In our country, the state provides various conveniences for insured individuals regarding premium payments. Notably, deemed service time (itibari hizmet süresi) is one of these conveniences. It is important to know who qualifies for deemed service time, since this period can significantly affect lump-sum payments and monthly pensions for certain people.
Under Law No. 5510, deemed service time is defined as follows: deemed service time is the period taken into account when calculating pensions and lump-sum payments to be granted under the Law, but it is not considered for acquiring rights recognized by the Law, nor for the calculation of required premium payment days, age, or retirement severance pay.
From this legal explanation, it follows that deemed service time is not included when calculating insured service duration or the number of premium payment days required to obtain retirement rights. Nevertheless, deemed service time plays an important role in determining pension amounts and lump-sum payments.
Deemed service time applies to a number of military personnel categories: officers, reserve officers, non-commissioned officers, specialist gendarmes, specialist sergeants, and contracted privates and soldiers. Under certain conditions, these individuals may receive additional deemed service time. The time periods that qualify can be summarized as follows:
- For those who participated in general or partial mobilization due to war, the period from the declaration of war until the end of the mobilization is considered deemed service time.
- For personnel serving in units that actively participated in internal pacification operations requiring mobilization, the period from the start of hostilities until the end of mobilization is included as deemed service time.
- For members of the Turkish Armed Forces sent to foreign countries before a formal declaration of war or mobilization—pursuant to the Constitution or international treaties to which Turkey is a party—if combat occurs, the period of combat or, for those who return to Türkiye before combat ends, the period until their return to Türkiye is considered deemed service time.
Deemed Service Time for Civilians
Although many deemed service time provisions apply to military personnel, certain civilian employees may also qualify under specific conditions. According to Law No. 5510, insured individuals who served in eligible roles—such as civilian staff, privates, or non-commissioned officers—and who meet the qualifying conditions for deemed service time may likewise receive this recognition. For those eligible, six months of deemed service time is added for each year of actual service time or for each year of ongoing captivity after that date. The total added deemed service time cannot exceed three years.
Status of Deemed Service Time for Prisoners of War
Prisoners of war can also receive deemed service time. Provided that their pensions continue to be paid and that their institutional ties remain intact (excluding contracted personnel), six months of deemed service time are added for each year of actual service or captivity. As with other cases, the total of the added deemed service time is limited to a maximum of three years.
In addition to the categories already mentioned, certain other workers may be included in the scope of deemed service time. Examples of such personnel include:
- Aviation and non-aviation aircrew employed by public administrations, including submarine crew members
- Divers
- Frogmen (combat divers)
- Parachutists
Reporting of Deemed Service Time
Reporting deemed service time is the responsibility of each individual’s employing institution. For those employed under the Pension Fund (Emekli Sandığı) and for those who were first insured under that scheme, institutions report deemed service time through the Annual Deemed Service Time Premium Statement (Yıllık İtibari Hizmet Süresi Prim Belgesi).
Similarly, for insured persons under the Social Security Institution (SSK), deemed service time is reported by their respective institutions. The same institutions perform the calculations to determine deemed service time amounts based on each person’s service record.
Overall, deemed service time is a targeted legal mechanism designed to recognize specific periods of service—especially service in mobilization, combat, captivity, or hazardous duties—and to reflect those periods in pension and lump-sum calculations while remaining separate from the criteria used to acquire pension rights, required premium days, age, and severance calculations.