Conditions for Granting a Pension to Widowed Women as determined by the Social Security Institution are as follows:
- The deceased must have been insured.
- The deceased must have paid at least 1,800 days of premiums for disability, old-age and death insurance, or must have been insured for at least five years and paid at least 900 days of premiums for disability, old-age and death insurance.
- The deceased must have been entitled to a disability or old-age pension.
- The deceased must not have outstanding premium debt.
- There must have been a legally registered marriage between the deceased and the surviving spouse for the widowed woman to be eligible for a pension.
How to Apply for a Survivor’s Pension
There are two application channels a widowed woman can use to apply for a survivor’s pension:
- Social Security Institution (SGK)
- E-Government portal (e-Devlet)
To apply in person at the Social Security Institution, visit the provincial directorate and submit your application. Bringing all required documents with you will speed up the process. If documents are missing, officials will request that you complete them before proceeding.
Documents Required to Apply for a Survivor’s Pension
When applying to the Social Security Institution, the widowed woman should bring the following documents:
- Application petition requesting the survivor’s pension
- Full family registration certificate (vukuatlı nüfus kayıt örneği)
- Identification document and one photocopy
- Certificate of inheritance (veraset ilamı)
- Death registration record (ölüm defni tutanağı)
- Declaration and undertaking form
- Document showing income status
- Document proving not being insured (if applicable)
- Bank account number
- If there is a disabled child, a medical board report
How to Apply for a Survivor’s Pension via E‑Government
The e-Devlet portal provides an online option to submit the survivor’s pension application. Steps to apply online are:
- Go to the e-Devlet service for “Death Assistance and Survivor’s/Orphan’s Pension Request” (the relevant service on the portal).
- You must complete identity verification to continue the process.
- Click the “Verify my identity now” option and sign in using one of the available e-Devlet login methods.
- Complete and submit the application through the displayed system interface.
How to Check the Status of a Survivor’s Pension
You can check the status of a survivor’s pension through the following channels:
- Social Security Institution provincial directorates
- Social Security Institution support hotline
- E-Government portal
To check the application status on e-Devlet, log into the survivor’s pension application service as described above and view your application progress.
How Much Is the Survivor’s Pension?
Pension amounts for widowed women depend on the deceased’s work status and the number of children. A portion of the deceased’s pension is paid to survivors according to the following rates:
- If the widow has no children, she receives 75% of the deceased’s pension. If the widow is employed, she receives 50%.
- If there is only one child: the widow receives 60% of the pension and the child receives 30%.
- If there are two or more children: the widow receives 50% and the remaining 50% is distributed among the children.
When Is the Survivor’s Pension Terminated?
In some circumstances the survivor’s pension can be discontinued. If such circumstances do not occur, the pension can be received for life. The main situation that leads to termination is:
- If the widowed woman enters into a new marriage
If the widowed woman remarries, the pension will be stopped in the month following the marriage. If she later divorces the new spouse, she may reapply for the survivor’s pension. If a subsequent marriage also ends due to the spouse’s death, she can only benefit from one spouse’s coverage at a time and may choose which spouse’s coverage to use.
Can a Woman Married in a Religious Ceremony (Imam Nikah) Receive a Survivor’s Pension?
To receive a survivor’s pension, the surviving spouse must have been legally married to the deceased. Because couples married only by religious ceremony are not registered as legally married in official records, they are not eligible for the survivor’s pension or other benefits reserved for legally recognized widows.
Can a Spouse Receive a Pension if the Deceased Had No Social Insurance?
To qualify for the survivor’s pension, the deceased must have been insured and have paid premiums. If the deceased had no social insurance, the surviving spouse cannot receive the survivor’s pension. In that case, the widow may apply for a different allowance provided for needy survivors.
What Is the Widow’s Allowance?
The widow’s allowance is a social assistance payment intended to prevent financial hardship for a woman whose spouse has died and who does not qualify for a survivor’s pension. To receive the widow’s allowance, the marriage must be legally registered. Religious-only marriages are not eligible. Widows whose deceased spouse had no social insurance may apply for this allowance through social assistance programs.
Conditions to Qualify for the Widow’s Allowance
Applicants for the widow’s allowance must meet certain conditions. If these conditions are not met, applications are rejected.
These conditions include:
- The deceased spouse must not have been insured.
- The woman must be at risk of falling into financial need without assistance.
- The woman must not be employed.
- The woman must have no other significant income.
How Much Is the Widow’s Allowance?
The widow’s allowance is paid every two months and the amount is updated annually. If an application is approved, an account will be opened in the beneficiary’s name at Ziraat Bank or PTT, and payments will be made bimonthly. The current amount set for the widow’s allowance is 750 TL.
How to Apply for the Widow’s Allowance
Applications for the widow’s allowance are submitted in person at the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation located in the applicant’s place of residence. Visit the local foundation office to complete the application process.
Documents Required for the Widow’s Allowance Application
If a widowed woman does not qualify for the survivor’s pension, she may apply to the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation for the widow’s allowance. The documents to be presented to the foundation are:
- Document proving that the deceased had no social insurance
- Death certificate of the deceased
- Applicant’s identity card and a photocopy
- Proof of the applicant’s economic situation showing need for assistance
- Poverty certificate, obtainable from the local muhtar’s office or the district governorate
- If the applicant has children, their identity documents
An application petition requesting the widow’s allowance must also be submitted.