Can a judgment creditor in Israel attach the income of a self-employed debtor?

The Execution Law 5727-1967 and its accompanying regulations govern all enforcement proceedings through the Execution Office (Lishkat HaHotzaa LePoal). For employees, Section 48 provides a clean mechanism: the Execution Office issues a direct deduction order to the employer, who then withholds a set amount from each paycheck and remits it to the creditor. For a self-employed person — a freelancer, sole trader, contractor, or independent professional — no employer exists. The creditor must therefore pursue the debtor's income at the point where it lands: typically their business bank account. An attachment order (*tzav ikul al cheshbon*) served on the bank instructs the bank to freeze incoming deposits and transfer the surplus above the protected threshold to the creditor's account. Detailed guidance on how the Execution Office handles enforcement is set out in the full guide to the Israeli Execution Office.

Pursuing a self-employed debtor requires additional investigative steps. Before attaching accounts, the creditor often needs a financial disclosure order (*tzav galui nakhsim*) compelling the debtor to appear before the Execution Office Registrar and disclose all bank accounts, outstanding invoices, and assets. Debtors who fail to appear or provide false information face contempt proceedings, including fines and potential detention. Once accounts are identified, the attachment can capture future deposits as they arrive. Israeli law protects a minimum income: the Execution Regulations set a protected monthly amount that rises with the number of the debtor's dependents, preserving the debtor's capacity to meet basic living costs while channeling the surplus to creditors. Foreign creditors with Israeli court judgments or recognized foreign judgments can initiate Execution Office proceedings through an Israeli attorney.

From the full guide: The Israeli Execution Office: How Debt Enforcement Works

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