A young mother told us that she was considering full-time freelancing as a way to make her own schedule and have enough time to spend with her children, but she wasn’t sure she understood the paperwork involved. A new oleh reported that he chose freelancing in order to work with clients abroad using expertise that doesn’t translate well in the Israeli job market and wanted to know his obligations to the Israeli government. A translator chose freelancing because full-time translation jobs are a rarity, but was confused about her rights as a small business owner.
What all these professionals have in common is that they were all concerned about the legalities of full-time freelancing. They were worried that freelancing in Israel might be complicated and expensive. They had heard that they would pay high taxes and be bogged down in paperwork.
So we set out to put together a list of legal issues which must be taken into consideration before deciding to go freelance.
Freelancers don’t enjoy the same rights as employees
Employees have rights under Israeli law, such as vacation days, sick days, compensation for getting fired and Bituach Leumi partially paid for by the employer. Freelancers do not enjoy these rights – they are paid only according to the agreement made with the client, the agreement can end at any time and they must pay their own Bituach Leumi.
In exchange for their lack of rights, freelancers retain control over their work schedules and the clients they choose to work with. The labor courts have been known to consider a freelancer a de facto employee, if the client behaves more like an employer than a client. One example would be a freelancer who works exclusively for one client for a long period of time and is integral to the function of the department in which he works. The possibility that this worker will be considered an employee retroactively is meant to prevent companies from taking advantage of workers by forcing them to accept freelance conditions while not allowing them the freedom that comes with the status.
Freelancers are responsible for reporting income and paying tax
Employees have their income tax automatically withheld from their paychecks, but freelancers are responsible for reporting their income and paying income tax. Reporting for an Osek Murshe is done bi-monthly and can often be a complicated process. Many freelancers choose to hire an accountant or tax advisor to file their reports in order to avoid fines and other sanctions from the government.
Freelancers may have to collect and pay VAT
A freelancer who is categorized as Osek Murshe (either because his annual salary is over 120,000 NIS as of 2024, or because his business must always be categorized as Murshe) must collect VAT from clients and pay it forward to the Israeli government.
According to the Israel Tax Authority website, Value Added Tax (VAT) is “imposed on any transaction executed in Israel, on import of goods by every person and on provision of services, in a single rate from the sum of the transaction or the price of the goods.” In 2024, VAT is 17% of the total sale.
This tax is collected by the business and then transferred to the government. Physical products are priced with the VAT included, but when services are provided, the freelancer may quote a price including VAT or let clients know that the price quote does not include VAT.
VAT which is collected from customers is paid to the government every two months. Certain business expenses can be deducted from the total VAT owed.
Transactions must be recorded with receipts
Any transaction associated with the business must be recorded. The customer must receive a receipt for payments made. Receipts can be on paper or online and must be compliant with Israeli law. An Osek Murshe providing services will also issue a tax invoice, although this can often be combined with the receipt in a document called Cheshbonit Mas Kabbalah (tax invoice receipt).
Some examples of approved invoicing and receipt software are:
Freelancers are required to contribute to a pension fund
Until 2017, freelancers could choose whether to deposit funds independently into a pension fund, but this led to a situation in which too many freelancers were in a financial bind when they reached retirement age. According to current law, freelancers must contribute to a pension fund according to how much they earn.
For the first 75,216 NIS earned, a minimum of 4.45% must be deposited. For the next 150,432 NIS earned, 12.55% must be deposited. Any income above that amount is exempt from the pension fund, but freelancers who want to increase their retirement fund can choose to deposit more. There are tax incentives for pension funds but they are not limitless.
Legally, pension funds can be deposited all at once, as long as they are deposited by the end of the tax year in December. Of course, for many freelancers it is financially easier to deposit a smaller sum each month. This can be set up automatically through the bank.
Freelancers must fill out a Hatzharat Hon
The Israeli government requires freelancers to declare their assets to the government periodically (when the file is first opened and about every five years thereafter). The purpose of this report, called a Hatzharat Hon (declaration of assets), is to ensure that freelancers aren’t under-reporting their income.
The first Hatzharat Hon serves as a basis for future reports, so that assets reported are constantly checked against the first one. This makes it doubly important that the first one is done properly. It is highly recommended to hire a professional accountant or tax advisor to assist in the preparation of this report. Because the declaration requires a lot of personal information, it is not a job which can be handed over entirely to an expert, and the freelancer will have to be involved with the paperwork. But the accountant will know what needs to be included and ensure that the freelancer is in compliance.
Is it worth it?
We are often asked whether it’s worth it to freelance with all the extra obligations and paperwork that come along with it. There’s no right answer, of course. So much depends on industry, income, lifestyle and personality. Some people find that the inconveniences are far outweighed by the flexibility that freelancing affords them. Others are able to establish more lucrative careers by working for themselves or just can’t fit full-time work into their schedules and prefer to make their own hours.
Freelancing can be made much simpler by outsourcing the reporting and paperwork. The extent to which this is done must, of course, be balanced with the cost of hiring others to do this work. Many freelancers start out doing a lot of the admin work for their business themselves and hire others as their income grows. If they can earn more by doing the work of the core business, it pays to outsource the admin work.
Employer of Record services like Route 38 are another solution for outsourcing paperwork. In this scenario, the person is considered an employee of the EOR service. Income tax, Bituach Leumi and pension will be automatically withheld. Invoices and receipts will be issued by the EOR per the employee’s instructions and there is no need for a Hatzharat Hon. Some EOR services are geared towards freelancers with multiple clients, while others (like Route 38) are more focused on those who have one client abroad.
Not sure whether freelancing is for you? Read more about the differences between employees and freelancers in our free e-book, Your Route to Career Success in Israel.