There has been public interest in whether the minimum monthly pension amount for retirees changed in 2023. Under the first article of Law No. 5454, a retiree’s monthly pension including any supplementary payment cannot be less than 5,500 Turkish Lira. Likewise, for retirees covered by Law No. 5434, the minimum monthly pension has been set at 5,500 TL. Any change to this amount would require a change in the law.
Which Retirees Receive More Than 5,500 TL?
The mandatory minimum pension was introduced to prevent monthly pensions from falling below a certain level and varies according to retirement status. For civil servants retiring under Law No. 5510, the minimum monthly pension is 5,500 TL. For retirees whose pensions are calculated under Law No. 5434, the minimum is determined based on the pension calculated for 30 years of actual service at grade 14, step 2.
Accordingly, for civil servants covered by Law No. 5434, the minimum monthly pension for the first half of 2023, including the 4% supplementary payment required by law, amounts to 7,900.96 TL.
How Do Widows and Orphans Benefit from the Minimum Pension?
The minimum pension set at 5,500 TL under Law No. 5510 or the 7,900.96 TL minimum determined for those covered by Law No. 5434 is reflected proportionally in the pensions paid to a retiree’s surviving spouse and orphaned children, in the share they are entitled to receive.
If a retiree’s pension is below 5,500 TL, the minimum guarantee is applied. For example, if a retiree’s pension would be brought up to 5,500 TL and the retiree dies leaving one widow and one orphan, the widow would be paid half of 5,500 TL (2,750 TL) and the orphan would receive one quarter of 5,500 TL (1,375 TL).
Under the first paragraph of Article 19 of the additional provisions of Law No. 5434, the minimum pension of 7,900.96 TL (7,597.08 TL base + 4% supplementary payment of 303.88 TL) is distributed to survivors with the following minimums:
- If the number of widows and orphans is three or more, they receive the full amount (7,597.08 TL base + 303.88 TL supplementary = 7,900.96 TL).
- If the number of widows and orphans is two, they receive at least 90% of the amount (6,837.37 TL base + 273.49 TL supplementary = 7,110.86 TL).
- If the number of widows and orphans is one, they receive at least 80% of the amount (6,077.66 TL base + 243.11 TL supplementary = 6,320.77 TL).