Can parents waive or reduce child support by agreement in Israel?

The duty to support a child in Israel is owed to the child directly. Because the right is the child's, a mother and father cannot contract it away between themselves in a manner that leaves the child worse off, and a clause in a divorce agreement waiving future support has limited force. The Family Court, and where relevant the Rabbinical Court, keeps supervisory power over child maintenance and will approve an agreement only if it protects the child. If circumstances change, either parent, or the child through a guardian, can ask the court to revisit the amount despite an earlier waiver. This is why a support figure agreed privately is not truly final until it is embodied in a court order. Our guide to child support in Israel explains how the amount is set.

For international families this matters most when a divorce is negotiated abroad and one parent agrees to forgo Israeli child support in exchange for other concessions, such as a larger share of property. That trade can unravel if the child later needs support, because an Israeli court is not bound by the parents' bargain over the child's rights. The safer route is to submit any maintenance agreement to the Family Court for approval, which gives it the status of a judgment enforceable through the Execution Office. Parents can agree to reduce support where the paying parent's income genuinely drops or custody becomes shared, but the reduction should be court-approved rather than simply informal. Stopping payments unilaterally, even under a private waiver, exposes the paying parent to arrears and enforcement.

From the full guide: Child Support in Israel: How It Works for International Families

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