This is the English version of a Turkish article. The original, with further detail and linked petition templates, is at İşsizlik Maaşı: Şartlar, Süre ve Başvuru.
Three conditions must be met together for unemployment benefit: continuous employment under a contract of service for the last 120 days before leaving, at least 600 days of unemployment insurance contributions within the last three years, and leaving employment for reasons outside your own will. The application must be made to the national employment agency within 30 days of termination.
You have been dismissed and are without income. Unemployment benefit exists to close part of that gap — but not everyone qualifies, and the period for applying is short.
This article explains who qualifies, how long the benefit is paid, and which leaving codes remove the entitlement.
Who Qualifies?
The Unemployment Insurance Act (Law no. 4447) requires three conditions:
- having become unemployed otherwise than through your own wish or fault
- having paid at least 600 days of unemployment insurance contributions in the last three years
- having been subject to a contract of service for the last 120 days before the contract ended
The first is the decisive one. An employee who resigns does not as a rule qualify. Where the employer terminates for a valid reason, however, the entitlement arises.
A fixed-term contract coming to an end on its expiry also as a rule gives rise to the entitlement.
Which Leaving Codes Disqualify You?
The code on the social security notification of leaving employment is decisive. The principal disqualifying codes are:
- Code 3 — resignation
- Code 29 — termination by the employer for breach of the rules of morality and good faith
- retirement and similar codes for leaving of one's own accord
Where the code has been entered incorrectly it can be challenged. Codes used where the employee terminated for just cause (Article 24 of the Labour Act) do give rise to the entitlement; if the employer recorded it as a resignation, correction should be sought.
Correcting the code often depends on the outcome of proceedings in the labour court. Where the case succeeds and the termination is found to have been unjustified, the entitlement is reassessed by the agency.
How Much Is Paid, and for How Long?
The duration depends on the number of contribution days:
- 600 days of contributions — 180 days
- 900 days — 240 days
- 1,080 days — 300 days
The amount is calculated as a proportion of the daily average of earnings on which contributions were based over the last four months, and it cannot exceed the statutory ceiling, which is tied to the minimum wage and updated each year.
General health insurance contributions are also met while the benefit is paid.
| Contribution days in the last three years | Payment period | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 600 days | 180 days | 6 months |
| 900 days | 240 days | 8 months |
| 1,080 days or more | 300 days | 10 months |
The monthly benefit is 40 per cent of the daily average of earnings on which contributions were based over the last four months, and may not exceed 80 per cent of the gross minimum wage (Article 50 of Law no. 4447).
When and Where Is the Application Made?
The application must be made within thirty days of the contract ending, through the employment agency's offices, the e-government portal or the agency's website.
Where the thirty days pass without force majeure, the delay is deducted from the total period of entitlement. The right is not lost entirely, but it is shortened.
The benefit is stopped where the claimant: refuses without good reason a suitable job offered by the agency, works without registration, begins to receive an old-age pension, or fails to attend when called.
If you find work and become unemployed again before the period is exhausted, you may draw the remaining entitlement.
The period for applying is thirty days from leaving. Any delay is deducted from your total entitlement. If your leaving code shows resignation or code 29 and that does not reflect the truth, apply anyway rather than waiting for the challenge to be resolved.