Foreign pension and Aliyah

Making Aliyah does not make you lose any pension rights already contributed. A US Social Security benefit, a UK State Pension, or another country's pension keeps being paid to a retiree living in Israel — there is no residency requirement to receive it.

• Pension already in paymentIf you already receive your pension, it keeps being paid after Aliyah — just report your change of address.
• Rights still being built upCredits, quarters or years already contributed before Aliyah remain acquired and will be counted when you file for retirement.
• Public and private schemesBesides your national pension (Social Security in the US, the State Pension in the UK), you may also have a private or workplace scheme (401(k), workplace pension) — each provider must be contacted separately.

The United States and the United Kingdom are in different positions here. The US has no bilateral social security agreement with Israel at all; the UK does — a reciprocal agreement dating back to 1957. This has concrete, country-specific consequences.

• United States: Social Security retirement benefits can still be paid to you in Israel (it isn't on the restricted-country list), but with no bilateral social security agreement, work credits earned in Israel don't count toward US eligibility, and vice versa — each country's benefit depends only on what you contributed there.
• United Kingdom: Israel and the UK have had a reciprocal social security agreement since 1957. As a result, and unlike in many countries without such an agreement (e.g. Canada, Australia, South Africa), the UK State Pension paid to residents of Israel is uprated annually rather than "frozen." The exact scope of the agreement (e.g. how contribution periods combine for eligibility) is more detailed — confirm your specific case with the UK Pension Service / International Pension Centre.
• Coming from France instead? France also has a longstanding bilateral agreement with Israel that combines contribution periods — see the note further down.

The practical checklist so your payments are not interrupted after Aliyah.

1. 1
   Report your change of address — Notify the relevant agency of your move to Israel: the Social Security Administration (US) or the Pension Service / DWP (UK), plus any private or workplace scheme.
2. 2
   Choose a receiving account — Keep an active US/UK bank account for payments, or check whether your agency can transfer directly to an Israeli account.
3. 3
   Respond to life-certificate requests — Agencies periodically confirm that a pensioner living abroad is still entitled to payments — respond promptly to any form or questionnaire they send to avoid a payment interruption.
4. 4
   Check your tax treatment — Look into the 10-year exemption on Olim foreign income (see the 2026 Tax Reform guide) for your Israeli tax filing.

Alongside your foreign pension, you may be entitled to Bituah Leumi's old-age pension (Kitzvat Zikna), subject to age and Israeli residence/contribution conditions. It is a separate entitlement that can add to your foreign pension, not replace it.

• Covered by the 10-year exemptionMost foreign-source income for Olim, often including pension income, is covered by the 10-year tax exemption (Section 14).
• Full detail lives in the 2026 Tax Reform guideExact rules, reporting obligations and special cases are detailed there — check it rather than duplicating information here that could become inconsistent.

The general principle (rights already earned stay earned, pension paid abroad) applies broadly, but whether a totalization agreement with Israel exists depends on the country. Here's what we could verify for a few common cases — confirm directly, as these lists change over time:

• FranceFrance has a bilateral social security agreement with Israel that lets you combine contribution periods across both countries — check with your French fund (CNAV, Agirc-Arrco) for how it applies to you.
• CanadaIsrael and Canada only have a "limited" agreement (preventing double social security contributions), not a full totalization agreement combining contribution periods for pension eligibility. Confirm with Bituah Leumi and Service Canada.
• AustraliaAs far as we could verify, there is no bilateral social security agreement between Israel and Australia. Check directly with Bituah Leumi and Services Australia.
• South AfricaSouth Africa does not appear on Bituah Leumi's official list of social security conventions — there is likely no totalization agreement. Confirm with your South African fund and Bituah Leumi.
• Another country?Check with your home pension fund whether a similar agreement with Israel exists and how it applies to your career.