Retirement Age and Bituach Leumi in Israel

Men in Israel reach state retirement age at 67. Women retire between 62 and 65 depending on birth year: 63 if born in 1962, 63 years and 3 months if born in 1963, rising 3 months per cohort until everyone born in 1970 or later retires at 65. The basic Bituach Leumi old-age pension in 2026 is ILS 1,838 a month for an individual and ILS 2,762 for a couple, paid on the 28th of each month. Between retirement age and 70, work income above ILS 10,113 a month shrinks the pension; from age 70 it is paid in full no matter what you earn. There is no early claiming, but every deferred year adds 5%, and a long contribution record adds up to 50% more. Benefit amounts were updated on 1 January 2026.

“Retirement age” in Israel means three different ages: when an employer can ask you to leave, when Bituach Leumi starts paying, and when it pays in full with no income test. Women have a fourth wrinkle, because their age moves with birth year until 2032. This page puts every number in one place. It sits inside our full guide to retiring in Israel, which covers everything beyond the pension.

What is the retirement age for men in Israel?

The retirement age for men in Israel is 67, fixed by the Retirement Age Law, 5764-2004. That is also the mandatory retirement age, the point at which an employer may require you to stop working, but since the 2012 Weinberger ruling of the National Labour Court, no employer can force retirement automatically: they must hold an individual hearing first.

To receive any old-age pension you need a contribution record: 144 months (12 years) cumulative, or 60 months within the 10 years before retirement. From 67 to 70 your pension is income-tested against work earnings. At 70, the test disappears and the full pension is paid regardless of what you earn. Turning 67 also unlocks free public transport nationwide on a Rav-Kav senior profile, one of the few age benefits that arrives with zero paperwork beyond activating the card.

What is the retirement age for women in Israel?

The official retirement age for women is set by date of birth, because a 2021 reform is phasing it up from 62 to 65. Find your row:

Your birth month refines the exact date, so run the Bituach Leumi online calculator for the precise day. Two more numbers women should know: the mandatory retirement age (when an employer can require you to leave, after a hearing) is 67, same as men, and the age at which the income test disappears is 70 for any woman born May 1950 or later.

Will the retirement age change again?

Yes, but only for women. The upcoming retirement-age changes do not touch men. The Knesset passed the reform on 4 November 2021 in two phases: women born 1960 to 1962 saw their retirement age rise 4 months per birth-year cohort, and women born 1963 to 1969 are now adding 3 months per cohort, a schedule that runs through roughly 2032 before settling at 65 for everyone born from January 1970. Men’s retirement age stays at 67; no bill to raise it exists as of mid-2026, though fiscal analysts keep floating the idea.

The state softened the blow with a transition grant (maanak maavar) for women born between January 1960 and December 1966, covering the first 4 months after the 62nd birthday, plus extended unemployment benefits for ages 57 to 67 since January 2022. Even so, the reform has a real price: a woman born in 1963 now waits 15 months longer than the old age of 62 for her pension, and the transition grant only covers part of that gap.

Can you retire early in Israel?

Not with the state pension. There are no early retirement rules for it. Bituach Leumi has no reduced-pension-for-early-claiming option. A man cannot claim before 67 and a woman cannot claim before her birth-year age, full stop. But two parallel routes make earlier retirement workable:

• Your occupational pension opens at 60. Israel’s mandatory workplace pension can be drawn from age 60 (with actuarial reductions for starting early), and drawing it does not trigger the Bituach Leumi income test, because the state pension has not started yet. Taking money as a lump sum rather than a monthly annuity requires first securing a minimum monthly annuity, so check the current threshold with your pension fund. How this interacts with Israeli tax is a topic of its own, covered in our guide to pensions, taxes, and financial planning for retirees in Israel.
• Disability pension as a bridge. If health forces you out of work before retirement age, the Bituach Leumi disability pension carries you to retirement age, at which point Bituach Leumi automatically pays whichever is higher, the disability pension or the old-age pension. You never lose income in the switch.

The protection runs the other way too: an employer who pushes you out before 67 is committing age discrimination under the Equal Opportunities in Employment Law (1988), and you can challenge it.

Should you claim at retirement age or defer to 70?

Claim at retirement age if your work income stays under the income-test ceiling in the table below, and defer toward 70 if it runs well above it. Before unconditional entitlement age, the Bituach Leumi income test can consider work income and certain income from other sources, including rent and investment interest. Income from a pension is treated differently. The applicable test depends on income type, household circumstances and the relevant category; do not assume that every foreign payment or every non-work income source is excluded. Use Bituach Leumi’s current test for your situation before deciding whether to claim or defer.

A deferral comparison depends on the pension actually payable, the reason for non-payment, the applicable deferral conditions and the person’s circumstances. An illustrative calculation alone does not show that deferral is better for every high earner. Check the entitlement and increment with Bituach Leumi before relying on a lifetime-payment comparison.

What changed at Bituach Leumi in the last two years?

Contribution rates rose in January 2025, and benefits were indexed in January 2026. In January 2025, contribution rates rose as a war-budget measure, and child allowances were frozen for 2025, with indexation restored in 2026. Then on 1 January 2026, Bituach Leumi updated its benefit amounts, including the old-age pension and the income supplement. The table below shows the basic old-age pension rates in force since that update.

Health insurance is deducted at source: ILS 237 a month for an individual, ILS 340 for a couple, so the amount actually deposited on the 28th is the basic pension minus that deduction. If your total falls below the guaranteed floor (ILS 4,375 a month for a single person under 70), the income supplement tops you up. The full mechanics of who qualifies for what sit in two dedicated guides: old-age pension eligibility, amounts, and supplements and income supplement, survivor, and disability benefits in Israel.

One cloud on the horizon: the State Comptroller has warned that on current trends Bituach Leumi cannot fully fund its commitments by about 2035. Nothing changes for today’s retirees, but the 2025 contribution hike was the first sign of that squeeze, and pension amounts should be treated as a floor to build on, not a plan. Our guide to realistic retirement budgets and the cost of living in Israel shows what the pension covers and what it does not.

What do the Bituach Leumi pension terms mean?

Six terms carry most of the meaning on this page, and each is defined below.

• Kitzvat zikna: the Bituach Leumi old-age pension, the state benefit this page is about.
• Retirement age: the age you may first claim the pension, subject to the income test.
• Entitlement age: the age (70 for men) at which the pension is paid in full with no income test.
• Seniority increment (tosefet vatik): +2% pension per full insurance year, capped at 50%.
• Deferral increment: +5% pension for each 12-month period you did not receive it because of work income.
• Maanak maavar: the transition grant paying women born 1960 to 1966 the first 4 months after their 62nd birthday.

What should you check before you set a retirement date?

Check six things: your exact date, your contribution record, your work income, your insurance years, the spouse increment and the income supplement.

1. Confirm your exact retirement date on the Bituach Leumi calculator (women: birth month matters, not just year).
2. Verify your contribution record: 144 cumulative months, or 60 within the last 10 years.
3. Compare your expected work income to ILS 10,113 a month (single), then decide: claim now or defer for 5% a year.
4. Count your insurance years: every full insurance year adds 2%, up to 50%.
5. Check the spouse increment: ILS 924 a month, paid only if your spouse’s income stays under the limit Bituach Leumi sets.
6. If your total lands under ILS 4,375 a month (single, under 70), file for the income supplement.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the Bituach Leumi pension before retirement age?

No. There is no early or reduced claiming. Before then your options are the occupational pension (from 60) or, if health forces the issue, the disability pension.

Does my US Social Security or foreign pension reduce my Israeli pension?

It depends on the income type and the benefit. Bituach Leumi treats pension income differently from work and rent income. Check the current income test for the specific foreign payment before relying on an exclusion.

I made aliyah near or after retirement age. Do I get the pension?

If you arrive at or after retirement age, there is no regular pension. Arriving earlier, you accrue rights like anyone else. There is a means-tested Special Old-Age Benefit for New Immigrants at the basic rate without seniority. The details are in our guide to aliyah and residency for retirees.

Can my employer force me to retire?

Not before 67, and at 67 only after an individual hearing that weighs your circumstances. Forcing you out earlier is illegal age discrimination.

Will retirement ages rise again?

For women, yes, on the legislated schedule through about 2032, ending at 65. For men, no legislation exists as of mid-2026, though the Comptroller’s 2035 funding warning keeps the question alive.

Related pages

• Full guide to retiring in Israel
• Old-age pension eligibility, amounts, and supplements
• Income supplement, survivor, and disability benefits
• Pensions, taxes, and financial planning for retirees
• Retirement budgets and the cost of living

Where these numbers come from

All figures are current as of the January 2026 benefit update. Last verified: July 2026.

• Bituach Leumi: old-age pension rates
• Bituach Leumi: retirement age tables
• Bituach Leumi: 2026 benefit update

How do you match your pension income to a home?

Match it by setting your pension income against real homes in your budget. If buying a home or apartment is part of your retirement plan, tell us what you are looking for and we will map real options against your budget, pension income included.