In this article we will explain whether a person who is registered with Bağkur can also be insured under the general social security system (SSK/SGK). If you are a company owner or partner, you are generally required to be registered with Bağkur. One of the most common questions for company owners and partners is: “Can someone who is registered with Bağkur also be insured under SSK? If so, do I need to close the company or give up my partnership? What happens to my Bağkur if I work as an SSK-insured employee without closing the company or ending my partnership?” We will address all of these questions in detail below.
With the omnibus Law No. 6111, published in the Official Gazette on 28.02.2011, and pursuant to Article 53 of Law No. 5510, a person who owns a business or is a partner in a workplace may work as an SSK-insured employee at another workplace while remaining registered with Bağkur.
So, Can You Be Insured Under SSK While Registered with Bağkur at the Same Time?
Another common question is whether it is possible to be insured by SSK and remain a Bağkur registrant at the same time. It is possible to be insured under SSK while also being registered with Bağkur, but a person cannot receive two separate retirement pensions simultaneously. When retiring, the individual must choose whether to claim retirement from Bağkur or from SGK; they cannot collect retirement from both systems at the same time.
During the retirement process, premiums paid into both systems are aggregated and used to determine retirement rights. Under the regulation introduced by Law No. 6111, it is possible, at the individual’s request, to pay premiums to both SGK and Bağkur. The confusing part for some people is the mistaken belief that paying premiums to both systems entitles one to receive two separate retirement pensions. This is not true. If you pay premiums to both SGK and Bağkur, when the time comes to retire you will choose one of the two systems to receive your pension from.
What Are the Benefits if I’m Insured Under SSK While Registered with Bağkur?
As noted above, you can work as an SSK-insured employee under another employer while remaining registered with Bağkur. In that case you have two main options. One option, made possible by the recent law, is to continue paying premiums to both Bağkur and SGK. The other option is to suspend your Bağkur registration while your SSK premiums continue to be paid. So what advantage comes from continuing to pay Bağkur premiums while you are SSK-insured?
When calculating the SGK retirement pension, premiums paid to both Bağkur and SGK are taken into account together. The benefit appears in the total amount of paid premiums: because premiums have been contributed to two separate systems, the individual’s premium record shows a higher total, which benefits them at retirement. As a result, the person may receive a higher pension when they retire.
In summary, a person cannot receive two different retirement pensions and cannot retire from both institutions at the same time. In other words, simultaneous retirement from SGK and Bağkur is not possible. Law No. 6111 only introduced the convenience of paying premiums to two institutions and allowed Bağkur registrants to be insured under SGK; it did not create a right to collect pensions from both institutions simultaneously.