Israeli Court Orders Mother to Pay Child Support After Children Move In With Father
The Family Court in the Krayot recently ruled that a mother of three children, who moved to live with their father about a year ago, must pay her ex-husband child support amounting to 4,200 shekels per month. Judge Liat Dahan Hayun recognized the children's relocation as a significant change in circumstances, justifying the reopening of the child support agreement.
The couple had lived together for approximately seven years. The father claimed that all three children have complex medical conditions: one son is on the autism spectrum and requires close care, the daughter suffers from a hereditary genetic disease and severe vision problems, and the youngest son has significant developmental and speech delays. In January 2023, the ex-spouses signed a separation agreement with roughly equal custody and the father paying the mother 1,000 shekels monthly as "additional child support."
However, in September 2025, the children moved to live with their father. Following a fire in his apartment in February, he temporarily relocated with the children to his parents' home. The parents agreed that the mother would now pay the father 1,000 shekels monthly. The father contested this amount in court, arguing it was insufficient to cover the children's expenses, which he estimated at around 30,000 shekels monthly. He also stated that due to the children's move and care needs, including early pickups from institutions, he lost a managerial position and suffered a salary reduction. The mother countered that the father exaggerated the children's needs to extract money and denied neglecting the children, describing herself as an involved and active parent.
A key dispute concerned the children's disability allowances totaling approximately 8,650 shekels. The father requested these payments be transferred directly to him since he bears the children's expenses, while the mother opposed, arguing the allowances are meant to cover the children's special needs, not serve as child support. Judge Dahan Hayun clarified that this was a preliminary proceeding for temporary support and declined to exempt the mother from paying child support due to the disability allowances. She ruled that the mother must pay 1,400 shekels per child monthly, totaling 4,200 shekels, retroactive to the date the children moved to the father. The arrears will be paid in three equal installments alongside ongoing support. The disability allowances will be deposited into a dedicated account as specified in the agreement, not directly to either parent.
