What legal obligations does an Israeli household have when employing a cleaner or nanny?

Israeli protective labor legislation attaches to the employment relationship rather than to the size or nature of the employer, so a family paying a cleaner for four hours a week is covered. The minimum wage stands at NIS 5,880 a month for a full-time post, which works out at roughly NIS 31.60 an hour for hourly workers in 2026. Paid annual leave, sick pay, convalescence pay after the first year and pension contributions under the general extension order all accrue in proportion to the hours worked. On dismissal after a year or more, the worker is owed severance of one month's salary for each year of service, calculated on the last wage.

Registration with the National Insurance Institute is the step households most often skip. A household employer opens a file and reports the wages every quarter, with contributions calculated as a percentage of the wage and reduced where the worker is also insured through other work or draws a pension. Skipping it leaves the worker without cover for a workplace accident and leaves the family exposed to arrears and to a claim if an injury happens on the stairs. Cash payment without a payslip carries a further cost, because a Labor Court faced with no records will generally prefer the worker's account of hours and wages. Employing a foreign national adds a permit requirement on top of all this, as set out in the guide to employing domestic staff in Israel.

From the full guide: Employing a Cleaner, Nanny or Domestic Worker in Israel: A Complete Legal Guide for Homeowners

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