Injury Allowance: Payment During Incapacity Following a Work Injury

What is Injury Allowance?

Injury Allowance is a National Insurance payment to an insured person who was injured in a work accident or developed an occupational disease, was recognized as a work-injury victim, and is unable to work because of the injury. It covers a limited period of incapacity and is not a determination of permanent disability.

There must be a connection between the injury and the documented incapacity. As a rule, Injury Allowance is not paid for time during which the insured person actually worked. When partial incapacity is certified and working hours are reduced, a reduced allowance may be payable for the absent hours, subject to the medical certificate and applicable rules. The calculation is also affected by employment status and insured income.

Key requirements

• The claimant is insured under Work Injury Insurance, and the event or disease has been recognized as a work injury.
• A "first medical certificate for a work-injury victim" states a period of incapacity resulting from the injury.
• The insured person did not work during the period for which full payment is requested. For part-time work, reduced eligibility for absent hours may be assessed under the medical certificate and the prescribed daily limit.
• The claim was filed within 12 months of the injury date. Delay may impair eligibility.

Why is the timeline important?

The claim review considers the sequence among the event date, report, first medical examination, diagnosis, and incapacity certificates. An unexplained gap may make it harder to assess the connection to the injury.

If a limitation remains after the Injury Allowance period ends, a separate claim for determination of work-disability degree should be considered. Extending medical leave certificates alone does not extend the Injury Allowance period beyond the statutory maximum.

How is Injury Allowance calculated, and when does payment begin?

The daily Injury Allowance equals 75% of income subject to insurance contributions during the base period, divided by 90, using the higher of the two calculation periods specified by the National Insurance Institute. As of January 1, 2026, the cap is NIS 1,314.25 per day.

Payment is limited to 13 weeks, up to 91 consecutive or nonconsecutive days, beginning on the day after the injury. The employer pays for the day of injury. An employee absent for up to 11 days receives National Insurance payment beginning on the third day after the injury. If the employee is absent for 13 days or more, payment begins on the day after the injury. For a self-employed person, the first 12 days of absence are deducted.

How the process works

1. 01

   Report the injury to the employer and seek medical care as close to the event as possible.

2. 02

   An employee obtains an employer referral for medical treatment. A self-employed person uses the form designated for that status.

3. 03

   Obtain a first medical certificate for a work-injury victim documenting the injury and incapacity.

4. 04

   File the claim with all certificates and information about the event and income.

5. 05

   Track recognition and calculation, and consider a Work Disability Benefits claim if a limitation remains.

Documents you may need

• A complete claim form and an accurate description of the event, location, time, and activity being performed.
• Employer referral for medical treatment for an employee (Form BL/250), or the form for an injured self-employed person (Form BL/283).
• The first medical certificate, emergency-room summary, tests, and continuous incapacity certificates.
• Pay slips and income records as required, as well as witness details or reports if available.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Giving different descriptions of the event to the employer, on the claim form, and in the medical record.
• Seeking medical care late without an explanation or a record connecting the complaints to the event.
• Submitting only a standard sick-leave certificate instead of the designated certificate for a work-injury victim.
• Failing to consider the Work Disability Benefits track when the limitation continues after the Injury Allowance period.