls below the minimum amounts stated above, so please keep that in mind.


The application deadline is September 30, 2016 
UPDATE: The deadline has been extended! You have until December 28, 2016 to apply!

How do you apply? 

In order to apply, all you have to do is fill out the online form OR go to the post office and answer a few questions. BE SURE to bring your teudat zehut (ID card) and either your checkbook or an "ishur" from your bank that you have an account with them. Please keep any paperwork you receive at the post office and/or in the mail. 

If you have questions after you've applied, or to check the status of your application, you can call *4954 or 1-222-4954 or 02-565-6400 to speak with the Tax Authority. 

How much can you expect to receive?
The amount you receive will vary depending on your circumstances, and if you qualify, will range from 80 shekels/month to 720 shekels/month (960 shekels yearly to 8,640 shekels yearly). 

Your spouse's income may affect your eligibility. 

I hope this helps some of you out there! It's worth it to check if you are eligible. (If you're not eligible, that's not a bad thing, really. I know some of you complained to me last year that you were not eligible, but that means you are earning more money than the people this program is supposed to help.)

Please share this information with your friends and family who may benefit from it!

Be sure to check out the other installments in this series:
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4 
Part 5

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

NEW "Ma'anak Avodah" Info (formerly Negative Income Tax)

--- Retrieved from http://www.kosherfrugal.com/2015/02/maanak-avodah-formerly-known-as.html ---

NEW: You can now apply for the Maanak Avodah ONLINE. Currently, the online system is available only for people who have applied in the past. But this is a HUGE step forward! CLICK HERE to go to the online application

UPDATE: The deadline has been extended! You have until December 28, 2016 to apply!

AND, GET THIS: right now you can apply for either 2014 or 2015 grants online. So for those of you who missed the 2014 deadline, you can still apply! If you have never applied for this grant before, you can call Mas Hachnasa and request an extension - call *4954 and ask to apply for the ma'anak avodah late -- "liftoach pniyah l'maanak avodah b'ichur". You may be able to get them to let you apply late.

The Following information is based upon the 2014 publications: 

Who can apply for this grant?

You can apply for this grant if:
1. You were employed or self employed
2. You were 23 years of age or older, with minor children, or 55 years of age or above, without minor children
3. You did not own more than 50% of a property or rights to a property in the 2014 tax year, other than your primary residence
4. If you have one or two children, or are age 55+ without children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,070 and 6,057 you may be eligible for this grant.

5. If you have 3 or more children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,070 NIS and 6,766 NIS, you may be eligible for this grant.

How do you apply?
In order to apply, all you have to do is go to the post office and answer a few questions. BE SURE to bring your teudat zehut (ID card) and either your checkbook or an "ishur" from your bank that you have an account with them. Please keep any paperwork you receive at the post office and/or in the mail.
If you have questions after you've applied, or to check the status of your application, you can call *4954 or 1-222-4954 or 02-565-6400 to speak with the Tax Authority.
How much can you expect to receive?
The amount you receive will vary depending on your circumstances, and if you qualify, will vary from 20 shekels/month to 720 shekels/month (240 shekels yearly to 8,640 shekels yearly).
Your spouse's income may affect your eligibility.
I hope this helps some of you out there! It's worth it to check if you are eligible. (If you're not eligible, that's not a bad thing, really. I know some of you complained to me last year that you were not eligible, but that means you are earning more money than the people this program is supposed to help.)

Please share this information with your friends and family who may benefit from it!

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!
 

Negative Income Tax (Israel)

Just a friendly reminder about the negative income tax for 2011. The deadline to file based upon your 2011 earnings has been extended to November 30th.

It's easy. Just go into the post office (not all post offices do all tasks, please verify which branch to use), with your Teudat Zehut and your bank account information (take a check, everything they need is on there, or get a letter from your bank, the banker will have a form to fill out and stamp if you don't have a check. Just knowing your account # and branch # isn't enough, it needs to be "official".). Let the clerk know that you want to apply for "mas shleelee". Answer a few questions, and then go home. Your approval may take a few weeks, and you'll be given instructions for checking the status online.

This program is open to people who earned, on average, no less than 2040 shekels per month and no more than 6645 shekels per month. Even if some months you earned more, if you were unemployed or under-employed for part of the time, you may qualify. In some cases, people who are (legally) self-employed qualify as well... If you were employed by a relative, you are not allowed to claim this benefit.

If you have questions about it, call the tax authority at *4954.

Check it out and see!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

B'hatzlacha.