Employer Record in Turkey

Basic information

Capital:Ankara

Time zone: GMT+3

Languages: Turkish

Currency code:TRY

Human Resources at a Glance 

Contract Terms

Contracts must be in Turkish and can be bilingual. They must be in writing and signed by both parties.

A contract must include:

• Name
• Start date
• Length of the employment
• Hours of work
• Job description
• Compensation and benefits
• Termination conditions

Guidelines Regarding Probation Period/Trial Period

Probation periods are legally not mandatory but are determined based on the employment contract. However, the best practice is to have a probation period. The minimum probation period depends on the employer, and the maximum probation period is 60 days (2 months).

Regulations and Rules Regarding Working Hours

Standard working hours are 9 hours per day, 5 days per week. The standard workweek is from Monday to Friday.

Minimum Wage Requirements

The monthly minimum wage is TL 13,414.50 gross and 11.402.00 net.

Termination 

Grounds

Terminations in Turkey can be complex. There is no at-will termination in Turkey for employers, outside the probation period, and termination must be done for just cause.

Compliant terminations include:

• Voluntarily by the employee
• By mutual agreement
• Unilaterally by the employer based on:
  • Probation period
  • Immoral, dishonorable or malicious conduct or other similar behavior
  • Medical reasons causing incapacity for job
  • Sexual harassment allegations
  • Misconduct
  • Disciplinary dismissal
• By the expiration of the contract

Notice Period

The minimum notice period is 2 weeks and will be increased according to the length of the employment.

• Up to 6 months of employment – 2 weeks of leave
• Between 6 months to 18 months of employment – 4 weeks of leave
• Between 18 months to 36 months of employment – 6 weeks of leave
• Above 36 months of employment – 8 weeks of leave

No notice period is required during probation.

Payment & leave Compensation & Holidays 

SalaryPayment

Employees whose pay is calculated on an annual or monthly basis must be paid in Turkish currency at least once per month.

If the employer does not pay the employee within 20 days of the salary’s due date, the employee has a right to refrain from fulfilling their work obligations. This will not qualify as a strike.

Payslip

An employer in Turkey must provide an official signed payslip, indicating the date of payment, pay period, additions to basic wages (overtime, commissions etc.), payments for weekly rest days and national holidays. It must also outline all deductions (e.g. taxes and social insurance contributions).

Annual Leave

Paid time off (PTO) for both full-time and part-time employees is based on the length of employment. PTO accrues monthly, prorated based on the length of the leave the employee is eligible for. Employees are eligible for annual leave after 12 months of work.

Sick Leave

Employees are entitled to a maximum of one week paid sick leave supported by a medical certificate. It is possible to extend the sick leave on an unpaid basis. Employers have the right to terminate the employment contract when an employee’s sick leave exceeds six weeks.

Maternity & Parental Leave

A pregnant employee is entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave, which is to be taken eight weeks before birth and eight weeks after. In case of a multiple pregnancy, an extra two-week period is added to the eight weeks post-birth. During maternity leave, the employee receives two-thirds of the full salary from the Social Security Institution.

If the employee would like to work until delivery, a medical certificate must be submitted confirming there are no concerns regarding continuation of work. The employee will be able to work until three weeks prior to the expected date of delivery. The time spent working prior to delivery will be added to the period of maternity leave following the birth.

Tax and Social Security Information

Personal Income Tax

The individual income tax ranges from 15% to 40%. Income tax is calculated according to progressive rates.

Social Security

Turkey’s Social Security Fund Insurance provides employees with insurance coverage for sickness, unemployment, disability and maternity care. It also covers pension and work-related accidents and diseases. All employees are eligible to enroll and will be able to claim these benefits upon registration through social security.

Public Holidays 2024