Turkey updates widow and orphan benefits following July 2026 salary adjustments

Social assistance payments in Turkey, including benefits for widows and orphans, have been adjusted following a July 2026 increase in civil servant salary coefficients. This update recalculates payments for retirees and their beneficiaries.

Civil servant retirees have seen their monthly payments rise by 13.52%. Simultaneously, retirees under the SSK (Social Insurance Institution) and Bağ-Kur (Self-Employed Insurance) schemes received a more substantial increase of 17.76%. Consequently, the payments for individuals receiving widow and orphan benefits under these schemes will also increase by the same respective rates.

The calculation of widow and orphan benefits is directly tied to the pension amount the deceased insured individual was receiving or was entitled to. The distribution of these payments among beneficiaries, such as spouses, children, and other eligible individuals, is determined by set share rates, typically 25%, 50%, or 75%. Each beneficiary's specific amount will vary based on their assigned share.

These adjustments ensure that the benefits keep pace with inflation and economic changes, reflecting the increases applied to the primary pension amounts. The revised, higher payments are expected to be reflected in beneficiaries' accounts starting from the July payment cycle.