Retirees' eyes turn to that decision

The new salary increase proposal, which concerns millions of retirees and beneficiaries across Turkey, will be examined today in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) Planning and Budget Committee. The legislative proposal includes raising the base salaries for SSK and Bağ-Kur retirees from 20,000 liras to 23,552 liras. It is stated that this step will directly affect approximately 5.1 million citizens.

If the committee approves it, the proposal is planned to be submitted to the General Assembly shortly to be enacted. If it comes into effect, the increases are expected to be ready for the July payment period.

The schedule for July salary payments is also being closely followed by retirees. Those retired from SSK will be able to receive their salaries between July 17-26, depending on the last digit of their allocation numbers. Payments for Bağ-Kur retirees will be made between July 25-28.

If the regulation is implemented before these dates, the new increased salaries will be directly reflected in the accounts. However, if the legislative process is prolonged, the salary differences will be transferred to the retirees in a lump sum at a later date.

Studies show that out of 17 million people receiving income or pensions in Turkey, approximately 14.5 million are SSK and Bağ-Kur retirees. In recent years, the number of those receiving the lowest pension has shown a continuous increase. This number, which was 1.2 million in 2022, had risen to 4.9 million in January 2026. Following the new regulation in July, this figure will exceed 5 million for the first time.

The total cost of the regulation to the public is projected to be around 79 billion liras. The difference for retirees whose base salary is below the floor salary will be covered by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, as it has been in the past. Thus, with the base salary application, a meaningful increase will be provided in the income of millions of low-income retirees.