Retirement Opportunity for Civil Servants Without Working
Civil servants who have left their positions are granted the option to retire if they meet certain conditions. With the appropriate qualifications, former civil servants can voluntarily pay contributions under the pension fund and qualify for a retirement pension. So, what conditions must former civil servants meet to become eligible for retirement?
First, under Law No. 5434, any civil servant who left public service either before or after October 2008 may, on a voluntary basis and in accordance with Article 4/1 of Law No. 5510, pay contributions and retire. Civil servants who returned to duty after 2008 and then left again also have this right. Those who served within the pension fund before or after 2008 and then left civil service to work under SSK or Bağ-Kur are also entitled to retirement under these provisions. Eligible former civil servants may voluntarily pay contributions and gain the right to retire.
Those who do not meet these conditions, civil servants who were dismissed by their institution rather than leaving voluntarily, or individuals who committed culpable offenses or dishonorable crimes specified in Article 48 of the Civil Servants Law No. 657, were convicted and lost their civil servant status, cannot benefit from this law and are not entitled to retirement under it.
Contribution Requirements
According to Law No. 5434, civil servants who wish to retire by paying voluntary contributions must meet the following conditions:
- Have worked as a civil servant for at least 10 years under Law No. 657,
- Have left public service of their own free will, not have been dismissed by their institution,
- If they voluntarily left employment while working under SSK or Bağ-Kur, they must apply to the Social Security Institution within six months following their resignation date. Any individual who applies within this six-month period can pay contributions and obtain the right to retire. Periods such as additional service time subject to actual-service-time increments, deemed service time, unpaid leave and service buy-back periods are not counted toward the 10-year service requirement. Therefore, the 10-year period must consist of actual service time.
Where to Apply to Benefit from the Law?
Individuals who meet the retirement conditions under Law No. 5434 should apply with a petition to the Public Servants Department of the General Directorate of Insurance Contributions within the Social Security Institution. The petition must include documents proving eligibility, such as a voluntary resignation certificate and documentation showing the 10-year length of service. If the application satisfies the conditions, contribution and deduction calculations will be made for the applicant. The calculation method is as follows.
For voluntary participants, the grade and step indicators at the time they left civil service are used to determine the corresponding additional indicator figure. That figure is multiplied by the coefficient in effect on the application date. The resulting amount is then added to the base salary, seniority pay and any retirement compensation valid on the application date. Sixteen percent of this total is calculated as the retirement contribution and twenty percent as the employer share, resulting in a total contribution rate of thirty-six percent. The participant pays thirty-six percent of this calculated amount as contributions each month; their participation ends if any of the following occur:
- No contributions are made for a period longer than six months,
- The participant starts working insured under SSK at any institution,
- The participant withdraws their intention to pay contributions by submitting a petition,
- The participant begins voluntarily paying Bağ-Kur contributions. Therefore, participants must ensure they pay contributions without interruption and must not start employment at another institution or organization if they wish to retain their voluntary participation rights.