Guidelines for Bituach Leumi Unemployment Benefits Request 

Please pay attention that Unemployment age is between 18-67! we are currently trying to find solution to this issue. if you are 67+ please be in touch with Sergio Sela 052-4338168 or Sonia Gorin 054-5645975

please pay attention that the proper links will be added along the day, you can find the documents and the web pages at the parallel Hebrew guidelines or you can find them via google search in English and the Hebrew web site will be as the 3-6 option of the search. Thanks to all the people helping translation to the different languages and if you want to help please contact us!!

This new guidelines provide by the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) specifically for special support and quick response for tour guides, regarding the current crisis in the tourism industry.

Who is entitled to unemployment benefits?

• Tour guides that work for travel agencies as an employee (you receive a pay statement – tlush maskoret)
• Self-employed tour guides (osek patur/morshe), and those working via tour operators via invoice (heshbonit) and is not the owner of a “Rechev Eshkol”*
• Self-employed tour guides working as osek patur/morshe that provide guiding services directly to tourists.

You will not need to obtain a letter of dismissal or letter of termination of work from the tour operators! A joint declaration of Moreshet Derech and the tour guide (see below) can be used as a replacement of such a letter.

* Note for “Rechev Eshkol” owners

As of now, tour guides that own one or more vehicles known as “Rechev Eshkol”, will be entitled to unemployment benefits only for guiding days provided to a tour operator (as a self-employed provider or as a salaried employee) and had worked on a tour bus – which is not owned by the guide claiming unemployment. Days the guide was not working on the bus will not be included under unemployment benefits. Should you require additional information please contact Gadi Dahan at 052-333-2002.

The instructinos whould be followed in order to apply for unemployment benefits:

1. As soon as you have completed your last guiding job you must register as “a job seeker” with the Employment Service (לשכת התעסוקה):

Please read the following points carefully, then click here to go to the Employment Service website and complete the questionnaire.

• The calculation and counting of the days of entitlement for unemployment benefits will start from the date you are enrolled as a “job seeker” in the Employment Service. This is why it is important to register at the Employment Service as soon as possible.
• The reason for the termination of work is “dismissal” (פיטורין)- and no other reason. If you are already registered with the Employment Service as “job seeker” and you have registered for another reason (holiday without payment, termination of contract, etc.) – Don’t worry: in your first interview with the Employment Service, ask the clerk to correct the reason for the termination of employment.
• The field of employment is “Tourism and Hotel” ((מלונות ותיירות, then choose “Tour Guide” (מדריך תיירות)
• The registration of the Employment Service takes about 20 minutes, and consists of several steps (personal details, education, etc.). Regarding employment history – mention all your past employers with whom you worked as employees. If you also worked as self-employed – mention your last client (the travel agency that you had provided guiding service) as the last employer – In such case, it is not necessary to mention all the travel agencies you have worked with before.
• At the end of the registration, you will be asked to set an appointment for first attendance at the nearest Employment Service branch – you must physically go there within two weeks (14 days) from the date you registered as “job seekers” on the site. If you do not show up within two weeks, you will lose your unemployment benefit entitlement for the days that have passed between enrollment and physical attendance at the Bureau, and that would be a shame!

2. Please prepare the following documents for the application of unemployment benefits:

• Salary Reports – תלושי משכורת (if you worked as an employee tour guide for a travel agency, or as an employee for any other employer) – Prepare all the salary reports you have from the last 18 months (before the registration date for the Employment Service as a “job seeker”.
• Tax-Invoices (Osek Murshe עוסק מורשה) or Receipts (Osek Patur עוסק פטור)
• Guiding service which were provided independently to private clients (not to a travel agency), and/or to travel agencies – Prepare a copy of all the tax-invoices – (Osek Murshe עוסק מורשה) and receipts (Osek Patur עוסק פטור).
• Please note – we are referring only to documents that you have generated for income – not including receipts for expenses refund/ travel expenses etc.
• A consecutive list with receipt numbers and guiding dates –
• Of all the guiding jobs that you have guided not as an employee for the last 12 months (before the registration date for the Employment Service as a “job seeker”).
• The list can be handwritten, in Word, in Excel or any other way – but save the file as PDF when applying for unemployment benefits. (through the internet)

Here is an example how a list should look like:

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• The “Joint Declaration” form of the tour guide and Moreshet Derech – in order to receive this form, please e-mail to avtalamoreshet@gmail.com with the following information:

1. Photo or scan your valid tour guide license;
2. Your telephone number;
3. The date of termination of employment (the registration date for the Employment Service as a “job seeker”;
4. The expected unemployment period – the time period up until your next group. If you do not have a planned group, write “6 months”.

You will receive the signed declaration form within 2-3 days.

• 856 Form or 857 Form –
• Tour guides that provided guiding services independently to tour operators (i.e. Osek Murshe – עוסק מורשה that issues tax-invoices or Osek Patur – עוסק פטורthat issue receipts) – Make a request from all tour operators you have worked for to provide you one of these two forms (which are reporting forms from the employers bookkeeping department, and by which they report on payments made in your name for Income Tax (Mas Hachnasa) , National Insurance (Bituach Leumi), and National Health care insurance.
• For Bituach Leumi, both Osek Murshe (עוסק מורשה) and Osek Patur (עוסק פטור) are required to obtain and submit 856 or 857 Form from all tour operators the guided was employed by. By law, it is the duty of the agencies to provide you with such forms.
• Important Note: If the travel agencies do not agree to give you 856/857 Forms (as implied by Mr. Yossi Fattael’s letter), you can hand in the application without these forms!

Bituach Leumi’s management is aware of the issue, and will deal with the tour operators to obtain the forms (which is a confirmation from the agencies that you actually provided them guiding services). Moreshet Derech will inform all the tour operators, through their attorneys, of operators obligation to provide stated forms. However, this legal process will not delay the receipt of unemployment benefits – which is what is important to us at this time.

3. To apply for Unemployment Benefits –

Read the following instruction carefully, and then click here to apply at the Bituach Leumi website:

• The registration on the Bituach Leumi website is very similar to the registration on the Employment Service website.
• The reason for the termination of work is “dismissal”.
• We recommend you to apply online through Bituach Leumi website, but those who have difficulty using the website can make an appointment https://myvisit.com/#!/home/signin/and submit the application to the Bituach Leumi local branch in person (where you can also receive human assistance for the application).
• There are calculators in Bituach Leumi’s website https://www.btl.gov.il/Simulators/Pages/AvtalaCalcNew.aspx that help you to calculate how long you are entitled to get unemployment benefits and how much you can get.
• The unemployment benefits are calculated by age, the average of last 6 months’ income, and other personal variables. Therefore, different people may receive a difference amount of unemployment benefits.

Please note – during the period of receiving unemployment benefits:

• You must be available for employment offers from the Employment Service, and reach the Employment Service Bureau at the frequency and time that is set for you, just like any other job seekers.
• If during the period of receiving unemployment benefits you have received an occasional job offer and took it:
• It is your duty to report the guiding dates (which you are not unemployed) to the Employment Bureau – and they will record these guiding days as days which you are not entitled to receive unemployment benefits).
• After completing “occasional work” during the unemployed period, you will continue to receive unemployment benefits as usual, minus the number of days you have worked.
• Don’t worry about “destroying” your average compensation calculation: Bituach Leumi will not recalculate your entitled amount, but to continue paying unemployment benefit at the rate set for you when you applied for it.
• Bottom line: if you manage to get guiding during the period you receive unemployment benefits, it is worthwhile taking the job because, generally speaking, the unemployment benefits you will receive per day is lower than the average daily guiding salary.

Guides who have difficulty with Hebrew and require assistance in filing these forms, etc:

You are welcome to write to Moreshet Derech by emailing to avtalamoreshet@gmail.com, and we will have a volunteer tour guide contact you for assistance.

We are also currently translating these guidelines into more languages – if you can and would like to help with the translations, please contact Yoni Shapira at 052-3675943 – on this issue only!

If you have any questions, we are here for you! (click to send an email).