Turkey
Worked in Turkey? Any pension you built up here is yours to keep and can usually be paid to you abroad — but you have to claim it; it won't start automatically. The full state pension age is 60. On totalization, Turkey has bilateral totalization agreements, so the years you worked here may combine with other countries you've worked in. Below is Turkey's system at a glance and what expats should check.
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Overview
Turkey operates a social insurance pension system administered by the Social Security Institution (SGK – Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu), providing earnings-related defined-benefit pensions on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) basis. The system was unified in 2006–2008, merging three previously separate institutions — SSK (private sector), Emekli Sandığı (civil servants), and Bağ-Kur (self-employed) — under a single framework governed by Law No. 5510 on Social Insurance and General Health Insurance. As of April 2025, over 23 million individuals are insured under SGK. Retirement eligibility depends on a combination of age, insurance start date, and number of contribution days, with the standard age being 58 for women and 60 for men for those who first enrolled after September 8, 1999. The landmark EYT reform (March 2023) removed the age requirement for workers insured on or before September 8, 1999, allowing approximately 5 million people to retire based solely on contribution duration. Law No. 7566 (effective January 2026) raised the employer long-term insurance contribution from 11% to 12%, reduced the non-manufacturing Treasury discount from 4 to 2 percentage points, and lifted the SGK earnings ceiling from 7.5× to 9× the monthly minimum wage. The minimum pension was raised to TRY 20,000/month as of January 2026.
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A voluntary private pension system (BES – Bireysel Emeklilik Sistemi) was introduced in 2003 and has grown to nearly 18 million participants. Since 2017, employees under age 45 are automatically enrolled in employer-sponsored BES accounts (OKS – Otomatik Katılım Sistemi) at a default 3% of salary, with a 2-month opt-out window. Effective January 7, 2026, the government reduced the state matching contribution rate from 30% to 20% via presidential decree, and the one-time OKS retention bonus was halved from TRY 1,000 to TRY 500. BES early withdrawal rules were expanded from July 2024 for marriage, home purchase, natural disasters, and education (the education option became available from June 2026, restricted to participants under 21 in formal undergraduate programs in Turkey). A major structural reform — the Complementary Pension System (TES – Tamamlayıcı Emeklilik Sistemi) — has been planned for Q2 2026 to convert OKS into a mandatory Pillar II system requiring tripartite contributions from employees (3%), employers (2%), and the state (1%), but as of mid-2026 the enabling legislation had not yet been enacted and the timeline has faced repeated delays.
SGK pensions are indexed bi-annually (January and July) based on the CPI of the preceding six-month period per Article 55 of Law No. 5510. The January 2026 increase for SSK/Bağ-Kur retirees was 12.19%. Turkey has bilateral social security agreements with over 35 countries, though no totalization agreement exists with the United States. SGK revenues for 2026 are projected at TRY 5.17 trillion against expenditures of TRY 6.94 trillion, requiring substantial Treasury transfers to sustain the system.
≥70% for average earner (OECD Pensions at a Glance 2025); net replacement rate exceeds 90% for average earners
Pillar 1: SGK (mandatory, PAYG DB, state-administered); Pillar 2: None currently mandatory — TES (Complementary Pension System) planned to create a mandatory occupational DC pillar but not yet enacted as of mid-2026; Pillar 3: BES (voluntary DC with auto-enrollment OKS, government matching now 20% effective January 2026)
Bismarckian social insurance / earnings-related defined-benefit PAYG (SGK) + voluntary defined-contribution (BES)
Employee
14
Employer
21.75
Self-Employed
20–21
Notes
Employee total: 9% long-term MYO (disability/old-age/survivors) + 5% general health insurance = 14%; plus 1% unemployment insurance. Employer total effective January 2026 under Law No. 7566: 12% long-term MYO (up from 11%) + 7.5% general health + 2.25% short-term branches = 21.75%; plus 2% unemployment insurance. Non-manufacturing employers previously received a 4-point Treasury discount (now reduced to 2 points under Law No. 7566); manufacturing employers retain a 5-point incentive through December 31, 2026. SGK earnings ceiling raised from 7.5× to 9× monthly minimum wage (TRY 297,270/month) effective January 2026. Self-employed (Bağ-Kur) contribute at a combined rate of 20–21% on a declared earnings base (minimum: monthly minimum wage). Service credit purchases increased from 32% to 45% effective January 2026.
Common questions
What is the retirement age in Turkey?
The full state pension age in Turkey is 60. Deferring can raise your pension up to age 65.
Can I claim a Turkey pension if I live abroad?
Yes. A pension you've earned in Turkey stays yours wherever you retire, and can usually be paid into an overseas account once you reach pension age. It won't start automatically, though — you need to claim it, typically a few months in advance, through Turkey's pension authority.
Do totalization agreements affect my Turkey pension?
Turkey has bilateral social-security (totalization) agreements. These can let you combine the years you worked in Turkey with years in partner countries to meet a minimum qualifying period, so short stints aren't wasted. Which partners and rules apply depends on your own work history.
How is the pension system structured in Turkey?
Bismarckian social insurance / earnings-related defined-benefit PAYG (SGK) + voluntary defined-contribution (BES) Pillar 1: SGK (mandatory, PAYG DB, state-administered); Pillar 2: None currently mandatory — TES (Complementary Pension System) planned to create a mandatory occupational DC pillar but not yet enacted as of mid-2026; Pillar 3: BES (voluntary DC with auto-enrollment OKS, government matching now 20% effective January 2026) It includes 4 schemes in our directory.
How do I get a copy of my Turkey pension record?
Ask e-Devlet for your Hizmet dökümü (SGK tescil ve hizmet dökümü) (the Social security service record). It's free and you can request it yourself — our step-by-step guide on this page walks through the portal, what to have ready, and what to do if the login fails.