How many paid annual leave days is an Israeli employee entitled to?

The Annual Leave Law 5711-1951 specifies entitlements in "working days," which means days the employee would ordinarily be required to work. A full-time employee working a five-day week who takes 12 days of leave is therefore absent for 2.4 calendar weeks. The seniority calculation counts continuous service with the same employer from the first day of employment. A break in employment followed by re-engagement generally resets the seniority counter unless the parties agree otherwise or a court finds the gap was short and the employment was effectively continuous. Leave taken by agreement between employer and employee counts against the statutory minimum: an employer who grants leave beyond the statutory entitlement as a contractual benefit cannot substitute those extra days for the statutory minimum. The statutory minimum is a floor — employment contracts and collective agreements can only improve on it.

For foreign workers in Israel, the leave entitlement operates identically to that of Israeli nationals: the Annual Leave Law applies to everyone working in Israel under an employment relationship, including workers on B/1 work visas and employees posted temporarily by a foreign employer. The employer cannot substitute a cash payment for annual leave while the employment is ongoing — leave must actually be taken in accordance with Section 6 of the Annual Leave Law, which gives the employer the right to determine the timing of leave, subject to giving at least 14 days' notice. An employer who prevents an employee from taking leave in a given year carries over that employee's liability; accumulated leave must be paid on termination at the final salary rate applicable on the last day of employment. This liability can become significant after several years of under-used leave, particularly for employees with high final salaries.

From the full guide: Employment Law in Israel for Foreign Nationals and Expats: A Practical Guide

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