In our country, many civil servants work within the public sector, and various rights are granted to these public employees under the law. All essential information about civil servants is contained in Law No. 657 on Civil Servants, including details on monthly payments and salaries. Under this law, if a civil servant dies, survivors may be entitled to a pension. In this article, we explain the conditions for granting monthly pensions to the surviving spouse and children of a civil servant.
To become a civil servant, a candidate must first complete the required level of education. They then take the Public Personnel Selection Examination (KPSS) and, if they obtain a sufficient score, can make preferences during the placement period. After placement is announced, the candidate civil servant begins a probationary period and, upon completion, is considered a civil servant working under Law No. 657.
The law grants many rights to civil servants. Among these are various leave entitlements that can be used for valid reasons. In addition to leave rights, the law also provides protections for family members when a civil servant dies.
When a civil servant dies, survivors may receive a widow’s or orphan’s pension. Meeting the conditions for granting monthly pensions to the deceased civil servant’s spouse and children is a prerequisite for these payments. Before detailing those conditions, it is useful to define what widow’s and orphan’s pensions are.
What Are Widow’s and Orphan’s Pensions?
Within the framework of conditions for granting monthly pensions to a civil servant’s spouse and children, payments called widow’s and orphan’s pensions are made to eligible survivors. A widow’s or orphan’s pension is a monthly allowance paid to the surviving spouse, children, mother, or father of a deceased civil servant. These pensions are regulated under the Turkish Retirement Fund (Emekli Sandığı) legislation. Payment and amount of these pensions can vary among individuals because the eligibility criteria for a spouse and children to receive a pension are not uniform.
First, let’s look at the conditions for a deceased civil servant’s spouse to receive a widow’s pension. For the surviving spouse to receive a widow’s pension, she or he must not remarry. If the surviving spouse remarries, the widow’s pension is terminated and will not be paid further. The amount of the widow’s pension also depends on whether the surviving spouse is employed.
Under the rules for granting monthly pensions to a civil servant’s spouse and children, children of the deceased civil servant may receive an orphan’s pension. Certain conditions apply to orphan’s pensions, and eligibility differs based on whether the child is female or male.
First, consider the conditions for female children to qualify for an orphan’s pension. For a daughter to receive an orphan’s pension, the deceased parent’s period of service must exceed 10 years. Additionally, a daughter who is married or who becomes a civil servant in her own right is not eligible for the orphan’s pension. If a daughter who previously received an orphan’s pension marries or is appointed as a civil servant, the pension is discontinued. Payments to daughters continue without condition until age 18; after that point, payments continue only if the daughter meets the need-based criteria.
There are also age limits for sons. Sons receive an orphan’s pension without conditions until age 18. If they continue education in secondary school, the pension continues until age 20; if they are enrolled in higher education, payments continue until age 25. Once the relevant age limit is reached, the pension payments are terminated.
These are the main conditions for granting monthly pensions to the spouse and children of a deceased civil servant. Widow’s and orphan’s pensions are paid to the mother and children based on the date of death. The pension amounts are also important: if only one survivor remains, the pension paid cannot exceed 50% of the deceased civil servant’s salary. If two survivors remain, the share is set at 80%, and if three survivors remain, the total can reach 100% of the salary.