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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Israel related Inquiries & Aliyah Questions

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amother

Wed, Jun 03 2020, 10:03 am

If a family makes Aliyah and their only sources of income are online freelance work, how does that work with taxes and qualifying credit for housing, medical insurance...?

How much income do you need to live comfortably in Israel? Since that's a huge question, here are our specifics:

- Family of 5
- Need top notch medical care, will pay extra for private insurance - need info and cost
- Child with significant special needs (not mainstreamed in school and requires regular PT, OT, speech, specialized medical care, etc.)
- Want to live in Jerusalem. My husband isn't necessarily locked into Jerusalem as the only consideration, but it's my lifelong dream and I really want to.
- Need English-speaking neighbors. Our Hebrew is only so-so.

What are the taxes in Israel?
The financial considerations are such a big unknown. Please clue me in! Thank you!

chanchy123

Wed, Jun 03 2020, 10:12 am

How do you identify religiously (we don’t know you - are you LWMO/chassidish/Litvish)? Who kind of schools would you send to? This will affect the neighborhoods you’d be looking into with different prices.

amother

Wed, Jun 03 2020, 10:26 am

Yeshivish but I've heard in Israel things are categorized differently, is that true? What are the options for school?

amother

Olive

Wed, Jun 03 2020, 10:31 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

1. Medical coverage is not related to employment. You will get basic kupat cholim through Bituach Leumi, then you can upgrade your coverage through the kupah for a few hundred extra shekel and you can also pay for supplemental private insurance. https://www.egertcohen.co.il/e......aspx

2. Living in Jerusalem is a beautiful dream but it's EXPENSIVE. If your children are used to their own rooms and a yard, etc. that doesn't exist that much at a reasonable price.
There are plenty of neighborhoods with a lot of English speakers but they may be full of retirees and young families, not that many older children.

3. Child with special needs - there are services all over the country. You don't need to live in Jerusalem for that. Your child will be bused to his/her special ed school for free.

You will need to discuss your specific income/taxes situation with a good accountant who does both American and Israeli taxes. We use https://www.expattaxcpas.com/t.....-cpa/

B'hatzlacha!

amother

Olive

Wed, Jun 03 2020, 10:35 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Yeshivish but I've heard in Israel things are categorized differently, is that true? What are the options for school?

Public school - chareidi - very limited secular studies, limited or no bagruyot, no army
Options will vary depending on where you live.

Chemed (chardal) - chareidi DL, army track, bagruyot, but very serious limudei kodesh
Private schools are also available.

chanchy123

Wed, Jun 03 2020, 10:38 am

Is funny because to me in America things are categorized differently. I’m sorry I can’t help with Yeshivish.
You have medical insurance through the national HMOs there are different levels of coverage, I’d recommend getting the highest level of insurance and then should be enough - all fees ave courage should appear on the HMOs website (frees are pretty much identical)
I’m pretty sure your child works receive all those therapies through school (special ed schools sporks have those). I might be delusional but I don’t think a special ed school should cost much.
There are plenty of people here who work as freelancers - you should probably consult an Israeli-American accountant about taxation.
Maybe tell us what your monthly budget would look like and we can help you break that down.
Be ware Anglo yeshivish neighborhood inside Yerushalyim can be expensive, but if it need to be close to medical facilities it might be worth it.

Rappel

Wed, Jun 03 2020, 10:51 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

If a family makes Aliyah and their only sources of income are online freelance work, how does that work with taxes and qualifying credit for housing, medical insurance...?

How much income do you need to live comfortably in Israel? Since that's a huge question, here are our specifics:

1- Family of 5
2- Need top notch medical care, will pay extra for private insurance - need info and cost
3- Child with significant special needs (not mainstreamed in school and requires regular PT, OT, speech, specialized medical care, etc.)
4- Want to live in Jerusalem. My husband isn't necessarily locked into Jerusalem as the only consideration, but it's my lifelong dream and I really want to.
5- Need English-speaking neighbors. Our Hebrew is only so-so.

What are the taxes in Israel?
The financial considerations are such a big unknown. Please clue me in! Thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't live the lifestyle you're looking for, but I'm going to put up some estimates just to give you a ballpark number. If someone here lives in an American community, or has a special needs child, and disagrees with me, then please take their advice over mine!

1- living expenses, in the city, in an American environment, not including rent: For you, I would estimate 13,000 shek/month. Once you settle in, you'll probably find that your expenses drop.

2 - medical care here is socialized. We pay premium plus סיעוד, and it comes out to less than 140 shekels a month. Children are on your plan until they're adults. Copays can add up - for example, we were all sick a lot this winter, and we ended up buying tons of antibiotics and creams and probiotics and vitamins - there were months when we payed several hundred shekels to the kupat cholim. I have no idea what the copays and costs would be for your child's specific therapies, since I have no experience in that realm, but maybe you can break that down with an imma here who has a child with special needs.

3-see number 2. Just know, this is definitely a Medina shel chessed. There is an organisation for everything you could possibly need regarding children or medical care.

4- Yerushalayim rents for a large family-sized apartment can run 5-8,000 shek a month, depending on the neighborhood.

5 - I say this again and again, but I'll say it again Smile

I recommend you try to live near good friends/family whom speak English, so you have someone to lean on when things are hard. (And they will be! Aliyah is very taxing, and it takes years to settle in!). But you'll be doing yourself a great service if you put yourself in a context where you'll be forced to practice/learn new hebrew daily. Your children will grow up Israeli, you'll be moving in Israeli society, you'll be dealing with endless forms and offices over the years... You need to be able to connect with the world around you. Fluent Hebrew will be your ticket to connecting to your children, and living as an independent adult. It really is essential to a successful life here. I didn't come with Hebrew, and most olim don't. But if you make the efforts to really learn it from the beginning, then it will only benefit you.

So your estimate - roughly 20,000 shekels/month, plus an X factor for your child's therapies.

amother

Blush

Wed, Jun 03 2020, 12:13 pm

Rappel, the apartments in the more Yeshivish (and central) areas are more like 8000. 5000 shekel can get a simple basic 2 bedroom apartment.

amother

Wed, Jun 03 2020, 3:50 pm

Thank you Rappel. If hypothetically money isn't an issue, what would it cost for a nice apartment with 3 or 4 bedrooms and at least a small outdoor space to play? I don't need upgraded everything, but enough space and in good condition.

WitchKitty

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 12:27 am

For SN you need to fight no matter what insurance you have. But almost all therapies are subsidized, and in school. School is not a lot of money if you're qualified. (=if you fight it out.)

Success10

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 12:50 am

Where? Har Nof? Ramat Eshkol? Maybe 7500-8000 shekels a month rent? Maybe more. Rechavia is much more expensive. There are cheaper areas, of course, but not as many anglos.

banana123

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 12:58 am

amother [ Blush ] wrote:

Rappel, the apartments in the more Yeshivish (and central) areas are more like 8000. 5000 shekel can get a simple basic 2 bedroom apartment.

5000 or 8000 for a three-room apartment????

That is OUTRAGEOUS.

Rappel

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 12:58 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Here are some listings of garden apartments, to give you an accurate idea.

https://www.yad2.co.il/realest.....rty=3

The apartments are listed by total number of rooms, not including bathrooms. So if it says it's a 5 room apartment, subtract the kitchen and the living room, and you can usually assume that apartment has 3 bedrooms. Obviously, check out any apartment (or have a trusted friend check it) before you rent it. So you're looking for a 5-6 room apartment.

An alternative to a garden apartment would be an apartment with a large mirpesset, or in some cases a building with a park attached. There are definitely kid - friendly options all over Yerushalayim, if you have the time to look for them.

Does your child with SN require a wheelchair or accessibility?

amother

Olive

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 12:59 am

banana123 wrote:

5000 or 8000 for a three-room apartment????

That is OUTRAGEOUS.

I lived in Rehavia and paid over 6000 for a 3 room apartment. Moved to Bet Shemesh and got a 6 room for the exact same price, plus an extra bathroom.
Welcome to Jerusalem.....

banana123

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 1:00 am

Rappel wrote:

Kitchen isn't usually counted as a room. So a 4-room apartment is three bedrooms and a living room (and of course kitchen and bathroom and tiny laundry room).

A 5-room apartment would have four bedrooms and a living room, plus of course kitchen and bathroom (maybe laundry room maybe not).

banana123

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 1:02 am

amother [ Olive ] wrote:

I lived in Rehavia and paid over 6000 for a 3 room apartment. Moved to Bet Shemesh and got a 6 room for the exact same price, plus an extra bathroom.
Welcome to Jerusalem.....

Inflation much?

I feel like even if the prices haven't been rising by a couple percentage points each year everywhere in the country, in Jerusalem they have just skyrocketed in the past few years.

amother

Aqua

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 1:10 am

About yeshivish neighborhoods;

Depends how yeshivish you are looking for;
Pricing for nice 3-4 bedroom +yard/porch is
Har nof - 6,500 - 8,000
Ramat Eshkol/Arzei/Maalot Dafna- 7,000 - 8,500
Sorozkin Romema Area???
Sanhedria Murchevet (more yeshvish) 6,500- 8,000

There are other neighborhoods that are not AMERICAN but have a nice american communities that are further out and are cheaper - Neve Yaakov and Ramot come to mind.
There you would pay more like 5,000
Also consider that in those neighborhoods coming from america you may consider a car more essential (buses a bit more of a shlep) but you may consider a car essential regardless.

Regarding Taxes;
I have an online american job, and I file as an independent in both countries, I make 35k a year which is low enough salary that because I have kids we get high american tax returns. Whith israeli unfortunately when you are independent once you make more then 6,800 nis a month you have to pretty high tax, but my accountant counts a lot of things as business expenses so it isn't so terrible...

Health insurance :
The highest level of insurance is only a couple hundred nis a month BUT while you are eligible for a lot it takes a lot of fighting to get it. For example dd is eligible for treatment in the states because it is not offered here but it took us months of fighting to get it.
Chaim Bechesedis a great resource for americans

Schools:
You should take in consideration what kind of schools you would fit into - while most public BY tutions/chadarim are minimal, if you are the type to send to one of more yeshivish american private schools it could add up.
Yeshiva Katana/High school is usually a couple hundred nis, but again if you want to send to a more american place with secular studies like Maarava it could be up to 3,000 nis a month.
Yeshiva Gedolah ranges from 1,000-1,500 nis a month
Girls BY High School is a couple hundred until 13th+14th grade when it's about 20,000 nis a year but it includes certification for work (not a college degree but recognized by the misrad haavodah)

chanchy123

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 1:15 am

Rappel wrote:

Correction a kitchen is not considered a room, a living room is. If you’re looking for a three bedroom apartment you’re going to want a four room apartment (because living room is a room). Sometimes they add a half room. Which can be a very small room or open area (we have an open-planned family room/area I’d add it as half a room if I were advertising my home since it’s not a bedroom with a door.

chanchy123

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 1:22 am

amother [ Aqua ] wrote:

Regarding Taxes;
I have an online american job, and I file as an independent in both countries, I make 35k a year which is low enough salary that because I have kids we get high american tax returns. Whith israeli unfortunately when you are independent once you make more then 6,800 nis a month you have to pretty high tax, but my accountant counts a lot of things as business expenses so it isn't so

If I’m not mistaken if you work at home you can write off a third of your home expenses and a third of your car costs. From what I understand it pretty much evens out at the end it’s just a hassle.

amother

Blush

Thu, Jun 04 2020, 1:25 am

RE/Sanhedria Murchevet area a 4 room (3 bedroom) is approx. 7500-8000 shekel.
Sanhedria is cheaper than Murchevet.
Maalot Dafne is around the same but there are some cheaper there.
Sorotzkin prices are similar as well.

Ive found cheaper prices in Har Nof than in these areas.

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