It happened as expected... Early retirement decision from SGK: Scope to expand!

The Social Security Institution (SSI) has made a significant change to the Actual Service Period Increase (FHSZ) practice as of 2026.

The scope of this practice, which was previously limited only to miners, police officers, and Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) personnel, has been extended to a wider range with the new regulation.

Taking into account the difficulty of working conditions and increased risk factors, healthcare sector employees, journalists, fire department personnel, and heavy industry workers will also be able to benefit from this practice more effectively.

According to the new regulation, healthcare workers, journalists, firefighters, and heavy industry workers will also benefit from wear-and-tear allowance rights more extensively.

Insured individuals working in these professional groups will be granted between 60 and 180 additional premium days per year, depending on the risk level of their work. These additional premium days will also affect the retirement periods of employees, offering the opportunity for earlier retirement.

RIGHT TO 5 YEARS OF EARLY RETIREMENT

The Actual Service Period Increase (FHSZ) does not only grant additional premium days to the working periods of insured individuals, but also allows for a reduction in the retirement age limit.

With the new regulation, employees included in the scope will be able to obtain the right to early retirement of up to 5 years under certain conditions, thanks to the periods added to their premium payment day counts.

According to the statement made by the SSI, the re-evaluation of difficult working conditions in the healthcare sector following the pandemic and the integration of new risky business lines that have emerged with technological developments were influential.

In this way, personnel working in risky business lines for 12 months will be able to have their service counted as up to 15 months in terms of insurance duration. With this update, employees who feel the difficulties of working conditions more intensely will be able to receive the wear-and-tear allowance they deserve more effectively.

With this regulation, it is expected that those working in particularly risky sectors will gain more advantages in their retirement processes.