Severance Pay in Turkey If You Are Fired (2026): Foreign Employees, Notice Pay and Your Work Permit

1. Fired in Turkey as a foreigner: does Turkish labour law protect me?

Yes. The Turkish Labour Act No. 4857 applies to employees working in Turkey under an employment contract, and its rules on notice, severance, wages, annual leave and job security do not depend on the worker's nationality [M1]. A wage agreed in foreign currency can be paid in Turkish lira at the rate on the payment day (Art. 32) [M1]. The questions that change the answer are not nationality but the following:

Question	Why it matters	Article
How long did you work for the employer?	Sets the notice period and whether severance is owed (one full year)	4857 Art. 17; 1475 Art. 14
How many workers does the employer have?	Job security (reinstatement) applies in workplaces with 30 or more workers	4857 Art. 18
Is your contract open-ended or fixed-term?	Reinstatement rules apply to open-ended contracts; repeated fixed-term contracts without an essential reason count as open-ended	4857 Arts. 11, 18
Who ended the contract, and for what reason?	Severance is not owed if the employer ends the contract for misconduct of the kind listed in the law	4857 Art. 25/II; 1475 Art. 14
Did you hold a work permit?	Decides what happens to your right to stay	6735 Art. 15; 6458 Art. 27

If you worked without insurance or without a work permit, the questions are partly different; our Arabic guide on working without insurance in Turkey covers that situation.

2. What am I owed when fired in Turkey? Severance pay, notice pay and more

A dismissal can give rise to several separate payments. Each has its own rule:

Payment	When it is owed	Amount	Basis
Notice pay (ihbar tazminatı)	The employer ends an open-ended contract without giving the notice period	Wages for 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks, depending on service	4857 Art. 17
Severance pay (kıdem tazminatı)	At least one full year of service, and the employer ends the contract other than for listed misconduct	30 days' wages per year, capped at TRY 73,729.87 per year (Jul–Dec 2026)	1475 Art. 14
Unused annual leave	Whenever the contract ends, for any reason	Leave days unused, at the last wage	4857 Art. 59
Unpaid wages, overtime, bonuses	Any amount earned but not paid	As earned	4857 Arts. 32, 41
Job security compensation	The dismissal is found invalid and the employer does not take the worker back	4–8 months' wages, plus up to 4 months' lost wages	4857 Art. 21
Bad-faith compensation	Job security does not apply and the right to dismiss was abused	Three times the notice pay	4857 Art. 17

3. How much notice must my employer give? Notice pay in Turkey

An open-ended employment contract ends only after notice is given to the other side. The notice periods depend on how long the employee has worked (Labour Act, Art. 17) [M1]:

Length of service	Notice period	Notice pay if notice is not given
Less than 6 months	2 weeks	2 weeks' wages
6 months to 1.5 years	4 weeks	4 weeks' wages
1.5 to 3 years	6 weeks	6 weeks' wages
More than 3 years	8 weeks	8 weeks' wages

These are minimums; a contract can give longer periods. An employer can end the contract at once by paying the wages for the notice period in advance, and doing so does not prevent the job security rules from applying [M1]. Our notice pay calculator applies these periods.

Time off to look for a new job during notice

During the notice period, the employer must give at least two hours a day, within working hours and without deducting pay, so that the employee can look for a new job; the employee may combine these hours and use them together at the end of the notice period, after telling the employer (Art. 27) [M1].

4. Severance pay in Turkey for foreign employees: who qualifies and how much?

Severance pay (kıdem tazminatı) is governed by Article 14 of the old Labour Act No. 1475, which remains in force [M2]. It is owed for 30 days' wages for each full year of service, with part-years paid proportionally, when the employee has worked at least one year and the contract ends in one of these ways [M2]:

• the employer ends it, other than for the misconduct listed in the law;
• the employee ends it for a just cause recognised by the law (for example, unpaid wages);
• military service, retirement, a woman's resignation within one year of marriage, or the employee's death.

Rule	What it means	Basis
Minimum service	At least one full year with the same employer (periods with the same employer are added together)	1475 Art. 14
Wage used	Not only the basic wage: regular money and money-value benefits (such as meal or transport payments) are included	1475 Art. 14
Annual ceiling	TRY 73,729.87 per year of service, for terminations from 1 July to 31 December 2026	1475 Art. 14; Ministry announcement [T1]
Late payment	The court awards the highest deposit interest for the delay	1475 Art. 14
Time limit	Five years	4857 Additional Art. 3

Severance pay ceiling in Turkey for 2026

The ceiling is updated twice a year. For terminations from 1 January to 30 June 2026 it was TRY 64,948.77 per year of service, and for terminations from 1 July to 31 December 2026 it is TRY 73,729.87 [T1]. A monthly wage above the ceiling is calculated on the ceiling. Severance pay that must be paid under Law No. 1475 is exempt from income tax (Income Tax Law Art. 25/7-a) [M6].

How severance pay in Turkey is calculated: a worked example

An employee worked for 3 years and 4 months. The gross monthly wage plus regular benefits was TRY 96,000, and the employer ended the contract in October 2026 without notice and without a reason listed in the law.

Item	Calculation	Gross amount (TRY)
Severance pay	The monthly wage (96,000) is above the ceiling, so 73,729.87 is used: 73,729.87 × 3 + 73,729.87 × 4/12	245,766.23
Notice pay	More than 3 years' service: 8 weeks = 56 days; 96,000 / 30 = 3,200 per day; 56 × 3,200	179,200.00
Unused annual leave (example: 10 days)	10 × 3,200	32,000.00

The ceiling applies to severance pay only; notice pay and leave pay are calculated on the actual wage. Our severance pay calculator applies the current ceiling. Amounts in a real file depend on the documents, and statutory deductions are made from gross amounts.

When severance pay is not owed

Severance is not owed if the employer ends the contract under Article 25/II of the Labour Act, which lists conduct such as dishonesty, serious insults or threats, theft, or unjustified absence for two consecutive working days, and the employer must use that right within six working days of learning of the conduct and in any case within one year (Arts. 25-26) [M1]. An ordinary resignation without a just cause recognised by the law does not give severance either [M2].

5. Can I get my job back in Turkey? Reinstatement for foreign employees

Turkish law gives some employees job security: the employer must have a valid reason for dismissal related to the employee's competence or conduct, or to the needs of the business (Art. 18) [M1]. It applies when all of these are true [M1]:

Condition	Rule
Size of workplace	30 or more workers (all workplaces of the employer in the same line of business are counted together)
Service	At least six months with the employer
Contract	Open-ended; chained fixed-term contracts without an essential reason count as open-ended from the start (Art. 11)
Position	Not an employer's representative running the whole business (Art. 18)

The dismissal must be in writing with a clear and precise reason, and an employee cannot be dismissed for reasons related to conduct or performance without first being heard (Art. 19) [M1]. Trade union activity, filing complaints against the employer, race, colour, sex, marital status, family responsibilities, pregnancy, religion or political opinion are not valid reasons (Art. 18) [M1].

The one-month deadline and mediation

An employee who claims that no reason was given or that the reason is not valid must apply to a mediator within one month of being notified of the dismissal. If mediation fails, a case can be filed in the labour court within two weeks of the final mediation report. The employer must prove that the dismissal had a valid reason (Art. 20) [M1].

What happens if the dismissal is found invalid?

Step	Rule (Labour Act, Art. 21)
Return to work	The employee applies to the employer within 10 working days of being notified of the final decision; otherwise the dismissal is treated as valid
Employer takes the employee back	Within one month of the application
Employer refuses	Compensation of 4 to 8 months' wages, set by the court
Wages for the idle period	Up to 4 months' wages and other rights until the decision becomes final
Amounts in the judgment	Set in money, on the wage at the date of the case

A labour court decision in a reinstatement case can be appealed to the regional court, which decides finally (Art. 20) [M1]. Our reinstatement compensation calculator shows the 4-8 month range and the idle-period wages.

6. Why you cannot go straight to court: mandatory mediation in Turkish labour disputes

For claims based on the law or an employment contract, and for reinstatement, applying to a mediator first is a condition of the lawsuit; a case filed without mediation is dismissed on procedure (Labour Courts Law No. 7036, Art. 3) [M3]. The exception is compensation for work accidents and occupational diseases [M3]. In practice this means that the first formal step after a dismissal is usually the mediation office, and that the final mediation report is attached to any later lawsuit.

7. What happens to my work permit and residence permit after I am fired?

This is the part that is specific to foreign employees:

Rule	Effect	Basis
A work permit is cancelled when the foreigner's work ends for any reason	Dismissal ends the permit	6735 Art. 15/2-ç [M4]
The employer must notify the Ministry within 15 days that the employment has ended	The authorities learn of the end of the job	6735 Art. 22 [M4]
A valid work permit counts as a residence permit	When the work permit ends, so does the residence it provided	6458 Art. 27/1 [M5]

The Labour Act's reinstatement rules do not contain a residence rule of their own; the right to stay follows the Law on Foreigners. After a work permit ends, a foreigner's stay must rest on another permit, such as a short-term or family residence permit, if the conditions of one are met. Staying without a valid permit can lead to overstay fines and entry bans, explained in our guide to deportation and entry bans and in our overstay calculator. Years spent on work permits also matter for long-term residence.

8. My salary has not been paid: what does Turkish law allow?

Situation	Rule	Article
Wages unpaid for 20 days after the payment date	The employee may refuse to work; this is not a strike, and the employee cannot be dismissed or replaced for it	4857 Art. 34
Interest on late wages	The highest interest rate applied to deposits	4857 Art. 34
Wages not paid in accordance with the law or contract	The employee may end the contract at once for just cause	4857 Art. 24/II-e
Severance after such a resignation	Owed, because it is a resignation for just cause	1475 Art. 14
Time limit for wage claims	Five years	4857 Art. 32

9. I was fired for "misconduct": what are my rights?

An employer that relies on misconduct must point to one of the situations listed in Article 25/II of the Labour Act and act within six working days of learning of it, and in any case within one year of the act, unless the employee obtained a financial benefit (Art. 26) [M1]. For dismissals based on conduct or performance that are not listed misconduct, the employee must be heard first (Art. 19) [M1]. Whether the reason given was real is examined in the mediation and, if needed, in court, where in reinstatement cases the employer carries the burden of proof (Art. 20) [M1].

The exit code in your social security record (SGK çıkış kodu)

When employment ends, the employer enters a code in the Social Security Institution's system showing the reason, and it appears in the service record on e-Devlet. Code 04 means that the employer ended an open-ended contract without stating a just cause. Code 29 was used for dismissals for conduct contrary to morality and good faith; it was abolished by SGK Circular 2021/9 of 1 April 2021 and replaced by nine codes, 42 to 50, each matching one paragraph of Article 25/II [T2]. The employer writes the code; whether the reason itself is real is examined in mediation and in court.

10. Small employers and fixed-term contracts: when job security does not apply

If the workplace has fewer than 30 workers or the employee has less than six months' service, reinstatement is not available. Even then, if the employer abused the right to dismiss, the employee is owed three times the notice pay, plus notice pay itself if notice was not given (Art. 17) [M1]. Fixed-term contracts end on their date; but repeated fixed-term contracts without an essential reason are treated as open-ended from the start (Art. 11) [M1], which can bring notice pay and job security into play. Foreign employees whose contracts follow the length of the work permit often ask about this rule.

11. Deadlines after a dismissal in Turkey

Deadline	For what	Basis
1 month from notice of dismissal	Applying to a mediator for reinstatement	4857 Art. 20
2 weeks from the final mediation report	Filing the reinstatement case	4857 Art. 20
10 working days from notice of the final decision	Applying to the employer to return to work	4857 Art. 21
6 working days / 1 year	The employer's window to dismiss for listed misconduct	4857 Art. 26
15 days	Employer's notification to the Ministry that a foreign employee's work has ended	6735 Art. 22
5 years	Severance, notice, bad-faith and equal-treatment compensation, annual leave pay, wages	4857 Art. 32; Additional Art. 3

12. I have already left Turkey: can I still claim severance and notice pay?

Leaving Turkey does not end the claims; the five-year time limits continue to run (Labour Act, Art. 32 and Additional Art. 3) [M1]. Mediation and any lawsuit are carried out in Turkey, so a former employee abroad usually acts through a lawyer in Turkey holding a power of attorney, signed at a Turkish consulate or before a notary with an apostille. The one-month reinstatement deadline, however, runs regardless of where the employee is.

13. Which documents prove what a foreign employee is owed?

Document	What it proves
Employment contract (and any renewals)	Start date, wage, open-ended or fixed-term
Payslips and bank transfers	The actual wage, including benefits used for severance
Social security (SGK) service record	Insured days and employer; available on e-Devlet
Work permit and its dates	Legal status and continuity of employment
The dismissal letter	Date of notice (starts the one-month deadline) and the reason given
Emails, messages, warnings, defence statements	Whether the reason was real and whether the employee was heard
Annual leave records	Unused leave days
Number of employees (company records, SGK)	Whether job security applies (30 workers)

14. Employment lawyer in Istanbul, Ankara and across Turkey for foreign employees

Labour disputes go first to the mediation office and then to the labour court where the work was done or where the employer is based. Most foreign employees work in İstanbul, where many consult an employment lawyer in Istanbul; in the capital, cases are followed by a lawyer in Ankara before the Ankara labour courts; and employees who have left the country usually act through a lawyer in Turkey with a power of attorney.

Sources and References

Legislation

• [M1] Labour Act No. 4857, Arts. 11, 17-21, 24-27, 32, 34, 41, 59, Additional Art. 3

• [M2] Labour Act No. 1475, Art. 14 (severance pay, still in force)

• [M3] Labour Courts Law No. 7036, Art. 3

• [M4] International Workforce Law No. 6735, Arts. 15, 22

• [M5] Law on Foreigners and International Protection No. 6458, Arts. 27, 31

• [M6] Income Tax Law No. 193, Art. 25/7-a (severance pay exemption)

Official announcements

• [T1] Ministry of Labour and Social Security: severance pay ceiling table (1 July - 31 December 2026: TRY 73,729.87)

• [T2] Social Security Institution (SGK) Circular No. 2021/9 (1 April 2021) on employment exit codes

This article is general information about Turkish law as of 3 October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not assess any individual case. Amounts are gross illustrations.