Ma'anak Avodah 2022 (Reverse-Tax 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 some people can also apply for the 2021 grant. 
  
Updated information for the 2022 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 2,240 and 6,750 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 1,380 and 10,230 NIS to qualifyץ
 
5. If you have 3 or more children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,240 NIS and 7,400 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 1,380 and 12,480 NIS per month.

*children who are counted are those who are under the age of 19 as of 31/12/2022

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 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 13,104 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!

My "We Made Aliyah" Money-Mindset

If we're not careful, the money just FLIES away!

Hi everyone!

Today I've got all these thoughts swirling around in my head, and I decided to put them down into a blog post, since that's as good as any other method of procrastination I can think of! 

(Yes, procrastination - because we all know I have a million things that need my attention I would completely prefer to ignore, so I WILL. At least I wrote a blog post instead, right?)

Let's face it - making Aliyah requires a major change in mindset for so many things, and I'm going to focus on some of those things that affect our financial health.

When we first got to Israel, I naively figured I could just recreate my life in America right here in Israel (which life didn't really matter - it could have been a NY-style life or a Florida style life, or wherever. We lived in a lot of places, and I'd figured out ways to make it work anywhere...).

But I quickly discovered that things I had taken for granted in America were not so easy here. Not as olim. Perhaps if we had a trust fund (we don't!) we could have bought a house with a pool and a big yard (or a townhouse in a big city) and eaten organic fruits and veggies. But we figured out really quickly that this plan wasn't realistic for us, nor is it for most olim. (This did not take 8 years to figure out. It became rather obvious in just a matter of weeks!)

So there were a bunch of things we had to do.

Food Shopping:
We started shopping on shuk days - and discovered that even if we couldn't get to the shuk, lots of supermarkets compete with local shuk days and offer special sales on Mondays or Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Often, there are awesome deals! We try to take advantage of the cheapest fruits and vegetables we can get by making the most of these sales - since I believe that eating fresh fruits and veggies is very important, so saving money on them is a big WIN! We also try to focus on buying other groceries on sale in general (obviously?). Last week, I got chicken wings for 5 nis/kg (a few weeks earlier, I got them for 3.50 nis/kg!!) - just saying.

Transportation:
We walk. Or bike. Or take buses. A LOT. Filling up the car is pricey in Israel. We do use the car - but we try to use less expensive transportation much of the time. Obviously walking is cheapest. Biking is pretty cool, too - though lately my kids keep popping their inner tubes, and that can be pricey to fix all the time!

Eating out:
I try really hard not to go out for coffee. I've got a coffeemaker at home and I am happy to make my own, and I'll gladly host a coffee hour from time to time! I also have several reusable travel cups on hand for taking coffee-on-the-go, since sometimes that is super convenient. Same thing about ice cream. We buy tubs of ice cream and get our ice cream fixes AT HOME, and the kids more or less know not to ask for ice cream cones when we're out.
If we're going out for the day, we try to carry a decent amount of snacks or food with us. If we're caught unprepared, we try to buy food that is simple and inexpensive. You might see me going into a makolet or supermarket to buy sandwich stuff when that happens!
Eating out at a restaurant is reserved for special occasions ONLY.

Housing:
We bought a smaller house than we originally wanted, and way out in the boondocks. It makes the mortgage manageable. Don't go for a big house with a huge mortgage, if you don't like anxiety attacks!

Shopping:
In America, I was a thrift store junkie. I regularly scoured thrift stores and scored some great items. Some of them were things we needed (I bought a changing table and lots of clothing!), and other items were just things I liked, or thought were cool. So one of the things we had to change was buying things we don't actually need. Without the extra stuff, we can try to keep our clutter in check, and our wallets a little fuller. When we do need things, often our first stop is our local "free to a good home" group, or our second hand shop. We also give away plenty of things to our friends and neighbors! We have a book swap shelf we regularly swap books at, as well.

Here in Israel, money is often tight. Not for everyone, but for many of us. In order to avoid the never ending cycle of "minus" in the bank that seems so prevalent around me, I make an effort to evaluate each purchase by pulling out a few different yardsticks - 1. Will I miss it tomorrow if I skip it today? 2. How many hours of work will this splurge cost me? 3. Can I get my needs met by spending less?

Basically, what I think I'm trying to say is that an Aliyah Money Mindset is all about being Mindful. It's not about deprivation. It's not about denial. But it is about being purposeful and thoughtful before spending money.
After all, tomorrow will come! And it's always best to be ready for the tomorrows.

How are you doing with your Aliyah Mindset? I'd love to hear!

Surveys for money? In Israel? YES!!

This post contains affiliate and referral links. I may be compensated in some way if you click a link and register or make a purchase. Thanks in advance for your support!

Back in the old days before we came back to Israel, I often answered online surveys, and I'd be paid pocket change ($3-$5 per survey) via PayPal. It was an easy way to pad my budget - and I really missed that after making aliyah! I had thought that was all just part of my old life - and obviously, I am no longer eligible to answer US based surveys. But then I discovered that it doesn't mean I can't still get some extra cash here, as there are survey sites here as well!

Click to go to Panel4All!

 First, I signed up for Panel4All a while back, and so can you. This site works differently than what I had gotten used to before I made aliyah - they don't pay in cash. Instead, participants earn points that can be cashed out for gift cards. Depending on your demographics, you'll be invited to answer different surveys. I usually get several emails a week about surveys and when I have 5 minutes, I answer them. Sometimes the surveys close out before I get around to answering though, so don't be surprised if that happens from time to time.

I've added a few more survey sites to my repertoire, and I figured some of you out there may want to use them to earn some side-money, too! I've checked out a number of different ones, and this list includes sites that are specifically for Israel, as well as international ones. Check them out, too!

iPanel  -- you'll have to answer a long survey to complete your registration, but then you'll be able to start earning credits toward a gift card!

Midgam Panel -- this site pays out via Paypal or gift cards, you'll be able to choose what's better for you when the time comes. Paypal seems to charge fees for this, so I prefer the gift card option.

SekerNet -- this site pays via check or bank transfer when you reach the minimum payout threshold of 55nis.

PanelView - this site has some ability to function in English - mine defaulted to English once I answered the survey and told them my first language is English!

Survey Savvy is an international survey site that accepts members from all over the world. I don't know exactly how often Israel-based members will get surveys, but I'm willing to sign up and see what happens.

Palm Research accepts international members AND pays cash via Paypal! 

PaidViewpoint accepts international members, pays via Paypal, and is fairly anonymous - the registration process is also super simple!

Vivatic is more than just surveys - you can also do small writing jobs and other tasks to get paid. If you want to focus on surveys only, you can do that!

I'm also a member of some other sites that only do email referrals. If you'd like to join them, please drop me a note asking me to refer you to "Blueberries" or "MySeker". 


Fiverr can also be a source of quick income. Some jobs are too lengthy to be worthwhile, but if you find your niche, you can actually pick up a bunch of quick $5 jobs each week!

 hope you found this list helpful - I know some people use survey sites as their "side hustle" successfully, and I hope you can too!

Feel free to share this list with others who may want to make some side income answering short surveys!

Bituach Leumi's New Savings Plan for children

Bituach Leumi recently announced that the new Savings Plan for children will be implemented in the next few weeks. Here's a quick summary of how it works:

1. Basic Plan: Bituach Leumi will deposit 50NIS per month into a savings or investment account on behalf of minor children who are eligible for kitzbat yeladim (the Child Stipend). There are a number of different options for savings and investment accounts, more information appears below.

2. Matching Fund Plan - parents can choose to match the 50NIS by choosing to direct 50NIS of the Child Stipend, every month, to the child's savings or investment account.

In order to choose what type of savings account/investment acccount your child will receive, and to choose to match the deposit, you must fill out a form online. Find this form here. (It's in Hebrew. If you need help, please ask a friend or relative who speaks Hebrew to help you. It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to fill out!)

You can review all the options on Bituach Leumi's information site that they've put up about this specific program. Check out the different funds and banks and terms as they apply to your children!

Each child's account will be funded on the 20th of each month. They will be funded with retroactive payments of 50 shekels per month for the period covering May 2015 - December 2016 (total 1,000 NIS). The retroactive payments will be made in "tashlumim" - the first one will be in January 2017, in the amount of 100 shekels. The second one will be 400 NIS, in February 2017. The others will be announced later.

If your child turned 18 after May 2015 but before January 2017, an account WILL be funded in their name. Your now-adult child should receive a letter addressed to him/her explaining what s/he needs to do. 

Upon the child's 18th birthday, the account will be funded with a 500 NIS bonus. If s/he does not withdraw the money before his/her 21st birthday,  a 500 NIS bonus will be deposited upon his/her 21st birthday. 

There is an option to turn the account into a tax-exempt retirement plan that will be disbursed in monthly amounts after retirement. I am not sure how many people will actually do that, but the option is there!

The deadline for filling out this form is June 1, 2017 (note corrected date!). If you don't fill it out by then, Bituach Leumi will choose a default option for you.

Please note - any fees associated with these savings/investment accounts will be covered by Bituach Leumi until your child turns 21 (note corrected age!). At that point, fees will be deducted from the account as allowed by law.

Points to consider:

1. Bank accounts are very safe, and the returns are pretty predictable (you will get to choose between fixed rate and variable rate accounts, and accounts that are linked to the consumer index...). Kupot Gemel are investments (i.e. stocks and other higher risk investments). You can make more money with them, but you can also lose money with them. It's a risk. Weigh your own willingness to take risks before choosing!

2. If your children are US citizens, there may be some sort of tax penalty if you choose one of the "kupat gemel" investment fund options - BUT it is far too soon to know for sure. It may eat up some of the gains, but it is possible that it will still be worthwhile. (But don't make any decisions because of what I wrote. I am just expressing my personal view. Please make your own decision about how you want to approach this particular risk as well!)

3. If you choose a bank option, you may not later choose to switch to an investment fund option. If you choose an investment fund, there will be designated times when you can change tracks within the investment options IF you choose the option with "tachanot yetziah".

4. There are many people talking about the different investment options. Word on the street is that Altschuler-Schacham and Psagot have yielded better returns in the last 5 years than the others. Of course that does not in any way guarantee future positive returns. Just something to think about.

This post is for information purposes only, and my personal opinions may be expressed. This post should not be taken as advice or instructions regarding investments in any way.

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