The increase in the coronavirus outbreak and the introduction of new socio-economic measures affected many businesses and employees. To reduce these impacts, the application period for short-time working allowance has been extended.
Allowance Application Period Extended
As the coronavirus pandemic continued and case numbers rose, additional social and economic measures were implemented. Many businesses paused operations and employees faced financial hardship. To address these difficulties, a presidential decision was published extending the application period for short-time working due to force majeure reasons. According to the decision, based on the principles set out in Article 2 and provisional Article 23 of Unemployment Insurance Law No. 4447, workplaces that will submit a short-time working request for periods starting from December 1, 2020, onward because of pandemic-related external effects may apply until December 31, 2020.
The decision also states that payments made under this measure will not be deducted from the originally established duration of unemployment benefits. It clarifies that payments for workplaces that applied for short-time working by June 30, 2020 will continue to be made.
Status of Workplaces That Did Not Apply Before June 30
New applications for the short-time working allowance became valid after the decision was published and began on December 1, 2020. The decision enabled workplaces that did not apply for the allowance before June 30 to submit applications. Those workplaces can apply to İŞKUR until December 31, 2020. In that case, they can benefit from short-time working allowance for periods after December 1, 2020, within a three-month scope.
Additionally, workplaces that previously benefited from the allowance can apply for short-time working for additional employees as well. The announcement took into account the situation of workplaces that had already used the scheme. Workplaces that submitted short-time working claims due to force majeure related to the virus by June 30 may also submit requests for additional workers, allowing employees who had not previously benefited from the scheme to be included.
Applications Have Started — How to Apply?
Workplaces that previously applied for the allowance do not need to file a new application for employees who are already benefiting from short-time working; support will continue for those workers. It was clarified that periods paid as short-time working are not deducted from employees’ unemployment benefit entitlements. Therefore, the short-time working allowance does not affect eligibility for unemployment benefit.
New short-time working allowance applications opened for employees on December 1, 2020. Applicants must submit their applications through the e-Government portal by December 31, 2020; applications received after that date will not be considered. Applications via postal mail, e-mail, or other channels are not accepted. After logging into the e-Government system, applicants should search for “kısa çalışma ödeneği” (short-time working allowance), complete the application form and provide accurate bank account details to ensure payments are processed correctly. Once all required information is entered completely and accurately, the application is finalized. Applicants experiencing difficulties can contact regional SGK offices for assistance. The support period may be extended again by a future decision.