As is known, employees sometimes receive specific payments. Travel allowance (harcırah) is one of these payments. Paid in cases such as relocation or reassignment, travel allowance is a matter that concerns civil servants directly. In this article we answer the question: which civil servants are entitled to travel allowance?
What Is Travel Allowance?
Before addressing which civil servants receive travel allowance, let’s define what travel allowance is. Travel allowance is money paid to cover expenses incurred while performing duties on behalf of another party. These payments can cover family expenses, travel costs, relocation expenses if reassignment requires going elsewhere, and other related costs. Travel allowance provisions are stipulated in the relevant legislation.
Another important question about travel allowance is who is eligible to receive it.
Who Is Eligible for Travel Allowance?
Given the definition above, who can receive travel allowance? Eligible recipients include the following:
- Civil servants and service personnel working in institutions covered by the applicable law.
- Persons temporarily assigned by institutions even if they are not permanent staff or service personnel.
- Civil servants who are left without a post because there is no available position, and their family members.
- Service personnel who have been dismissed from duty and their families.
- Family members of a service person or civil servant who has died.
- Privates and non-commissioned officers who are on duty during the transfer of detainees, convicts, or those under supervision.
- Administrators and athletes traveling for official or national sporting events.
- Members of the Turkish Armed Forces sent abroad as a group and their family members remaining in Turkey.
- Military students, privates, and non-commissioned officers specifically listed in the law under special circumstances.
These are the categories of people who may receive travel allowance. In short, civil servants who meet certain conditions are entitled to these payments.
In What Situations Can Civil Servants Receive Travel Allowance?
Now specifically: which civil servants can receive travel allowance? Civil servants may receive travel allowance if predetermined conditions are met. Situations in which travel allowance is payable include:
- Civil servants assigned to duties inside or outside the country, or appointed for a domestic or foreign duty, are entitled to travel allowance.
- If a civil servant sent to another location for a permanent or temporary duty dies while en route or before starting the new duty, travel allowance can be paid up to the place of death.
- If a civil servant or service person appointed to a post dies on the way or before commencing service and had taken their family along, travel allowance may be paid to the family in the amounts determined by regulation.
These points summarize which civil servants can receive travel allowance. Eligible civil servants can apply to obtain this payment. In some cases, civil servants may receive a temporary duty travel allowance. The following outlines who qualifies for temporary duty travel allowance.
- If a civil servant is sent by their institution to perform duties at home or abroad due to a family-related assignment, they may receive travel allowance.
- Civil servants sent elsewhere in relation to a legal case connected to their past or current employment may be eligible for travel allowance.
- Civil servants assigned temporarily to act on behalf of their duty center outside their usual post can receive travel allowance.
- Persons sent to serve as temporary district governors (kaymakam) are also eligible for travel allowance.
Where and How Are Travel Allowance Payments Collected?
Having answered which civil servants can receive travel allowance, we turn to where and how these payments are collected. Travel allowance payments are issued to applicants who apply within six months from the date of the duty. If a legitimate obstacle prevents timely application, the applicant may submit their request after the obstacle is removed; the application period resumes from that point.
In practice, civil servants should follow institutional procedures and submit required documentation within the statutory timeframe to claim travel allowance. Eligibility and calculation are determined according to the applicable legal provisions and institutional regulations, so applicants should ensure they meet the conditions and provide accurate supporting documents when applying.