For those who became insured after 2000, the retirement date varies depending on which law applies. Changes to social security regulations over time affect retirement age, required days of premium payments, and insured service periods. Therefore, an insured person’s retirement date can change based on the applicable rules and their personal record.
To calculate the retirement date for those insured after 2000, you must first check the relevant articles of the applicable law and review the individual’s insured record. Retirement requires meeting conditions related to age, number of premium payment days, and length of insured service. These conditions differ for women and men.
Some insured groups may have special privileges regarding retirement. Certain groups—such as people with disabilities, those with disabled children, and workers in underground occupations—may be eligible to retire earlier under specific provisions.
RETIREMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE INSURED AFTER 2000
For those insured after 2000, the basic retirement requirements are age 58 and 7,000 premium days for both women and men in certain periods, though these requirements change depending on the first insurance date and whether it falls after 2008.
| Insurance Start Date | Insured Service Period | Age Requirement for Men | Premium Days |
| Before 08.09.1976 | 25 | — | 5000 |
| 09.09.1976–23.05.1979 | 25 | 44 | 5000 |
| 24.05.1979–23.11.1980 | 25 | 45 | 5000 |
| 24.11.1980–23.05.1982 | 25 | 46 | 5075 |
| 24.05.1982–23.11.1983 | 25 | 47 | 5150 |
| 24.11.1983–23.05.1985 | 25 | 48 | 5225 |
| 24.05.1985–23.11.1986 | 25 | 49 | 5300 |
| 24.11.1986–23.05.1988 | 25 | 50 | 5375 |
| 24.05.1988–23.05.1989 | 25 | 51 | 5450 |
| 24.11.1989–23.05.1991 | 25 | 52 | 5525 |
| 24.05.1991–23.11.1992 | 25 | 53 | 5600 |
| 24.11.1992–23.05.1994 | 25 | 54 | 5675 |
| 24.05.1994–23.11.1995 | 25 | 55 | 5750 |
| 24.11.1995–23.05.1997 | 25 | 56 | 5825 |
| 24.05.1997–23.11.1998 | 25 | 57 | 5900 |
| 24.11.1998–08.09.1999 | 25 | 58 | 5975 |
| 09.09.1999–30.04.2008 | 25 | 60 | 7000 |
| 01.05.2008–2035 | 25 | 60 | 7200 |
The table above shows how retirement age for men, insured service duration, and required premium days change by year. As seen, requirements generally increase for those insured after 2000.
| First Insurance Date | Insured Service Period | Age | Premium Days |
| Before 01.04.1981 | 20 | — | 5000 |
| 09.09.1981–23.05.1984 | 20 | 40 | 5000 |
| 24.05.1984–23.05.1985 | 20 | 41 | 5000 |
| 24.05.1985–23.11.1986 | 20 | 42 | 5075 |
| 24.11.1986–23.05.1987 | 20 | 43 | 5150 |
| 24.05.1987–23.05.1988 | 20 | 44 | 5225 |
| 24.05.1989–23.05.1990 | 20 | 45 | 5300 |
| 24.05.1990–23.11.1991 | 20 | 46 | 5375 |
| 24.05.1991–23.05.1992 | 20 | 47 | 5450 |
| 24.05.1992–23.05.1993 | 20 | 48 | 5525 |
| 24.05.1993–23.05.1994 | 20 | 49 | 5600 |
| 24.05.1994–23.05.1995 | 20 | 50 | 5675 |
| 24.05.1995–23.05.1996 | 20 | 51 | 5750 |
| 24.05.1996–23.05.1997 | 20 | 52 | 5825 |
| 24.05.1997–23.05.1998 | 20 | 53 | 5900 |
| 24.05.1998–23.05.1999 | 20 | 54 | 5975 |
| 24.05.1999–08.09.1999 | 20 | 55 | 5975 |
| 09.09.1999–30.04.2008 | 25 | 58 | 7000 |
| 01.05.2008–2035 | 25 | 58 | 7200 |
The table above outlines the corresponding conditions for women. Reviewing the year-by-year changes shows increases in both age and required premium days for women as well.
WHICH LAW APPLIES TO THOSE INSURED AFTER 2000?
The primary law affecting those insured after 2000 is Law No. 4447, which entered into force in 1999. Compared with earlier regulations, this law tightened retirement requirements. The changes affected both people who started work after the law and certain aspects of those already employed.
Another significant change came in 2008 with Law No. 5510, which applies to those insured from 2008 onward. Under this law the age requirement increased significantly compared with earlier rules. The general purpose of these legislative changes has been to raise retirement ages and reduce the long-term financial burden on the state.
PREMIUM REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE WHO STARTED WORK BETWEEN 2000 AND 2008
The premium payment requirement for those who entered employment between 2000 and 2008 is 7,000 days. With the 2008 law this requirement increased to 7,200 days for many insured groups. Premium days represent the number of days on which contributions were paid. Typically, workers meet the premium day requirement before they reach the age requirement.
Those insured after 2000 are generally in a better position than those who started after 2008. An increase in required premium days means longer working periods to qualify for retirement, though options such as purchasing service periods (borçlanma) can bring the retirement date forward.
PREMIUM REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE WHO STARTED WORK AFTER 2008
For those who started working after 2008, the standard premium requirement is 7,200 days for 4A insureds. For 4B insureds (self-employed/BAĞ-KUR), the requirement for an old-age pension can be as high as 9,000 days in some cases.
In some situations a 5,400-day requirement may apply. This is possible when an insured person is three years older than the ages specified in the gradual age transition table. For example, if the gradual schedule requires age 59 for women and 61 for men in the 2036–2037 period, a woman aged 62 and a man aged 64 could retire under a 5,400-day premium condition.
As seen, the effective retirement date depends on which conditions you meet. Knowing which rules apply to your record is essential to plan the optimal timing for claiming an old-age pension.
AGE REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE WHO STARTED WORK BETWEEN 2000 AND 2008
The age requirement for those who entered employment between 2000 and 2008 is 58 for women and 60 for men. In addition to age, these insured individuals must meet the premium day and insured service duration requirements.
AGE REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE WHO STARTED WORK AFTER 2008
For those who started working after 2008, the age requirement follows a phased schedule. The phased application maintains age 58 until 2035; after that, ages increase gradually as follows:
- 01/01/2036–31/12/2037: women 59, men 61
- 01/01/2038–31/12/2039: women 60, men 62
- 01/01/2040–31/12/2041: women 61, men 63
- 01/01/2042–31/12/2043: women 62, men 64
- 01/01/2044–31/12/2045: women 63, men 65
- 01/01/2046–31/12/2047: women 64, men 65
- From 01/01/2048 onward: both women and men 65
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS FOR PARTIAL (REDUCED) PENSION?
If you meet partial pension conditions, you can retire earlier but will receive a reduced pension. Partial retirement still requires age, premium days, and insured service periods. For those who started between 2000 and 2008, the partial pension premium day requirement is 4,500 days with a 25-year insured service period.
The age threshold for partial retirement is 58 for women and 60 for men. Pensions granted under these conditions are typically reduced by about 20–25%. For 4B insureds, there is no insured service duration limit for partial retirement; however, BAĞ-KUR insureds generally need 5,400 premium days and age 60 for women and 62 for men.
For those who began working after 2008, retirement with 5,400 premium days is possible if the phased age table is increased by three years for the individual, provided the resulting age does not exceed 65.
RETIREMENT CONDITIONS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Retirement conditions for persons with disabilities are eased under positive discrimination principles so they can access old-age benefits earlier. A regulation introduced on 6 August 2003 created transitional rights for those insured for 12 years or more. For those insured between that date and the 2008 reform, retirement may be possible under these example conditions:
- 80–100% disability: 15 years insured service and 3,600 days premium
- 60–79% disability: 18 years insured service and 4,000 days premium
- 40–59% disability: 20 years insured service and 4,400 days premium
For those who became insured after 2008 and had an existing disability before starting work, retirement may be possible with 3,960 premium days and 15 years of insured service, provided the disability meets the required severity for recognition as a disabling condition.
Disability-based retirement also uses a classification by loss of working capacity. For example, those with a 50–59% loss may retire with at least 16 years of insured service and 4,320 premium days. Those with 40–49% loss may retire with 18 years insured service and 4,680 premium days. Age is not required in these cases.
There are special provisions for workers over 55 and those who age prematurely; if they meet conditions other than age, they may also retire. If a female insured has a child who needs care at the time she files for retirement, special easing of contribution records may apply under the relevant law, which can affect the total counted premium days.
RETIREMENT CONDITIONS FOR HEAVY AND DANGEROUS WORK
Retirement conditions for those in heavy and dangerous work vary by occupation. Many concessions exist for underground workers. Miners with at least 20 years of service underground, for example, may have an age requirement of 50.
Workers in heavy and dangerous jobs also benefit from actual service time increases (fiili hizmet süresi zammı), which reduce the effective retirement age. The amount of this increase depends on the job; for underground workers, the increase can be significant (for example, 180 days), and some jobs receive an additional 90 days. These adjustments shorten the time needed to qualify for retirement and reduce age thresholds accordingly.
HOW CAN YOU BRING YOUR RETIREMENT DATE FORWARD?
One common way to bring your retirement date forward is to purchase service periods through borçlanma (repayment of contributions for specific non-covered periods). Borçlanma is allowed for circumstances such as:
- Maternity leave
- Military service
- Legal internship (for lawyers)
- Medical faculty internship periods
- Doctoral studies
By buying these service periods, you can increase your counted premium days and potentially retire sooner. For maternity-related borçlanma, up to three children can be credited, with specified limits on total years recognized per child. To use borçlanma, the insured must not have had premiums paid on their behalf for the periods claimed.
ARE SURVIVORS PAID IF THE INSURED DIES BEFORE RETIREMENT?
Survivors can receive benefits if an insured person dies before retiring, provided the insured had already met the pension entitlement conditions. If those conditions were not met, survivors may receive a lump-sum payment representing returned premium contributions. If the insured died while already receiving a pension, eligible survivors receive a death pension.
Calculating the retirement date for those insured after 2000 and understanding the detailed conditions that apply to your personal record will help you determine the best time to claim an old-age pension and make informed decisions about buying service periods or other options.