Maternity leave Turkey: 24 weeks and SGK pay calculator
Enter the earnings and premium days of the 12 months before the birth and the type of pregnancy to see the daily earnings, the daily allowance SGK pays and the total for 168 or 182 days. Free, no sign-up required.
How long is maternity leave in Turkey?
Maternity leave in Turkey is 24 weeks for employees: 8 weeks before the birth and 16 weeks after it. For a multiple pregnancy, 2 weeks are added before the birth, giving 26 weeks. Law No. 7578, published in the Resmî Gazete on 1 May 2026 (No. 33240) and in force that day, raised the time after the birth from 8 weeks to 16.
| Case | Before the birth | After the birth | Days of maternity pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| One baby, from 1 May 2026 | 8 weeks | 16 weeks | 168 |
| Multiple pregnancy, from 1 May 2026 | 10 weeks | 16 weeks | 182 |
| One baby, earlier rule | 8 weeks | 8 weeks | 112 |
With her doctor's approval, an employee may keep working until 2 weeks before the birth (3 weeks under the earlier rule), and the weeks she works are added after the birth. Weeks lost to an early birth are added after it as well, so the total does not change. A transitional article gave 8 more weeks to employees whose leave had ended by 1 May 2026 but who were still within 24 weeks of the birth on 1 April 2026, if they asked within 10 working days.
How is maternity pay calculated?
Maternity pay (doğum izni parası, legally a temporary incapacity allowance for maternity) comes from the Social Security Institution (SGK), not from the employer. It is two thirds of the daily earnings for each day of leave not worked. The calculator applies these steps:
Daily earnings = earnings in the 12 months before the birth ÷ premium days for those earnings
Daily allowance = daily earnings × 2/3
Maternity pay = daily allowance × 168 days (182 for a multiple pregnancy)
The earnings are those reported to SGK as the basis for contributions (prime esas kazanç). In 2026, daily earnings cannot fall below the floor of TRY 1,101.00 or exceed the ceiling of TRY 9,909.00. If fewer than 180 days of short-term insurance contributions were reported in the 12 months, daily earnings are capped at twice the floor, TRY 2,202.00 (Law No. 5510, Article 17). Days that the report shows as inpatient treatment are paid at half the daily earnings instead of two thirds (Article 18); the calculator takes them in a separate field.
Worked example
Hypothetical example: an employee earned a gross TRY 50,000 a month in each of the 12 months before the birth, with 360 premium days, and expects one baby. Her earnings for the 12 months total TRY 600,000. These are the calculator's default values.
Daily earnings: 600,000 ÷ 360 = TRY 1,666.67. Daily allowance: 1,666.67 × 2/3 = TRY 1,111.11, or TRY 33,333.30 for 30 days. Maternity pay for 168 days: 168 × 1,111.11 = TRY 186,666.48.
With twins the leave pays 182 days, TRY 202,222.02 in total. An employee paid the minimum wage throughout the 12 months has daily earnings at or below the floor, so the floor of TRY 1,101.00 applies: a daily allowance of TRY 734.00 and TRY 123,312.00 for 168 days, against TRY 82,208.00 for the 112 days of the earlier rule.
Had the same TRY 600,000 been earned over only 150 premium days, daily earnings would be TRY 4,000.00 before the cap. Fewer than 180 days caps them at TRY 2,202.00, so the allowance is TRY 1,468.00 a day and TRY 246,624.00 in total.
Who pays, and the conditions for maternity pay
- Who pays: SGK pays the allowance from maternity insurance (Law No. 5510, Articles 16 and 18).
- Contributions: at least 90 days of short-term insurance contributions reported in the year before the birth (Article 18). Below 90 days the calculator shows a message instead of a result.
- Coverage: the calculator is for employees insured under Article 4/1-a. Foreign employees qualify on the same terms if they are insured with SGK.
- Nursing allowance: SGK also pays a nursing allowance (emzirme ödeneği) once for each child born alive, at a rate its board sets, if at least 120 days of short-term contributions were reported in the year before the birth (Article 16). It is not included here.
The floor is the gross minimum wage divided by 30; see Turkey minimum wage. How contributions and insurance branches work is in Turkey social security (SGK).
Employer duties, unpaid leave and paternity leave
Article 74 of Labour Law No. 4857 sets what the employer must allow around a birth, and it applies to everyone working under an employment contract, whether or not the rest of the Labour Law covers the workplace.
- During pregnancy: paid leave for periodic check-ups, and lighter work with no pay cut when a doctor's report calls for it.
- Half-time unpaid leave: after the maternity leave, on request, unpaid leave of half the weekly working time for 60 days after a first birth, 120 after a second and 180 after later births, plus 30 days for a multiple birth, or 360 days if the child is born disabled. A parent who adopts a child under three can use it too.
- Unpaid leave: up to six months after the 24 weeks (26 for a multiple pregnancy), on request.
- Nursing breaks: one and a half hours a day for a child under one, counted as working time, at times the employee chooses.
- Paternity leave: 10 days of paid leave when the employee's wife gives birth, up from 5 days before Law No. 7578 (Law No. 4857, Additional Article 2). It is paid leave from the employer.
An employee who adopts a child under three gets 8 weeks of maternity leave from the day the child is placed with the family, a length Law No. 7578 left unchanged. Ending employment is covered in Turkey severance pay.
Which values to enter
- Earnings in the 12 months before the birth: the total of the gross earnings reported to SGK for those months, as shown on your SGK service statement (hizmet dökümü).
- Premium days: the days of contributions behind those earnings, from 90 to 360.
- Pregnancy: one baby or a multiple pregnancy.
- Inpatient days: only if the report shows inpatient treatment.
- Advanced settings: the 2026 daily floor and ceiling. The 2027 figures follow the 2027 minimum wage, which had not been announced as of 6 November 2026. If the floor rises during the leave, an allowance based on lower daily earnings is paid on the new floor from that date (Article 18).
Monthly payroll, with contributions and income tax, is in the Turkey salary calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How long is maternity leave in Turkey in 2026?
24 weeks for employees since 1 May 2026: 8 weeks before the birth and 16 after it. For a multiple pregnancy 2 weeks are added before the birth, giving 26 weeks.
Who pays maternity leave in Turkey?
SGK pays a maternity allowance of two thirds of the daily earnings for each day of leave not worked, if at least 90 days of contributions were reported in the year before the birth. The employer does not pay this allowance.
How much is maternity pay in Turkey?
Two thirds of the average daily earnings of the 12 months before the birth, for 168 days, or 182 for a multiple pregnancy. At the 2026 floor of TRY 1,101 a day that is TRY 734 a day and TRY 123,312 in total.
How long is paternity leave in Turkey?
Employees under the Labour Law get 10 days of paid leave when their wife gives birth. Law No. 7578 raised it from 5 days on 1 May 2026, and the employer pays it.
Can I take unpaid leave after maternity leave in Turkey?
Yes. On request, an employee can take up to six months of unpaid leave after the 24 weeks, and half-time unpaid leave of 60, 120 or 180 days depending on how many births she has had.
Sources
- Resmî Gazete: Law No. 7578 amending the Social Services Law and other laws, 1 May 2026, No. 33240, Articles 15 to 19 and transitional Article 1 (Turkish) (opens in a new tab)
- Mevzuat: Labour Law No. 4857, Article 74 and Additional Article 2, consolidated text (Turkish) (opens in a new tab)
- Mevzuat: Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law No. 5510, Articles 15 to 18, consolidated text (Turkish) (opens in a new tab)
- SGK: 2026 earnings floor and ceiling for contributions (Turkish) (opens in a new tab)
This calculator is general information, not tax, legal or investment advice. Results depend on the values you enter; rates, ceilings and amounts in Turkey change often, so check the date of each figure and the official source, and ask a licensed adviser about your own situation. Sources, checks and corrections: see the editorial policy.
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