Good news for those who narrowly missed qualification under the “retirement-age cutoff” rules (EYT). People who fell short by a small margin may now have a chance to receive a 7,500-lira monthly pension. Under a 3,600-day formula, insured workers (SSK) whose premiums are otherwise insufficient can retire earlier: women at age 50 and men at age 55. There are additional options for those affected by the EYT law who could not benefit due to missing contribution days.
In the coming days, new measures will take effect that ease the required insured days for tradespeople’s retirement and introduce flexibility for women based on the number of children. Those who fall under the Labour Law and the Social Insurances Law and are included in EYT but lack sufficient contributions can access partial retirement rights. Under partial retirement, individuals who have completed 15 years and 3,600 days of insurance can retire without working additional years. Further details follow below.
Increase Will Be Seen in Base Pensions
The age requirement for the partial retirement formula is 58 for women and 60 for men. Monthly pension amounts vary depending on whether the insurance began before or after the year 2000. For those who qualify for partial retirement, regardless of their base pension level, the monthly payment will be 7,500 lira. With a new increase expected in July, base pensions will rise as well.
Who Can Retire with 3,600 Contribution Days?
According to the Unemployment Insurance Law, women who began working before 8 September 1981 and men who began before 8 September 1976 may retire after completing 15 years of insurance and 3,600 days. Under the Social Insurances Law, women who completed 15 years of insured service by 23 May 2002 and women aged 50, or men aged 55, who have paid 3,600 days of sickness, old-age and death insurance contributions may choose to retire. Typically, these pensions are 25–30% lower than regular retirement pensions. Since the minimum pension amounts have risen to 7,500 lira, even reduced pensions will correspond at least to that floor.
For detailed information about retirement with 3,600 days, you can review our coverage on the subject.
Which Insured Persons Qualify for Easier Conditions for Old-Age Pensions?
Special protections are provided to certain groups who can therefore retire under easier conditions: those who were disabled before starting work, people benefiting from tax exemptions due to disability, those with reduced working capacity, workers employed in underground operations of mining workplaces, and individuals identified as having aged prematurely. These circumstances allow more lenient retirement requirements.
If someone who is already retired later returns to work covered under all branches of social insurance, how is their pension handled when they leave that job? The new pension equals the amount determined by applying post-cut increases to the old pension’s cessation date, combined with the partial pension attributable to the period worked after retirement. In other words, the re-computed pension includes adjustments applied since the prior pension was stopped plus any partial payments tied to post-retirement employment.
What Are the Conditions for a Lump-Sum Old-Age Payment?
If contributions paid into the social security system are insufficient to qualify for a pension, contributors may reclaim their premiums through a lump-sum old-age payment. To receive this payment, women must be 58 and men 60. For example, a male worker who would need 7,000 contribution days to retire at age 60 but only has 2,000 days can apply to reclaim those paid contributions as a lump sum.