Notice to employee about terms of employment: what it must include, and when it must be given

Service page: Employment lawyer: dismissals, wages and severance pay.

By when must the notice of employment terms be given?

• Employee: no later than 30 days from the day they started work (section 1).
• Youth (as defined in the Youth Labor Law, 5713-1953 (חוק עבודת הנוער, התשי״ג-1953)): no later than 7 days (section 1).
• Short work: the Law does not apply to an employee whose period of work does not exceed 30 days, or to a youth whose period of work does not exceed 7 days (section 9).

The notice is given in writing (section 1), and is drawn up according to Form 1 in the Schedule to the Notice to Employee (Terms of Employment) (Form and Details of Notice) Regulations, 5762-2002 (תקנות הודעה לעובד (תנאי עבודה) (צורת הודעה ופרטיה), התשס״ב-2002) (regulation 1(a)).

What must appear in the notice? Section 2 and the regulations

(Section 2(a)(1)–(10); regulation 2 of the Notice to Employee (Terms of Employment) (Form and Details of Notice) Regulations, 5762-2002)

In addition, the wording of the notice must state that it does not detract from any right the employee has under law, an extension order, a collective agreement, an employment contract or another contract (section 2(b)). The Minister of Labor may set additional details, and also types of employers who are exempt (section 2(c)); the additional details are those in rows 11 and 12, and the exemption is for an employer of a foreign worker, as set out in the frequently asked questions (regulations 2–3).

Notice of employment terms: Form 1 in the regulations, and what to fill in

The notice is drawn up according to Form 1 in the Schedule to the regulations (regulation 1(a)). This is the order of the details in the form, and at the end, a detail that was added to the Law after the form was published:

1. Name of the employer, the legal entity, ID number or registration number (corporation) and address; name of the employee, ID number and address.
2. Start date of work; period of the contract: from date to date, or that the period of the contract is not fixed.
3. The employee’s main duties.
4. Name of the direct supervisor or their job title.
5. The basis on which the wage is paid: monthly salary, hourly wage, daily wage, weekly wage, piecework wage, job-rate wage or other.
6. The grading and the grade; and if the wage is not set by a grading under a collective agreement, the total of the fixed payments (gross) and a breakdown of the fixed payments and the payments that are not fixed, with the date of each payment.
7. Length of the normal working day or the normal working week.
8. Weekly day of rest.
9. Payments for social benefits (pension, insurance, savings (study fund and other)): the receiving body and the name of the plan, the employee’s and the employer’s contribution percentage, and the date payment starts.
10. The workers’ organization (trade union) that is a party to the collective agreement, and its address for contact.
11. For a service contractor or a manpower contractor: the terms of employment in the contract with the client or with the actual employer, and the conditions for ending the employment relationship (section 2(a)(10)).

The form ends with the words set by the regulations, and with the date and the employer’s signature:

“This notice is not an employment agreement, but the employer’s notice of the main terms of employment; nothing in this notice detracts from any right granted to the employee under any law, extension order, collective agreement or employment contract.”

The form itself, as the Ministry of Labor publishes it: Sample wording of a notice of employment terms, Form 1 (PDF, Ministry of Labor, in Hebrew). A “confirmation of receipt” by the employee is not required in the form; it helps prove that the notice was given and when.

A written employment contract instead of a notice?

Yes, provided it is complete and given on time. A written employment agreement that includes all the matters in section 2(a), and also the additional details set in the regulations (the basis of the wage and payment in kind), and that was given to the employee within the times in section 1, fulfills the employer’s duty (section 2(d); regulation 2). What else it is worth having in the contract: Employment contract: what must be in writing and how to check it.

A change in the terms of employment: when is a new notice needed?

When one of the details in the notice changes, the employer gives the employee notice of the change within 30 days, and for a youth within 7 days, from the day it learned of the change (section 3). The notice of the change is drawn up according to Form 3 in the regulations: the detail that changed, the change itself and the date it takes effect (regulation 1(c)); and when the basis of the wage or the payment in kind changes, they are included in it too (regulation 2). No separate notice is needed for:

• a change that results from a change in the law;
• an update of the payments in item 5, when it is made under the law or under an agreement;
• a change that appears on the payslip. (What must appear on the payslip)

The forms, as the Ministry of Labor publishes them: Notice of a change in the terms of employment, Form 3 (PDF, in Hebrew) · Notice of contributions for social benefits, Form 2 (PDF, in Hebrew).

What happens if no notice was given?

So the notice is also evidence: an employer that gave it on time, and kept a copy, holds its own version of the terms of employment in writing. Support on the employer’s side: Legal support for employers.

Job candidates: notice about progress and about rejection

The Law also requires notices to a candidate who takes part in an interview or a test (section 3A):

• Progress of the screening procedures: at least once every two months from the day participation began.
• Not being hired: no later than 14 days from the day on which another person was hired.
• What the notice includes: the name of the employer and the candidate, the date the screening began and who is conducting it (if not the employer), the role, and the name of the sender and their position. An electronic notice is enough.
• Who it does not apply to: work for a period of up to 30 days, the catering industry, and an employer that employs up to 25 employees.

Frequently asked questions

By when must an employee be given notice of the terms of employment?

No later than 30 days from the start of work, and for a youth, no later than 7 days (section 1).

Is there an official form for the notice to employee?

Yes. Under the Notice to Employee (Terms of Employment) (Form and Details of Notice) Regulations, 5762-2002, the notice of the terms of employment is drawn up according to Form 1 in the Schedule to the regulations; a separate notice of the payments for social benefits according to Form 2; and a notice of a change in the terms according to Form 3 (regulation 1). The Ministry of Labor publishes the forms on its website.

Is a written employment contract enough?

Yes, if it includes all the details in section 2(a) and also the additional details in the regulations (the basis of the wage and payment in kind), and it was given within the times in section 1 (section 2(d); regulation 2).

I raised an employee’s wage. Is a notice of change needed?

Not when the change appears on the payslip, or when it is an update of payments under the law or under an agreement (section 3). Any other change in the details of the notice: within 30 days, according to Form 3.

What is the fine for not giving a notice to employee?

A breach is an offense punishable by a fine (section 4), and the Ministry of Labor may impose a monetary sanction, in 2026 of NIS 24,060. In addition, the Labor Court may award the employee exemplary damages of up to NIS 15,000, linked to the index, and for special reasons to be recorded, a different amount (section 5(b)).

The employee is employed through a staffing agency. Who gives them the notice?

Their employer, meaning the contractor. If the contract between the contractor and the actual employer or the client (service recipient) includes provisions on the terms of employment, the notice must set them out, as well as the conditions for ending the work (section 2(a)(10)). More on contractor workers: Manpower contractor and service contractor workers.

Does an employer of a foreign worker have to give notice under section 2?

An employer that gave a foreign worker an employment contract under the Foreign Workers Law, 5751-1991 is exempt from the notice in section 2, without detracting from its other duties under the Law (regulation 3).

Does an employee hired for one month need a notice?

No, if the period of work does not exceed 30 days (and for a youth, 7 days) (section 9).