People pay social security contributions while working for an employer or running their own businesses. These contributions fulfill one of the requirements for retirement. In our country, specific conditions determine eligibility for retirement—primarily the number of contribution days and age. Previously, different rules applied, and people retired under those earlier provisions. Over time, the retirement law has been reformed several times, changing the eligibility criteria. One significant reform occurred in 1999, which led to the emergence of a group commonly referred to as “those stuck by retirement age.” Since that reform, the number of people affected by this issue has steadily increased.
Under the pre-1999 rules, and before the law was amended that year, retirement depended on maintaining insured status for a certain period and completing a specified number of contribution days. Men could retire after 25 years of insurance and completing 5,000 days, while women could retire after 20 years of insurance and completing 5,000 days. No age requirement applied then; meeting the service and day-count conditions sufficed. The 1999 change altered that approach. Law No. 4447 introduced new provisions requiring an age threshold in addition to service time and contribution days. When the “stuck by retirement age” problem surfaced, the related regulation was challenged before the Constitutional Court, which struck down parts of the law.
Those Stuck by Retirement Age and Gradual Age Increase
Law No. 4447 had set a gradual increase in retirement ages. Although the Constitutional Court annulled part of that regulation, a subsequent law—No. 4759—introduced another reform that again raised retirement ages progressively. Under this change, the retirement age for men increased in stages from 44 to 60, and for women from 40 to 58. This created the group commonly known as “EYT.” According to the reform, even if people completed the required contribution days and insured service duration, they still had to reach the newly specified age to claim retirement benefits. As a result, retirement was postponed by between three and twelve years for many people. This postponement is the core of the problem and has remained unresolved for years.
Hundreds of thousands are currently believed to fall within the EYT group, waiting to reach the required age to retire. Various steps have been proposed to address the problem, but no definitive solution has emerged so far. Proposals and demands have been continuously submitted to the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, and stakeholders expect a substantial response. Opposition deputies have frequently submitted parliamentary questions urging a quick resolution. After the appointment of Jülide Sarıeroğlu as minister, pleas and proposals were again forwarded to the ministry, but public statements indicate no decisive move has been made yet. Many affected individuals nonetheless hoped the issue might be resolved in 2018.
A legislative amendment could free those stuck by the retirement age from this difficulty. Some draft provisions reportedly circulating in political circles suggest an increased chance of resolution during 2018. A notable proposal within these drafts would require affected people to accept a reduction in a portion of their pension in exchange for earlier retirement. Under one rumored formula, if a person is within one year of the eligible retirement age, they could retire earlier by agreeing to receive 5% less in pension. However, such arrangements would only apply to individuals who meet all other conditions except for the age requirement.
Those Stuck by Retirement Age and Proposed Solutions
The draft bill being considered to address the EYT group reportedly contains 15 articles. Analysts are calculating the fiscal impact on the treasury and how much the budget would be affected. For this reason, close coordination with the Ministry of Finance is reportedly part of the process. Beyond the projected fiscal load, the draft includes detailed proposals on the percentage reductions retirees would accept depending on how far they are from the statutory retirement age. Examples under consideration include:
- Those one year away from retirement: 4%
- Those two years away from retirement: 5%
- Those three years away from retirement: 6%
- Those four years away from retirement: 7%
- Those five years away from retirement: 8%
- Those six years away from retirement: 9%
- Those seven years away from retirement: 10%
These options are reportedly under close review by senior committees, with cost estimates prepared carefully. In addition to this plan, other approaches are circulating in leaked reports. Five main solution categories are often discussed for resolving the EYT problem:
- High Wear-and-Tear Occupations: Some jobs are much more physically and mentally demanding than others. For these occupations, additional credit—often referred to as wear-and-tear pay or actual service time—could be applied. This would mean that 12 months of work might be counted as 15 months for retirement calculations, or the insured start date could be moved backward to grant earlier eligibility.
- Men Who Completed Military Service Before Starting Work: Depending on the period, men may have served up to 600 days in the military. When this service is converted to credited time, it increases contribution days and pushes the employment start date backward, effectively granting up to two years of advantage for retirement calculations.
- Women Using Childbirth Contribution Credits to Retire Early: This partial remedy helps women whose contribution day total is short. Mothers may buy up to two years of credited service per child; for three children this can total six years of credited time, helping to meet contribution requirements. Specific conditions and limits apply.
- Those Who Retired Before September 9, 1999: Under prior rules, individuals could retire with 15 years of insured service and 3,600 days of contributions.
- Women with a Child Requiring Care: A law enacted in 2008 allows portions of contribution days to be added for women caring for a dependent child, effectively reducing the age requirement by crediting one-quarter of certain contribution days.
People affected by the age requirement can sometimes qualify for retirement by applying one of these formulas, provided they meet the necessary conditions. In practice, however, these measures offer only partial relief and are far from a comprehensive solution. Therefore, a legislative reform is widely regarded as necessary. If the 15-article draft becomes law, it would represent a major step toward resolving the problem. For now, though, these proposals remain largely rumors and draft ideas leaked from political circles. Those stuck by the retirement age continue to wait anxiously and make their voices heard through protests and campaigns. Many severely affected individuals—who have the right to retire but must keep working despite declining health or capacity—experience major hardship. They seek a prompt solution so that a pension can help them sustain their livelihoods with some dignity.