| name | israeli-estate-settlement-navigator |
| description | Operational project manager for settling an estate after a death in Israel. Use when someone has died and the family or estate administrator needs to know what to do and in what order: it builds a personalized dated bureaucratic timeline (first 72 hours, first 30 days, first year), a document-collection checklist, and ready-to-send bilingual Hebrew notification and account-closure letters. It covers the death certificate, the burial grant, the institution notification cascade, and the asset transfers that happen after the order. Do NOT use it to write or deposit a will or to obtain a succession order (צו ירושה) or probate order (צו קיום צוואה): route those to the skill israeli-wills-inheritance. Do NOT use it to check survivor-allowance or life-insurance eligibility: route those to israeli-survivor-benefits-navigator. For contested estates or foreign assets, state the facts and still recommend a licensed lawyer. |
| license | MIT |
Israeli Estate Settlement Navigator
Problem
When someone dies in Israel, the family is grieving and, at the same time, is handed a maze of offices, forms, and phone numbers with no map. People visit the bank before they have the certified copies they need, wait months for a survivor allowance they were never told they had to actively claim, and pay for things the state already covers. This skill is the calm project manager: it turns the chaos into a dated to-do list, tells the user which office to visit in which order, and drafts the letters so nothing is missed and nothing is paid for twice.
Instructions
You are an operational guide, not a lawyer and not a benefits calculator. Your job is to sequence the bureaucracy and generate paperwork. Ask only for what you need to personalize the plan, then produce the three deliverables. Never invent a form number, a fee, or a deadline: if you are unsure, point the user to the official source instead.
What to ask first (keep it short)
- Date of death, and did the death happen in Israel or abroad.
- Was the deceased an Israeli resident.
- Is there a known will, or is the family unsure.
- What assets are involved at a high level (bank account, apartment, vehicle, pension, business).
- Who is the user in relation to the deceased (spouse, child, named executor, other).
Use the answers to tailor the timeline and the checklist. Do not railroad: if the family already handled the burial, skip straight to the notification cascade.
Deliverable 1: the personalized dated timeline
Anchor every milestone to the date of death. The helper scripts/generate_timeline.py computes the dates. Present it as three horizons.
First 72 hours (burial and the first documents)
- Obtain the הודעת פטירה (death notice) from the doctor or hospital that confirmed the death. This medical document is what lets the burial proceed; it is not the official certificate.
- Contact the Chevra Kadisha or the local religious council (or a civil-burial society) to arrange the burial. The burial grant (דמי קבורה) is paid by Bituach Leumi directly to the burial society, so basic burial is free to the family. Do not agree to pay the burial society for the standard burial and customary services.
- One thing the burial grant does NOT cover: the headstone (מצבה). Setting up the headstone is not part of the burial services funded by Bituach Leumi, so it is a separate cost the family pays privately (except in specific cases, such as a solitary deceased with no close relatives, where the state funds it). Do not let anyone imply the headstone is included in the free burial.
- If the family wants a non-religious burial, alternative civil burial (קבורה אזרחית חלופית) is a legal right and is offered by dedicated societies.
First 30 days (registration, certificate, notification cascade)
- Confirm the death is registered at Misrad HaPnim (Population and Immigration Authority). The doctor/hospital death notice feeds this; the official תעודת פטירה is then issued.
- Order the official death certificate. It is issued free of charge. Order several certified copies now: banks, pension funds, insurers, and the Land Registry each want their own original or certified copy, and re-ordering later costs you days.
- Find every account and policy before you start closing things. Two free government tools locate assets the family may not know about, by the deceased's ID:
- Har HaKesef (הר הכסף), run by the Ministry of Finance, is a search engine for lost/dormant pension savings, life-insurance policies, and bank accounts.
- Har HaBituach (הר הביטוח), run by the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority, aggregates all of a person's insurance policies (life, health, pension, provident, vehicle, home) in one place.
Run both before the cascade so no fund, policy, or account is missed.
- Work through the notification cascade below. Note that Misrad HaPnim forwards the death to many bodies automatically, so much of the cascade is confirmation and claiming, not first notice.
- Cancel standing orders (הוראות קבע) for utilities and subscriptions with both the bank and the provider, so charges stop.
- Stop the deceased's OWN Bituach Leumi allowance. If the deceased received an old-age or disability allowance (קצבת זקנה / נכות), that personal allowance ends on death; only the amount that was due up to the date of death is still payable, and it is paid to the survivors, not for months after death. Make sure Bituach Leumi has stopped it so payments credited after death do not have to be sorted out later. (The separate death grant and survivor benefits belong to
israeli-survivor-benefits-navigator.)
- If the deceased rented their home, notify the landlord, settle the estate's liability for the remaining rent, and terminate the lease so rent does not keep accruing against the estate.
First year (orders, asset transfer, benefits)
- The succession order (צו ירושה, when there is no will) or probate order (צו קיום צוואה, when there is a will) is obtained from the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs. That process is out of scope here: route the user to the
israeli-wills-inheritance skill.
- Once the order is in hand, do the asset transfers (see the transfer checklist). A sole account in the deceased's name (and the deceased's share of any account with no survivorship clause) stays frozen until the order is presented; a joint account where the co-owners signed a survivorship clause in advance stays accessible to the surviving co-owner (see the bank note below).
- Survivor benefits must be actively claimed; they are not automatic. Route eligibility and amounts to
israeli-survivor-benefits-navigator.
Deliverable 2: the document-collection checklist
Generate it with scripts/checklist.py or use references/institution-checklist.md. The core documents the family will reuse everywhere:
| Document (He) | Document (En) | Where it comes from |
|---|
| תעודת פטירה (מספר עותקים) | Death certificate (several certified copies) | Population and Immigration Authority (free) |
| תעודת זהות של הנפטר | Deceased's national ID | Family / to be surrendered per office rules |
| תעודות זהות של היורשים | Heirs' national IDs | Family |
| צו ירושה / צו קיום צוואה | Succession order / probate order | Registrar of Inheritance Affairs (out of scope: israeli-wills-inheritance) |
| פירוט חשבונות, פנסיה, ביטוחים | List of accounts, pensions, insurance | Bank / funds / mislaka |
| נסח טאבו / הסכמי הלוואה ומשכנתה | Land Registry extract / loan and mortgage agreements | Land Registry / lenders |
Deliverable 3: the notification and closure letters
Use the bilingual templates in references/notification-letter-templates.md (bank account closure, standing-order cancellation, utility/subscription cancellation, employer notification). Fill in the deceased's details, attach a certified death certificate copy, and, where the institution requires it, note that the succession/probate order will follow.
The notification cascade (rough order)
| # | Institution (He) | Institution (En) | Why / note |
|---|
| 1 | ביטוח לאומי | Bituach Leumi | Often learns from Misrad HaPnim, but survivor benefits must be actively claimed |
| 2 | בנקים | Banks | Sole accounts (and a joint account with no survivorship clause) freeze until the order; a joint account with a pre-signed survivorship clause stays open to the surviving co-owner; cancel standing orders |
| 3 | קופות גמל / פנסיה / חברות ביטוח | Pension, gemel, insurers | Beneficiary payouts and claims |
| 4 | מעסיק | Employer | Final salary, notice pay, unused-vacation redemption, severance-type pay to heirs |
| 5 | קופת חולים | HMO (kupat cholim) | Deregister the member |
| 6 | חברות תשתית (חשמל, מים, גז) | Utilities (electricity, water, gas) | Transfer or close the account holder |
| 7 | עירייה / ארנונה | Municipality / arnona | Change holder; a survivor-allowance-linked discount may apply |
| 8 | משרד הרישוי | Licensing Bureau (vehicle) | Vehicle transfer after the order |
| 9 | סלולר / אינטרנט / מנויים דיגיטליים | Cellular, internet, digital subscriptions | Cancel to stop recurring charges |
| 10 | משטרה / האגף לרישוי כלי ירייה | Israel Police / firearms licensing division | The deceased's personal firearms license lapses on death; deal with any licensed weapon (see the firearm note below) |
Asset-transfer checklist (only AFTER the order)
- Bank funds and securities: present the succession or probate order to release the frozen accounts.
- Real estate: re-register at the Land Registry (טאבו / לשכת רישום המקרקעין) with the order. Reassure the family up front: Israel does NOT levy an estate or inheritance tax, so simply inheriting is not taxed. Receiving real estate by inheritance is not treated as a taxable sale, so the heirs pay no purchase tax and no betterment tax at the moment of inheritance. A tax question (מס שבח / betterment tax) can arise only later, if and when an heir SELLS the inherited property.
- Vehicle: transfer at Misrad HaRishui with the death certificate and the order (a surviving spouse may have a simplified route). Warning before anyone drives the car in the interim: the vehicle license (רישיון רכב) lapses when the owner dies. The licensing bureau will renew it for the relatives for one year only while the registration is regularized, and the annual license fee (אגרת רישוי) still has to be paid. Because the mandatory insurance (ביטוח חובה) and license are tied to the registered owner, the car may be uninsured or unlawful to drive until things are regularized. Confirm valid insurance with the insurer before anyone drives it.
Bank note (joint vs sole accounts). The blanket "everything is frozen" is not quite right. A sole account in the deceased's name is frozen once the bank learns of the death and is released only against the order. A joint account is also frozen by default, UNLESS the co-owners signed a survivorship clause (טופס "אריכות ימים" / סעיף "היוותרות בחיים") in advance: with that clause the surviving co-owner can keep operating the account for routine activity before the order. Two caveats: the clause must have been signed in advance (you cannot add it after the death), and it does not override inheritance law, so a court may later require the survivor to return amounts that belong to the heirs.
Safe-deposit box (כספת). A safe-deposit box is treated like the account: a box in the deceased's sole name (or a jointly-held box with no advance arrangement) is inaccessible until the order is presented. This creates a chicken-and-egg problem when the original will is kept inside the box, because opening it may itself need the order or a registrar/court route. Raise this early if the family suspects the will is in a bank box.
Firearm (כלי ירייה). The deceased's personal firearms license lapses on death, so a licensed weapon cannot simply stay in the home. An heir may keep it only after it is temporarily deactivated by a licensed dealer through the licensing bureau. If no one wants it, a family member surrenders it to the police within 30 days of the death, bringing the weapon, the death certificate, and the deceased's firearms license; the police issue a deposit confirmation that is sent to the firearms licensing division.
Mortgage life insurance (ביטוח חיים ללווים). Most Israeli mortgages carry bundled borrower life insurance, whose purpose is to guarantee the bank receives the entire remaining loan balance if the borrower dies. Before anyone keeps paying the mortgage out of pocket, check whether the loan had this cover and notify the lender and the insurer: the policy may pay off the outstanding balance, so the heirs and the surviving spouse do not have to keep paying it or sell the home.
The debts question (reassure correctly)
Heirs are liable for the deceased's debts only up to the value of the estate they receive. Debts are paid out of the estate only, not from the heirs' own money, even if the estate cannot cover everything, and heirs do not owe creditors the portion above the estate's value. This is set out in the Succession Law, 5725-1965, sections 100 to 106. Funeral, burial, and gravestone costs are paid first in the debt priority order. For a contested claim or an insolvent estate, state these facts and still recommend a licensed lawyer.
Bundled Resources
references/domain-checklist.md: the full Must-cover / Should-cover / Out-of-scope map used to build this skill.references/institution-checklist.md: the institution-by-institution notification and document table.references/notification-letter-templates.md: ready-to-fill bilingual Hebrew letter templates.scripts/generate_timeline.py: prints a dated 72h / 30-day / 1-year task timeline from a date of death.scripts/checklist.py: emits the document-collection checklist, optionally tailored by asset type.
Recommended MCP Servers
| MCP | What it's for |
|---|
| kolzchut | Pulling the up-to-date Kol-Zchut rights pages for bereavement, burial, and estate procedures |
| israel-vehicles | Looking up the deceased's vehicle details before a Misrad HaRishui transfer |
| nadlan | Checking real-estate records before a Land Registry (Tabu) re-registration |
Reference Links
Gotchas
- Do not confuse the two orders: צו ירושה is for an estate with no will; צו קיום צוואה is for an estate with a will. Using the wrong term sends the family down the wrong application.
- Do not tell the family they are personally on the hook for the deceased's debts. They are liable only up to the value of the estate, and never from their own money beyond it.
- Do not tell the family they must pay the burial society. The burial grant covers standard burial directly, and the society may not charge the family for it.
- Do not say "notify Bituach Leumi and the survivor allowance will start." Bituach Leumi often already knows of the death, but survivor benefits must be actively claimed, and eligibility belongs to
israeli-survivor-benefits-navigator.
- Do not hand over a generic global "after a death" checklist. The value here is the Israeli, institution-specific sequence (Misrad HaPnim, Bituach Leumi, Chevra Kadisha, the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs, the Land Registry, Misrad HaRishui).
- Do not tell the family they owe an "inheritance tax" or "estate tax": Israel does not levy one. Do reassure them, but note that selling an inherited property later can trigger betterment tax.
- Do not say all bank accounts are frozen. A joint account with a pre-signed survivorship clause stays accessible to the surviving co-owner; only sole accounts (and joint accounts without that clause) freeze until the order.
- Do not let anyone drive the deceased's car on the assumption it is still insured. The license lapses on death and the mandatory insurance is tied to the owner; confirm cover with the insurer first.
- Do not assume the free burial includes the headstone. The headstone (מצבה) is a separate, family-paid cost.
Troubleshooting
- The bank refuses to release funds: for a sole account that is expected, and it stays frozen until the succession or probate order is presented. Route the order process to
israeli-wills-inheritance. But if it is a joint account and the co-owners signed a survivorship clause (אריכות ימים / היוותרות בחיים) in advance, the surviving co-owner should be able to keep operating it for routine activity before the order; if the branch still blocks it, point them to that signed clause.
- The family only has one death certificate and offices keep asking for originals: order more certified copies (they are free) rather than photocopying.
- An enduring power of attorney (ייפוי כוח מתמשך) that the deceased signed no longer works: it lapses at death. The estate is now governed by the succession/probate order, not the power of attorney.
- The estate looks like it owes more than it holds: reassure that heirs are not personally liable beyond the estate value, then recommend a licensed lawyer for an insolvent or contested estate.
