Citizenship salary coming for low-income households: Details revealed

An important social support practice for low-income families is being implemented. This new model, called the Income Complementary Family Support System (GETAD), is known in the public eye as a "citizenship salary" and will begin with pilot applications this year. Within the scope of the practice, various social benefits will be offered to families whose income remains below a determined threshold.

The Ministry of Treasury and Finance and the Ministry of Family and Social Services are continuing their technical work to determine the details of the program. Once the preparations are completed, the system will first be implemented as a pilot in certain neighborhoods; it is then envisioned to be gradually expanded nationwide.

During the pilot application period, which needs are prominent in which regions will be identified. Thus, social assistance content will be shaped by taking regional conditions into account. For example, while heating support will be provided primarily to families living in cold regions, rent assistance will come to the fore in large cities.

Work is still ongoing regarding the income threshold that the social assistance will cover and the types of support to be provided. It is also stated that necessary changes may be made to the relevant legislation once the system is fully operational.

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz shared the first details of the new model during the 2026 budget negotiations at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). In his speech, Yılmaz stated the following:

"We call it GETAD, the Income Complementary Family Support System. We will launch the pilot application of this system in a few of our provinces next year. We plan to expand it to the entire country in 2027. This new support model of ours will essentially be a model that supports families remaining below a threshold income, but it will not be a deterrent to employment markets. Within this general conceptual framework, we will also introduce a new system to our country. We will have implemented a structural reform in the field of social assistance."

The new support mechanism represents a significant transformation in Turkey's social assistance system. In line with the results obtained from the pilot application, the goal is for GETAD to be fully implemented nationwide as of 2027.

News Source: 12punto