Minimum Wage Earners to Receive 5,505 TL Overtime Pay During Bayram Holiday
Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Turkish employees working during the upcoming Kurban Bayram (Feast of Sacrifice) holiday will receive overtime pay.
- Minimum wage earners will receive an additional 5,505 Turkish Lira for working 4.5 days during the holiday.
- The calculation for holiday overtime pay is double the daily wage, with an additional 50% increase if the holiday falls on a weekend.
As the Kurban Bayram holiday approaches, millions of private sector employees in Turkey are calculating the extra earnings they can expect if they work during the extended break. The Turkish government has set the official holiday at 4.5 days, including the eve of the holiday. For those who choose to work, the overtime pay, known as 'bayram mesaisi,' is calculated as double the daily wage. This means that an employee's daily gross wage, determined by dividing their monthly gross salary by 30, is multiplied by two to determine the holiday overtime payment.
Holiday overtime pay is calculated as double the daily wage.
For minimum wage earners, this translates to a significant bonus. With the gross minimum wage set at 33,030 TL for 2026, a daily wage amounts to approximately 1,101 TL. Therefore, working one day during the holiday will result in the regular daily wage plus an additional 1,101 TL in holiday overtime pay. Over the 4.5-day holiday period, a minimum wage employee who works throughout could receive an additional 5,505 TL on top of their regular salary.
For minimum wage earners, working one day during the holiday will result in the regular daily wage plus an additional 1,101 TL in holiday overtime pay.
Furthermore, the calculation is adjusted if the holiday falls on a weekend. While standard holiday overtime is double the daily wage, working on a weekend during the holiday period increases this to 2.5 times the daily wage, adding a 50% bonus. This year, only the final day of the holiday coincides with a Saturday, meaning that day's overtime pay will be an enhanced 1,651 TL. Employees also have the option to receive compensatory time off instead of holiday pay, subject to agreement with their employer. This ensures that workers are fairly compensated for their labor during the festive period, whether through direct payment or additional rest.
If the holiday falls on a weekend, the holiday overtime pay is increased by 50% to 2.5 times the daily wage.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Sabah in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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