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.
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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 an opt-out window. The government matches contributions at up to 30% (with a reduction to 20% under consideration for 2026). A major structural reform — the Complementary Pension System (TES – Tamamlayıcı Emeklilik Sistemi) — is planned for Q2 2026, which would convert OKS into a mandatory Pillar II system requiring tripartite contributions from employees (3%), employers (2%), and the state (1%).
SGK pensions are indexed bi-annually (January and July) based on the CPI of the preceding six-month period. As of January 2026, the minimum pension was raised to TRY 20,000. Employer SGK contributions for the long-term insurance branch were increased from 11% to 12% effective January 2026 under Law No. 7566. Turkey has bilateral social security agreements with over 35 countries, though no totalization agreement exists with the United States.
~76% for average earner (OECD); net replacement rate exceeds 90% (OECD Pensions at a Glance 2025)
Pillar 1: SGK (mandatory, PAYG DB, state-administered); Pillar 2: None currently mandatory — TES (Complementary Pension System) planned for Q2 2026 to create a mandatory occupational DC pillar; Pillar 3: BES (voluntary DC with auto-enrollment OKS, government matching up to 30%)
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 (disability/old-age/survivors) + 5% general health insurance = 14%; plus 1% unemployment insurance. Employer total: 12% long-term (effective Jan 2026, up from 11%) + 7.5% general health + 2.25% short-term branches = 21.75%; plus 2% unemployment insurance. Standard employer rate without incentive discount is 21.75%; qualifying employers may receive a 2-point reduction (non-manufacturing) or 5-point reduction (manufacturing, until Dec 2026). Self-employed contribute at a combined rate of 20–21% on a declared earnings base (minimum: monthly minimum wage). SGK earnings ceiling raised from 7.5× to 9× monthly minimum wage 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 for Q2 2026 to create a mandatory occupational DC pillar; Pillar 3: BES (voluntary DC with auto-enrollment OKS, government matching up to 30%) It includes 4 schemes in our directory.