This is the English version of a Turkish article. The original, with further detail and linked petition templates, is at Emeklilik Şartları: Yaş, Prim Günü ve Sigortalılık Süresi.
Three conditions must be satisfied together for a retirement pension: the insurance period, the number of qualifying premium days, and age. Which rules apply is decided by the date you were first insured — that date determines which legislative period governs you and therefore the whole calculation. Missing days can be made up by buying back military service, maternity or periods spent abroad.
There is no single table answering "when can I retire", because the rules depend on your first insurance date. This guide covers the three conditions, the buy-back options and the aggregation of service. For a definitive calculation, obtain a written statement from the Social Security Institution.
The Three Conditions
- Insurance period — the time between first registration and the date of the claim;
- Number of qualifying premium days;
- Age.
The values required for each vary with the date the person was first insured. The transitional provisions of Act No. 5510 set graduated conditions for those insured in different periods.
General tables published online can therefore mislead; what matters is the step corresponding to your own first insurance date.
Under the legislation removing the age requirement for a defined group, insured persons within its scope who complete the insurance period and premium day conditions can be granted a pension without the age condition. Scope and conditions should be confirmed with the Institution.
Making Up Missing Days
Article 41 of Act No. 5510 allows certain periods to be bought back and added to the premium day count:
- Maternity. Periods a female insured person did not work after a birth, up to two years each, for at most three births. The child must have survived.
- Military service. Time spent under arms as a conscript.
- Doctoral and specialist study, and the pupillage period for advocates.
- Unpaid leave and the other cases listed in the statute.
The amount is calculated for each day on a figure the insured person chooses between the lower and upper limits of the daily earnings base. So you set the cost within limits — but the figure chosen also affects the pension awarded.
The amount must be paid within one month of notification; otherwise the application lapses and must be made again.
The critical point: buying back does not always move the start of insurance backwards. With military service, buying back periods preceding the start of insurance can bring that start date forward — a distinction that directly changes the retirement date.
| Type | Scope |
|---|---|
| Military service | Time spent in compulsory service |
| Maternity | Up to two years per child, at most three children |
| Periods abroad | Work and residence periods spent abroad |
| Unpaid leave | Limited to the cases in the statute |
| Doctoral and specialist study | On the statutory conditions |
| Advocate's pupillage | The pupillage period |
Buying back generally only adds premium days. The one type that can bring the start of insurance forward is, in some cases, military service — and that distinction can change the retirement date by years.
Aggregating Service Across Institutions
For those who have worked in different statuses, service is aggregated: 4/a (employee), 4/b (self-employed) and 4/c (public servant).
Which status the pension is awarded under is determined by statute; broadly, the status in which most service falls within the last seven years of actual service.
That matters, because the status governing the award affects both the amount and the conditions.
For those who worked abroad, buying back foreign service under Act No. 3201 is a separate route, and periods in countries with a social security agreement may also count.
What to Do Before Retiring
- Obtain your service record through the e-government portal. It shows every period of work and the premium days.
- Identify missing periods. Where you worked uninsured or days were under-declared, an action for a declaration of employment arises — and its five-year forfeiture period is critical.
- Have the buy-back options calculated. Ask the Institution how far military service or maternity buy-back moves your date.
- Get a written opinion from the Institution. Do not resign on the strength of oral information.
- Ask for the severance letter. If you have completed the conditions other than age, you can leave with the Institution's letter and earn severance pay.
That last point matters: an employee waiting only on the age condition, who documents with an Institution letter that the insurance period and premium day conditions are complete, earns severance pay on leaving.
Retirement conditions change in steps according to the date you were first insured, and general tables can mislead. Before leaving, get a written opinion from the Institution. Those waiting only on age earn severance pay by leaving with the letter showing the conditions are complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions must be met to retire?
The insurance period, the number of qualifying premium days and age. The required values change in steps according to the first insurance date.
How many births can be bought back?
At most three, up to two years each, provided the child survived.
Does buying back military service move my retirement date?
It adds premium days. Where periods before the start of insurance are bought back, the start date can be brought forward, which changes the retirement date directly.
How is the buy-back cost set?
On a figure you choose between the lower and upper limits of the daily earnings base. The figure chosen also affects the pension.
I am waiting only on age. Can I claim severance?
Yes, if you leave documenting with an Institution letter that the insurance period and premium day conditions are complete.