Documents for requesting maternity debt (doğum borçlanması) must be obtained by employees of the Social Insurance Institution (SSK), Bağ-Kur, and Emekli Sandığı and submitted to the Social Security Institution (SGK). Before 11.09.2014, the right to maternity debt applied only to women insured under SSK; after the entry into force of Law No. 6552 on 11.09.2014, this right was extended to women covered by 4A, 4B and 4C schemes.
With this legislation, the previous inequality was eliminated and mothers who were insured under Bağ-Kur and Emekli Sandığı also gained the right to maternity debt. The documents that mothers must prepare to apply for maternity debt, assuming they meet the required conditions, are as follows:
- Application petition for debt recognition, and
- Copy of identity document.
Those entitled to apply for maternity debt and potentially retire earlier need only to submit the completed petition together with their identity document. No additional documents are requested from applicants seeking to make a maternity debt payment.
Applying for Maternity Debt
To start the debt application process, the petition must be submitted to the institution. The appropriate place to apply depends on the insurance category under which the mother worked:
- Women insured under 4A should apply at the Social Security Center or the Provincial Social Security Directorate located where their last insured workplace is registered.
- Women insured under 4B (Bağ-Kur) should apply at the Social Security Center or the Provincial Social Security Directorate where their Bağ-Kur records are registered.
- Women insured under 4C should apply to SGK Social Insurance General Directorate, Insured Registration and Service Department; Mithat Paşa Caddesi No: 7 Sıhhiye/ANKARA.
There is no time limit for applying for maternity debt; eligible persons may apply at any time.
Conditions for Maternity Debt
The conditions an insured mother must meet to benefit from maternity debt are:
- The woman must have been working (i.e., have insurance coverage) before the birth.
- No social security contributions should have been paid in her name during the post-birth period for which she is claiming debt.
- The child must be alive during the period for which the maternity debt is claimed.
What Is Maternity Debt?
Maternity debt covers the periods when a working mother gives birth and provides an opportunity to move forward the retirement date. Women who had children after their insurance start date are entitled to claim maternity debt for up to three children.
Each child entitles the mother to two years of debt period. If the conditions are met, mothers may cover up to three children for a total of up to 2,160 days of maternity debt. The maternity debt period covers 720 days for each child.
By making maternity debt payments to fill gaps in their service record, mothers can pay the due contributions for missing days and thereby retire earlier.
E-Government Maternity Debt Application
SGK maternity debt applications can be made online via the e-Government portal. Steps for applicants who wish to apply through the e-Government system are:
- Go to the e-Government portal (turkiye.gov.tr).
- Log in using your identity number and e-Government password.
- Those without a password can obtain an e-Government password from PTT branches.
- You can also log in via the mobile application.
- After logging in, select the ‘SGK Borrowing Services’ menu.
- Social Insurance (4A) insured persons should select the 4A maternity debt application menu.
- Bağ-Kur (4B) insured persons should select the 4B maternity debt application menu.
- Once in the relevant menu, applicants can complete the debt application quickly and easily.
There is no dedicated online system for querying maternity debt itself. Applicants who have made maternity debt payments can check whether those payments have been processed into their service records via the e-Government SGK Registration and Service Statement page. Through e-Government you can only verify whether service records have been updated to reflect the payments.