Women are increasingly contributing to the development of our country’s economy. Today many women, including mothers, are entering the workforce as insured employees and helping to support their households. The government has introduced various improvements and incentives for these employed women, and the range of such measures continues to grow. These measures help women adapt more easily to working life and increase their economic contributions. One of the government-supported measures for insured women is the childbirth (maternity) debt repayment option. Women who are insured under Bağ-Kur as farmers (farmer Bağ-Kur members) are also eligible to make childbirth debt repayments.
What Is Childbirth Debt Repayment?
First, let’s explain what childbirth debt repayment means. Working women may have children while they are employed. They may need to interrupt their work before or after giving birth, and childbirth debt repayment applies to these periods. Childbirth debt repayment refers to the insured woman’s right to “borrow” (credit) to the state for the period after childbirth during which she could not work.
This type of repayment cannot be made for ordinary illness periods. In other words, farmer Bağ-Kur insured women cannot claim payments for regular sickness. Farmer Bağ-Kur members are entitled to make debt repayments specifically for childbirth-related periods. This right does not apply to female company partners. If a farmer Bağ-Kur member who is not the mother at the time of childbirth later experiences a workplace accident or an occupational disease, she may also benefit from repayment for those qualifying periods.
Conditions for Childbirth Debt Repayment
As noted above, women insured under the farmer Bağ-Kur scheme are eligible to apply for childbirth debt repayment and can use it for their childbirth periods. However, there are specific conditions that must be met to qualify. These conditions include:
- The woman must have been insured under SSK, agricultural SSK, Bağ-Kur, agricultural Bağ-Kur, the Pension Fund, or voluntary insurance at the time she gave birth.
- The insured woman must not have worked or paid premiums during the two-year period following childbirth. If she did work during that time, a farmer Bağ-Kur member can only claim debt repayment for the days she did not work.
- The child born to the farmer Bağ-Kur member must be alive. If the child dies within two years after birth, the farmer Bağ-Kur member can only claim debt repayment for the period the child lived.
- Farmer Bağ-Kur women can claim childbirth debt repayment for a maximum of three children.
How to Apply for Childbirth Debt Repayment
Farmer Bağ-Kur women can apply for childbirth debt repayment by visiting the Social Security Centers where their Bağ-Kur files are held and submitting an application for debt repayment. The applicant must present certain documents when applying. These documents include:
- An application petition requesting childbirth debt repayment.
- A photocopy of the farmer Bağ-Kur woman’s ID card.
The childbirth debt repayment granted to farmer Bağ-Kur women does not change their official employment start date; it only affects the calculation of their total insured days and premium accumulation. A farmer Bağ-Kur woman can claim a maximum of 720 days of childbirth debt repayment for each child, up to a total of 2,160 days for three children. If the woman meets the retirement requirements after making the repayment, she may become eligible for retirement sooner.
Amount Payable for Childbirth Debt Repayment
Another important point regarding childbirth debt repayment for farmer Bağ-Kur women is how the amount to be paid is determined. The repayment amount is calculated based on the minimum wage. The daily gross minimum wage multiplied by 32% is set as the daily payment amount for childbirth debt repayment. Multiplying this daily amount by the total number of days to be credited yields the total amount to be paid.
If a farmer Bağ-Kur woman gives birth again before completing repayment for a prior childbirth period, the payment calculation will be adjusted accordingly for the new childbirth period.