With the start of the new academic year, students have returned to their studies. Thousands of university students also work while attending classes to cover their expenses. This raises questions—especially for those receiving orphan’s pension—about whether that monthly benefit will be cut if they work.
Orphan’s Pension Is Not Cut When Working
Many university students take on various jobs during their education to cover living costs. Some work every day of the month, others work fewer than 30 days. Under the new rules, students who receive an orphan’s pension while employed in an insured job will no longer have their pension cut regardless of the number of days they work.
Part-time workers must sign a part-time employment contract with their employer. Since the standard weekly working time is considered 45 hours, any work at or below 45 hours per week should be formalized with a part-time contract. Discriminating between full-time and part-time workers is against the law.
Pay and benefits must be proportional: part-time workers are entitled to compensation corresponding to the time they work, just as full-time workers receive full compensation. For example, if a full-month (30-day) worker earns a net 3,000 TRY and thus 100 TRY per day, a worker who works 10 days a month should receive the same daily rate and not less than 100 TRY per day. When a vacancy opens, priority should be given to part-time employees. If part-time employees receiving orphan’s pension fill such positions, their pension will not be cut.
Working Hours Are Determined by the Contract
Workers who work fewer than 30 days a month are still subject to social insurance registration. If monthly reporting is made under a part-time contract, a 30-day insured notification must be made regardless of weekly hours. Wages paid in this situation cannot be below the gross minimum wage.
If a part-time employment contract specifies hourly pay, monthly hours are totaled and then divided by the standard daily working hours of 7.5 to determine the number of insured days. Fractions under 7.5 hours should be rounded up and counted as one full day for contribution purposes.
Accordingly, part-time workers must be reported to the social security institution as part-time employment or under a timekeeping (puantaj) system. Workers who are employed fewer than 20 days a month must complete general health insurance contributions up to 30 days. Those working between 21 and 29 days do not have a mandatory requirement to top up to 30 days. Employees who must complete 30 days for health insurance are responsible for paying the monthly contributions themselves based on the statutory amounts.
Annual Leave Rights Apply
Part-time workers are entitled to annual leave just like full-time employees. Whether part-time work occurs on certain days of the week or during specified hours, employees accumulate annual leave after completing one year of employment.
Although some employers mistakenly claim that part-time employees cannot take annual leave, part-time workers do gain entitlement after one year. For full-time employees, annual leave commonly starts at 14 days per year, while part-time employees typically start with a 5-day annual leave entitlement. This entitlement may increase or decrease proportionally with the number of days worked.