Will Turkey introduce phased retirement? What workers excluded from EYT need to know

Workers who could not benefit from Turkey’s EYT retirement arrangement continue to look for answers about phased retirement. The main question is whether a new system will be introduced and submitted to parliament.

As of 2026, no new phased-retirement regulation had entered into force. Unless lawmakers adopt a new law, employees must continue to meet the age and contribution conditions in the existing retirement system.

The issue particularly concerns people whose insurance began between 1999 and 2008. Many citizens who entered the system after Sept. 8, 1999, fell outside EYT and are waiting for a phased model that would set retirement ages gradually according to the date employment began.

Under the current rules, some workers may qualify for retirement without waiting for the standard age or with fewer contribution days through different arrangements. The conditions are not the same for everyone. Insurance start date, whether a person falls under the 4A, 4B or 4C system, contribution days and individual circumstances all affect the calculation.

Online tables showing proposed ages and contribution requirements, including figures such as ages 58 for women, 60 for men and 7,000 to 7,200 contribution days, do not change the law. The article warns workers not to base their retirement calculations on such tables until a new law takes effect.