Your quick guide on talent and labor compliance norms in Turkey
Capital
Ankara
Currency
Turkish Lira (TRY)
Languages
Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Zazaki
Payroll Frequency
Monthly
GDP per Capita
$8,241.22
Employer Tax
22.5%
Talent Overview
The Republic of Turkey is located in the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia and a small portion in the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. The country is considered one of the world’s newly industrialized countries and ranks as the 20th largest nominal GDP in the world. The freedom score of Turkey is 56.9, making the economy 107th freest in the 2022 list.
Major economic hubs:
Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa
Skills in demand:
IT Specialist, Project Manager, Business Analyst, Engineer
Local Universities
The top local universities in Turkey are as follows:
Local: 1
World : 263
Local: 2
World : 370
Local: 3
World : 461
Local: 4
World : 477
Local: 5
World : 562
Salary Data
The average monthly salaries with job titles in Turkey are mentioned below:
| Job Title | Average Monthly Salary (TRY) | Average Monthly Salary (USD) |
| Financial Manager | 15,800 TRY | 840.76 USD |
| General Manager | 13,900 TRY | 739.65 USD |
| Business Development Manager | 12,300 TRY | 654.51 USD |
| Financial Analyst | 10,400 TRY | 553.41 USD |
| Business Analyst | 9,970 TRY | 530.53 USD |
| Project Manager | 8,690 TRY | 462.42 USD |
Talent Sourcing Tips
13,150,000
The employer must know about the labor laws, social security, benefits, deductions, and allowances while onboarding an individual from Turkey. This section will provide employers with all the required information when taking in workers from the country.
According to Turkish Labor Law, the employment contract must be in Turkish or any other language understood by both parties.
The probation period in Turkey is up to 60 days.
| Date | Holiday | Type |
| 1 Jan | New Year’s Day | National Holiday |
| 9 Apr | Ramazan Bayrami Holiday | National Holiday |
| 10 Apr | Ramazan Bayrami Holiday | National Holiday |
| 11 Apr | Ramazan Bayrami Holiday | National Holiday |
| 23 Apr | Children’s day | National Holiday |
| 1 May | Labour Day | National Holiday |
| 19 May | Youth and Sports Day | National Holiday |
| 15 Jun | Sacrifice Feast Eve | National Holiday |
| 16 Jun | Sacrifice Feast Holiday | National Holiday |
| 17 Jun | Sacrifice Feast Holiday | National Holiday |
| 18 Jun | Sacrifice Feast Holiday | National Holiday |
| 19 Jun | Sacrifice Feast Holiday | National Holiday |
| 15 Jul | Democracy and National Solidarity Day | National Holiday |
| 30 Aug | Victory Day | National Holiday |
| 29 Oct | Republic Day | National Holiday |
| Type of Leave | Time Period | Mandatory |
| Annual/Earned Leave | 14-26 days | Yes |
| Sick Leave | 42 days | Yes |
| Maternity Leave | 56 days | Yes |
Payroll
Payroll Cycle
The payroll cycle in Turkey is monthly.
Minimum Wage
In Turkey, the monthly minimum wage is 8,506.80 TRY net, and 10,008 TRY gross.
Overtime Pay
The overtime pay in Turkey is 50% of the regular pay.
Bonus
The 13th month’s pay is not mandatory. However, the employer can provide annual or quarterly bonuses.
Employers may offer the following additional benefits to their employees:
Taxes
| Category | Tax rate |
| Social Security Insurance | 2% |
| Disability and Old-age Insurance | 11% |
| Health Insurance | 7.5% |
| Unemployment Insurance | 1% |
| Category | Tax rate |
| Disability and Old-age Insurance | 9% |
| Health Insurance | 5% |
| Unemployment Insurance | 2% |
| Annual Income in TRY | Tax Rate |
| 0 – 32,000 | 15% |
| 32,000 – 70,000 | 20% |
| 70,000 – 250,000 | 27% |
| 250,000 – 880,000 | 35% |
| 880,000 and above | 40% |
There is a stamp tax of 0.759% calculated via payroll.
The Standard rate of Value Added Tax in Turkey is 20%.
Offboarding & Termination
According to Turkish laws, the contract can be terminated based on three ways—the employer can terminate, the employee can terminate, or the contract is automatically terminated. However, the terminating party has to provide a notice for the end of employment.
The notice period is dependent based on the length of the employment,
| Years of Employment | Notice Period |
| Less than 6 months of employment | 2 weeks |
| From 6 months to 1 year and 6 months | 4 weeks |
| From 1 year and 6 months to 3 years | 6 weeks |
| For more than 3 years | 8 weeks |
The severance pay in Turkey is one month of salary for each year worked after completion of one year of employment.
Visa and Immigration
In order to work in Turkey, the employee must apply for a work permit at the nearest Turkish Mission and provide with necessary personal documents along with a letter from the employer. Your employer must submit the other documents to the Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MLSS).
