Two schemes, and which one is live
There have been two business-support schemes, and the confusion between them costs people money:
- The older IDF support-fund scheme (for reservists with long service since October 2023 plus a turnover drop): its application window has closed. If someone tells you to apply there, that ship has sailed.
- The current track: the Tax Authority grant for reservist business owners (מענק לעוסקים משרתי מילואים), compensating indirect economic damage. This is the live 2025-2026 track, and it is administered by Reshut HaMisim, not Bituach Leumi.
Who qualifies and how it is figured
The Tax Authority grant is built around days served under Order 8 (tzav 8) plus a measurable drop in turnover:
- Days threshold: 30 cumulative days, or 21 continuous days, of Order 8 reserve service, counted within each defined eligibility period. The grant is issued in waves, each with its own qualifying dates and claim window, so the day count is per period, not an open-ended lifetime total.
- Income test: a decline in turnover compared with the matching period in the prior year.
- Calculation: the grant is based on the turnover decline adjusted for expenses you saved while not operating. Exempt dealers (osek patur) receive fixed bracket amounts rather than a turnover-based calculation.
- Filing: online through the Tax Authority, with defined claim windows per service period. The windows close, so this is the one entitlement where delay can cost you the entire grant.
The lesson of this chapter is structural: the per-day tagmul (chapter 2) and the business grant (this chapter) are two separate claims at two separate agencies. Collecting one does not collect the other. The israeli-miluim-manager skill helps you track the Order 8 days that determine your eligibility here.