Anyone with a with the capacity to act may participate in the IPS, regardless of employment, taxpayer, or nationality status.
You can find out about the IPS through pension companies or distribution channels such as a bank, agency, regional district, call center, website, or any place authorized by pension companies.
You may participate in the system by purchasing your contract by meeting a licensed individual pension intermediary in person or through the distant sales method.
When choosing your pension company:
Your pension company may make the following deductions as part of the pension contract drawn up with you:
Many of these fees vary depending on the pension company.
Contributions paid to the IPS are invested in the pension mutual funds of the participants' choice by pension companies. These funds contain investment instruments such as equities, government bonds, precious metals, etc. based on the fund type. Participants' income depends on the earnings or losses in the investment instruments of the preferred funds. It is always in the hands of the participants to determine the risks to take. The participants can choose either low-risk funds for a more secure investment or high-risk funds for higher-earning projections. You are recommended to examine short-, medium- and long-term past performances of your fund choices. Consider any additional benefits you may be offered.
Your pension company is responsible for giving you access to your up-to-date individual pension account information and for offering you contractual services through the call center and the corporate website. Also, it is vital for your pension company to give you sound direction when choosing the right pension mutual fund. It is also crucial to have instant access to your pension company when you need it.
Make sure that your pension company meets your expectations on service variety and quality through your chosen communication channel.
Pension companies sign a service contract with banks regarding the payment of contributions. In accordance with the contract, by the end of the blocking period, banks transfer the money collected from participants to the pension company. The blocking period may vary from company to company.
Find out about the period between the date when your contribution payment is paid by your credit card or from your bank account and the date transferred into your individual pension account. The shorter this period, the sooner your contribution is invested and the sooner your state contribution is paid into your account.
A pension contract sets forth the procedures and principles and the parties' relevant rights and liabilities concerning:
Three types of pension contracts can be drawn up:
Once your pension company is identified, the company will recommend you a pension plan.
A pension plan basically involves the following:
and related calculations and other technical rules on pension contract implementation.
When deciding on your pension plan, it pays to take into consideration the deductions in the plan and past performance of the pension mutual funds offered in the plan.
You may also inquire if the funds offered in the plan are in line with your overall investment strategy and risk behavior and if the pension company offers additional services in the plan on top of the standard services.
Entrance Fee
Your pension company may withdraw management fee from your contributions or from your accumulation within the first 5 years of your contract.
Management Fee Deductions
In the event of failing to make a payment into your account within three months of the due date of your contribution payment, it will be assumed that you have suspended your payments.
Deductions for Contribution Holiday
Upper Limits for the Entrance Fee, Management Fee Deduction, and Deductions for a Contribution Holiday
In the first five years of your contract, the total of your entrance fee, management fee deduction, and deduction for a contribution holiday cannot exceed 8.5 percent of the monthly gross minimum wage in effect during the first half of each relevant calendar year. No such deductions shall be made for the sixth year and beyond of your contract.
In the event of terminating your contract before five years, except due to retirement or involuntary reasons, the company may apply a deferred entry fee deduction to your individual pension account accumulation in an amount that corresponds to the five-year period of your contract that has not been collected by the company by your withdrawal date.
Your pension company is responsible for ensuring that the deductions made each year in the first five years of your contract do not go over the aforementioned deduction upper limits. In the event that the upper limit has been exceeded, the excess amount shall be refunded to you within five working days.
Fund Expense Fee Total
Fund portfolio value: Calculated in consequence of appraisal of the assets in the fund portfolio pursuant to the provisions of Regulation on Amendment of the Regulation on the Establishment and Operation Principles of Pension Mutual Funds.
Total fund value: Calculated by adding other assets and receivables, if any, to the fund value and then subtracting the payables.
Net fund asset value: Total value calculated by adding cash and fund receivables to the portfolio value and then subtracting the payables.
Unit fund value: Calculated by dividing the net asset value by the number of shares in circulation.
Your pension company may apply the following based on the fund portfolio value:
The fund management fee deduction is the fee paid to the pension company for fund management purposes.
Pension companies are free to set the fund management fees provided that they do not exceed the fund expense fee total. Please click to review in detail how the deduction is calculated.
The fund expense fee total is obtained from the fund assets, and as such it causes the fund income to decrease. This deduction is made daily from the fund portfolio value, not from the participant's accumulation. Total fund management fee deductions made throughout the year may exceed the fund expense fee total that can be made within the year.
The fund expense fee total is obtained from the fund assets, and as such it causes the fund income to decrease. This deduction is made daily from the fund portfolio value, not from the participant's accumulation. Total fund management fee deductions made throughout the year may exceed the fund expense fee total that can be made within the year.
For instance, if a 10-percent annual value increase occurs in the assets on which a fund with an annual fee deduction of 2.28 percent is invested, this fund’s annual return would be about 7.72 percent due to the deductions. Similarly, if a 10-percent annual value increase occurs in the assets on which a fund with an annual fee deduction of 1 percent is invested, this fund’s annual return would be about 9 percent due to the deductions.
The following table shows the maximum fund expense fee totals allowed.
The participant must assess the pension mutual fund plans according to personal preferences, fund performance and the fund management fee deduction rates.
Maximum Fund Expense Fee Total Rates |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Group |
Pension Mutual Funds |
Maximum daily fund expense fee total ratio |
Maximum annual fund expense fee total ratio (%) |
I |
Money Market Funds / |
%0.003 |
1,09 |
Liquid Fund-Public |
|||
Liquid Fund-Private Sector |
|||
Liquid Fund-Composite |
|||
Precious Metals Fund |
|||
Gold Fund |
|||
and other funds |
|||
II |
Government and Private Sector Bonds and Bills / Index Funds |
%0.00525 |
1,91 |
Government Bonds and Bills Fund |
|||
Foreign Government Bonds and Bills Fund |
|||
Private Sector Bonds and Bills Fund |
|||
Composite Bonds and Bills Fund |
|||
Standart Fund |
|||
Index Fund |
|||
and other funds |
|||
III |
Equity / Other Funds |
%0.00625 |
2,28 |
Balanced Fund |
|||
Equity Fund |
|||
Sector Fund |
|||
Flexible Fund |
|||
Composite Fund |
|||
Fund Basket Fund |
|||
and other funds |
Explanations on the table:
* The CMB shall be authorized to change the fund grouping with approval of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.
* The funds’ regular public disclosure form on the PDP must show the distribution rate of the fund management fee between the founder and the portfolio manager.
* The founder checks daily if the daily deduction rate stated in the fund bylaw is exceeded and enters it in the accounting records. If the founder determines that the accumulative calculation of the daily rates stated in the fund bylaw are exceed in comparison to the daily average fund net asset value, it shall refund the excess amount within five working days following the relevant calendar year.
* According to the wording in the fund title, if more than one rate applies in the annual total fee rates in attachment 2 of the Individual Pension System Regulation, the lower rate shall apply
For example: The title of the Gold Participation Pension Mutual Fund bears the words “Gold” and “Participation.” Attachment 2 of the Individual Pension System Regulation states the annual total fee rate as 1.09 percent for the Gold Fund and as 2.28 percent for the Participation Fund (grouped in Equity/Other Funds). Accordingly, a 1.09-percent rate must be used for this fund.
Refund of the Fund Expense Fee Total
To be valid by January 1, 2021, the rates in the following table shall apply for the refund of the deduction made in the relevant year at the contract’s sixth year-end and at each following year-end. In the event of contract termination, the refund shall be made to you by the end of the fifth following working day. The contract duration shall be calculated based on the time spent in the system after January 1, 2013. Refund calculation shall not include the performance deduction by the pension mutual funds and the deductions made to pay for the necessary fund expenses.
Contract Year |
Refund Rate |
---|---|
6 |
%2,5 |
7 |
%5,0 |
8 |
%7,5 |
9 |
%10,0 |
10 |
%12,5 |
11 |
%15,0 |
12 |
%17,5 |
13 |
%20,0 |
14 |
%22,5 |
15 and over |
%25,0 |
No refund will be applied to any portion less than 1.1% of accumulation existing as of the date of deduction calculation; any deduction that reduces the deduction balance remaining after a refund below 1.1% of the accumulation will not be subject to any refund.
Please click here for detailed information about refunding the Fund Expense Fee Total.
Contribution
Pension companies are entitled to set a minimum amount of contribution in their pension plans. The contribution amount you will pay this way must be at least equal to the lower limit stated in your plan.
Irregular Payment
If you fail to pay your contribution within 3 months following the due date, your contract shall be considered in the irregular payment status.
In order to take your pension contract out of the irregular payment status, you may have to pay the full amount of your unpaid contractual contribution dues in one lump-sum. Pension companies may waive the contractual requirement to pay all unpaid contribution dues in one lump-sum by providing favorable benefits in their pension plans.
Beginning January 1, 2021, pension contracts with an irregular payment status will not be included in the total deduction amount refund practice.
Special Services Provided by Pension Companies / Additional Benefits
Your pension company may provide you with:
Find out the coverage and expiration dates of such services and benefits provided as part of your retirement plan from your pension company.
Deduction Controls and Refunds Applicable Beginning January 1, 2021
If you terminate your pension contract in the 6th year or after, the total deduction that can be made within the scope of your contract cannot exceed the following ratio of the balance of the state contribution account associated with your contract upon the expiry date. This check will be implemented on January 1, 2021.
In the event that the upper limit has been exceeded, the excess amount shall be refunded to you within five working days.
Contract Year |
Refund Rate |
---|---|
6 |
%60 |
7 |
%70 |
8 |
%80 |
9 |
%90 |
10 and over |
%100 |
Click here for an example.
Situations Where Deduction Refunds Will Not Be Considered Beginning January 1, 2021
The deduction upper limit associated with the state contribution to be applied beginning January 1, 2021 will not be checked
exceeding 10 times the annual gross minimum wage.
In calculating the amount of accumulations, the monthly gross minimum wage amount applicable in the first 6 months of the relevant calendar year shall be used.
Concluding the Pension Contract
The agent contacting you about IPS products will brief you on the operation of the system and the rights and obligations of the parties. He or she will offer you the pension plan that meets your retirement expectations, income level and age.
The fund distribution will be determined based on your preferences. If you do not state any preferences, your accumulation will be invested in the standard funds determined by the pension company.
By accepting the proposed pension plan and signing the contract completing the “Entrance Information Form,” and the “Pension Contract Proposal Form,” you will have concluded the contract. You will be provided with a copy of each such document.
You are entitled to purchase the IPS product that is right for you through the website or call center of the pension company.
The pension company will brief you on the operation of the system and the rights and obligations of the parties and offer you the pension plan proposal that meets your retirement expectations.
During the proposal phase, you will be informed about the standard fund and other funds and action will be taken depending on your preference. If you do not state any preferences, your accumulations will be directed to investments in the standard fund. You will have concluded the contract by confirming that the proposal includes the necessary information about the pension contract, the pension plan and the system, through secure electronic communication means (text message, electronic mail, internet, fax, and so on).
Immediately after the approval process, the “Entrance Information Form" and the "Pension Contract Proposal Form" will be sent to you either in printed form or on a permanent data store (text message, electronic mail, internet, CD, DVD, memory card and similar media or media) in line with your preferences. You will also be allowed to access these forms through a secure address on the Internet website.
If your pension contract is not rejected by your pension company, then it will take effect on the date the first payment made as a contribution is credited to the accounts of the company after the blocking period, if any.
Your pension company is required to send you your pension contract within 10 working days of the effective date either in printed form or on a permanent data store (text message, electronic mail, internet, CD, DVD, memory card and similar media or media).
As a rule, in individual pension contracts and group pension contracts, contractual benefits are used by the participant. Except for the right to leave the system and the right to retire, the employer or other persons who pay contributions on behalf of the participant may be allowed to use the benefits under these contracts.
Provisions of Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098 dated January 11, 2011 and Turkish Civil Code No. 4721 dated November 22, 2001 apply to the use of benefits in pension contracts where minors and restricted persons are a party.
You are entitled to use your right of opt out during the grace period within two months of signing the pension contract proposal form or approving the proposal for distant sale.
Opt out before validity:Upon receipt of your withdrawal notice by your pension company, your previously given contribution instructions will be canceled.
Opt out after validity: The withdrawal instructions given on the working day following the receipt of your withdrawal notice by your pension company will be canceled and the accumulations in your Individual Pension Account will be refunded except for the fund total expense fees within 10 working days of the receipt of your notice by your pension company. If you withdraw after your contract enters into force, a withholding (tax) will be deducted from any income earned.
Six times a year you are entitled to make changes to the allocation ratios of the funds where your accumulations and the contributions you have paid are invested.
Please note that you must report your fund allocation change request to your pension company at least 2 working days in advance of the change date!
Please click here for more information about pension funds.
You may change your retirement plan up to four times a year. You may forward your change request in writing to your pension company or through the pension company call center or on the company’s website. If your pension company approves your request, you will switch over to the new pension plan within 10 working days of notifying the company about your plan change request. Your new pension contract will be sent to you within 10 working days, either in printed form or on a permanent data store (text message, CD, DVD, memory card and all kinds of vehicles or media).
You may change your contribution amount and payment period during the pension contract under the plan you subscribed.
However, pension companies are also entitled to set a minimum amount of contribution to their pension plans. The contribution amount you will pay this way must be at least equal to the lower limit stated in your plan.
In addition to your regular contribution payments, you may also pay any additional contributions you wish to make at any time.
Keep in mind that in many plans, lower management fees are applied for additional contributions and that no management fees are applied in some plans.
You may also suspend making contribution payments and restart them at any time. In the event of failing to make any payments to your account within 3 months of the due date of your contribution payment, it will be assumed that you have suspended your payments.
Depending on your plan, your pension company may charge you additional management fees in case of a contribution holiday.
In order to change your pension company, you have to stay in the pension company for at least two years from the effective date of your contract. If you have already transferred to your current pension company from another pension company, you may then change your company after staying with your current company for at least one year.
You may leave the system at any time within the term of your pension contract, but in this case you will not be able to fully benefit from the retirement tax benefits and the state contributions you would otherwise be earning.
When you leave the IPS, you will be paid:
of the balance in your state contribution account.
The withholding (tax) rate calculated over the return will be:
With the exception of alimony payments, no collection by sequestration, encumbrance or bankruptcy proceedings shall be granted on the fund shares invested in your individual pension account, on your accumulations up to the amount calculated by multiplying the number of months you have stayed in the system and the gross minimum wage applicable at the time of collection by sequestration, encumbrance or bankruptcy proceedings and on the annuity payments you will be receiving in the event of retirement under the individual pension system.
For example, assuming that a participant who has been in the system for 36 months has accumulated 100,000 Turkish lira and the monthly gross minimum wage on the date of foreclosure is 1,777.50 Turkish lira, then the amount of this participant's accumulations of 63,990 Turkish lira (36 x 1.777,50 Turkish lira) will not be sequestered.
For example, assuming that a pensioner who has retired under the IPS receives 2,000 Turkish lira per month from the annuity insurance and the monthly gross minimum wage is 1.777.50 Turkish lira on the date of foreclosure, then the 1.777.50 Turkish lira portion of the 2,000 Turkish lira paid per month will not be subject to any sequestration.
Your personal information will not be shared with third parties without your consent as per the Law on the Protection of Personal Data published in Official Gazette No. 29677 dated April 7, 2016.
In the event of your death, your accumulations and state contributions and vested returns will be paid to the beneficiary or beneficiaries you have indicated in the contract, and if no beneficiary is defined, then to your legal heirs, without prejudice to the provisions of Turkish Civil Code No. 4721 dated November 22, 2001.
In the event of your death, your pension company cannot collect deferred entry fees from your accumulations.
The individual pension account offers the opportunity to build your accumulations over a long period of time. For the future of your children who are not of legal capacity, you may open up an account in your own name and assign your children as the beneficiaries. In such a case, the state contribution calculated on your contribution payments will be reduced from your state contribution limit because your account was opened in your name.
You may open an IPS account in the name of your close relatives and pay their contributions yourself. Because the state contribution limit is determined on a per-person basis, contributions paid to your relatives’ accounts will not affect your state contribution limit. You may have your parents, siblings, spouse, adult children of legal capacity and other people you value benefit from this opportunity.
If you have high savings (i.e., if you are able to save over the contribution amount you have to pay to take full advantage of the state contribution’s upper limit, which is 35,316 Turkish lira for 2020 and you want to make the most out of the state contribution, then you may open separate accounts for yourself and your family members.
For example, if your annual savings amount for 2020 is 80,000 Turkish lira, then you may open a separate account on behalf of your spouse and an adult child of legal capacity. Thus, because the maximum state contribution per person is 8,829 Turkish lira, a total state contribution of 20,000 Turkish lira would paid to the IPS accounts of you and your family members. If you have paid the said 80,000 Turkish lira into your own account as an investment in the IPS, then only 8,829 Turkish lira would have been deposited to your state contribution account.
Amount of Contribution to be Paid |
Your Suggested Payment for Contributions |
State Contribution Amount to be Paid ** |
|
Yourself |
35,316 TL |
35,316 TL |
8,829 TL |
Your spouse |
35,316 TL |
35,316 TL |
8,829 TL |
Your child who is of legal capacity |
35,316 TL |
9,368 TL |
2,342 TL |
Total |
105,948 TL |
80.000 TL |
20.000,00 |
* The gross minimum wage in the first half of 2020 is TL 2,943. The annual contribution amount that has to be paid per person in order to take full advantage of the state contribution’s upper limit is 2,943 x 12 = TL 35,316.
** State contribution vesting conditions apply.
Information about your accumulations can be obtained at any time via your pension company’s call center, website or the website of Istanbul Settlement and Custody Bank Inc.
At least two years before your entitlement to your pension, your pension company will make a proposal to you allowing you to assess your transition to low-risk funds to ensure that your accumulations are less affected by financial market risks.
Within 10 working days of each accounting period, your pension company will send to your defined e-mail address or fax, and if you have not provided one, then to your postal address, an informational note about the important changes made to the legislation and to your pension plan along with an account statement.
In every quarter of the calendar year, information will be provided either through e- mail or the pension company’s website on general information about investment vehicles, up-to-date developments in financial markets, investment and performance information on the funds offered, and any investment and other financial risks that you may be exposed to.
Pension companies can offer you different payment tools for your contribution payments. Some of these are summarized below.
In order for your contribution payments to be made using your bank account number, you must have a defined account in the relevant bank.
Pension companies sign a service contract with banks regarding the payment of contributions. Banks will transfer the money collected from participants to the pension company at the end of the blocking period indicated in the service contract, in accordance with the said contracts. The blocking period may vary from company to company. In this situation, the contributions you have paid will be deposited at the end of the relevant blocking period.
Amounts equal to 25 percent of the contribution payments you have made since January 1, 2013, will be paid as a state contribution into your state contribution account.
State Contribution Limit
A state contribution is paid into your account equal to 25 percent of the contributions you have paid into the IPS. However, there is an annual upper limit for this amount. The maximum amount of the state contribution you can receive is 25% of the gross minimum wage for the relevant year. For 2021, this amount is 10,732.50 Turkish lira. The state contribution limit is calculated on a per participant basis.
State Contribution Vesting Ratios
Depending on the time spent in the system, you will be entitled to state contributions into your individual pension state contribution account in the following ratios:
Additional time has been granted to participants who joined the system before January 1, 2013, so that it can be taken into account in calculating their entitlement periods for state contributions.
If the time spent in the system before January 1, 2013
the respective contractual periods.
Subject |
The Transaction to be Performed and the Legal Deadline Set for the Completion of This Transaction |
---|---|
Refund of the payments you have made due to rejection of your request for a contract |
If your request for a contract is rejected by the pension company, then the payment instructions must be canceled and all the payments you have made must be refunded within 5 working days of the rejection date, without any deductions. |
Sending you your pension contract |
Your pension contract should be sent to you within 10 working days of the effective date either in printed form or on a permanent data store (text message, electronic mail, Internet, CD, DVD, memory card and similar means or media) depending on your choice. |
Using your right of opt out in the grace period |
You have the right of opt out in the grace period within 2 months of the signing of the proposal form or of approving it electronically. Your payment instructions will be canceled on the working day following the receipt of your withdrawal notification by your pension company. The accumulations in your individual pension account, including all other deductions except for the fund expense fee total, must be refunded to you within 10 working days of serving your notification to the pension company. |
Investing your contribution payments |
The contributions you have paid or your accumulations transferred from another pension company must be allocated among the selected funds at the latest on the second working day following the transfer to the company. |
Using your right to change fund allocations |
Your pension company is required to submit the relevant fund trading instructions within 2 working days of receiving your request for the fund allocation change sent to the company. |
Transferring your pension contract to another company |
If you decide to change your pension company, you will have to send a transfer request to your existing pension company. The pension company will then send your transfer documents to you. You will complete the documents and then apply to your new pension company. On the next working day following the receipt of the documents relating to your request, the pension company will forward your request to your current pension company. Your current pension company is required to finalize the transfer within 10 working days of the receipt of the request. |
Your request to withdraw from the system |
You can end your contract at any time to leave the IPS. For this, you should apply to the pension company with whom you want to end your contract. When your application is received, your pension company will ask you to complete the "Withdrawal Request Form.” The accumulations in your individual pension account must be In determining the amount to be paid, provisions of the relevant legislation and contract apply. |
Informing you about the risks of your investments before your entitlement to your pension |
To ensure that your accumulations are less affected by the risks of the financial markets, your pension company will send you a written recommendation at least 2 years before you qualify for retirement. You are not required to accept this recommendation. |
Using your pension entitlement |
Once you are entitled to retirement, you can leave the IPS by using the right to retire at any time. In this context, you must apply to the pension company with whom you want to use your retirement entitlement. When your application is received, your pension company will ask you to complete the “Retirement Request Form,” and the “Information Form,” and the “Information Form,” and send you an “Account Statement.” If you do not have any other contracts with other pension companies, then your accumulations will be paid to you, either partially or fully depending on the payment schedule you choose, within 10 working days of the receipt of the retirement request form by the pension company. If you have contracts with more than one pension company, then the pension process will start after the account consolidation process is completed, except in the case of your contracts having been established under the AES. |
Consolidating your contracts in different companies for retirement |
If you have contracts in multiple pension companies and you qualify for retirement from at least one of them, then you have to consolidate all your accounts into any pension company you choose with the exception of your contracts established under the AES. In this context, you must apply to the pension company with whom you want to use your retirement entitlement. Within two working days of the receipt your retirement request, the pension company will apply for consolidation of accounts to other pension companies holding your pension contracts. The pension company applied to for account consolidation reasons will complete all your account consolidation transactions within 5 working days of receiving the relevant consolidation request. |
Receiving notifications in the event that your employer / sponsor fails to pay you under your employer group pension contract or group-based individual contract |
If your employer / sponsor fails to pay you any mandatory contribution dues within 30 days of the relevant due dates, then you should be notified within no later than 5 working days. |
In order to retire, you must attain the age of 56 and have stayed in the system for 10 years from the date of your first entry into the system.
If you have more than one pension contract: if you are entitled to retirement under one of these contracts and you intend to use your right to retire, then you must consolidate all of your retirement contracts, except in the case of your contracts having been established under the AES.
When you apply for retirement, your pension company will send you the “Retirement Request Form,” and the “Information Form,” and send you an “Account Statement,” for you to complete. The retirement information form contains information about continuation and retirement options, as well as sample financial projections and information on the requirement of consolidation of all contracts to be able to use the right to retire.
If you request to receive the full amount of your accumulations and state contribution, then the pension company will pay you within 10 working days of receiving your request.
If you have contracts with more than one pension company, then the pension process will start after the account consolidation process is completed, except in the case of your contracts having been established under the AES.
Once you earn and use the right to retire,
If you have received all of your accumulations, then you will be considered to have left the IPS.
If your contributions are paid by your employer or company, then you must wait for the length of time specified in your contract to qualify for the amount of accumulation in your account. This period varies from 0 to 7 years. The minimum entitlement rates to be applied depending on the years are as follows:
Minimum Entitlement Percentage by Contract Year (%)
|
For How Long Have You Had Your Contract |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Duration Defined in Your Contract to Qualify For All Your Accumulations (Year) |
<1 |
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
5. |
6. |
7. |
0 |
100 |
|||||||
1 |
0 |
100 |
||||||
2 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
|||||
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
||||
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
75 |
100 |
|||
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
60 |
80 |
100 |
||
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
60 |
70 |
80 |
100 |
|
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
60 |
70 |
80 |
100 |
If they have made any retirement-related commitments to members or employees:
as of April 16, 2012 deposited with such institutions as accumulations and retirement-related undertakings may be transferred to the Individual Pension system fully or partially until December 31, 2017. Such a transfer would require a resolution by the governing bodies of the related institution.
Transactions related to such transfers are exempted from any corporate tax, duties, stamp duty, bank and insurance transaction tax applicable on the amount of such transfers.
No entrance fees will be charged for the transfer from a participant who has signed a pension contract.
No state contributions will be paid for the amounts transferred in this way. Still, these amounts will be exempt from income tax.
If you withdraw your accumulations in your IPS account created by transferring your accumulations from foundations, funds or other institutions, within 3 years of the date of the transfer, then you will be subject to a 3.75% income tax withholding on the previously tax-exempt amount transferred. For transfers done through December 31, 2015, the applicable rate will be 15%.
In case of the participant’s death, the accumulations, and if any, the money in the state contribution account shall be paid to the beneficiaries and legal heirs stated in the pension contract, without prejudice to the provisions of Turkish Civil Code No. 4721, dated November 22, 2001.
If the beneficiary(s) stated in the contract or if the beneficiary is not specified in the contract, the legal heirs, may legally request from the pension company to receive the accumulations in the individual pension account, including all state contributions.
Pension companies may request:
to process the request.
Within twenty (20) business days of the request for payment of the accumulations by the beneficiary(s) or legal heirs, the company shall pay the remaining amount to the beneficiary(s) or legal heir(s), after deducting a 5-percent income tax on the participant’s accumulations.
If, upon the death of the participant,
(after being taxed as an earning on movable assets pursuant to Article 75 of the Income Tax Law) must be subjected to inheritance and gift tax.
For 2020, the inheritance and gift tax rates for hereditary or gratuitous transfers are provided in the table below.
Taxable Base | Tax Rate (%) | |
Hereditary Transfer | Gratuitous Transfer | |
First 350,000 TRY | 1 | 10 |
Next 850,000 TRY | 3 | 15 |
Next 1,800,000 TRY | 5 | 20 |
Next 3,300,000 TRY | 7 | 25 |
Above 6,300,000 TRY | 10 | 30 |
In the inheritance tax for 2020; inheritance shares that correspond to each descendant and spouse, including adopted child(ren), have a tax exemption of 306,603 Turkish lira (613,582 Turkish lira in the inheritance share that corresponds to the spouse in the absence of any descendant) and 7,060 Turkish lira in gratuitous transfers.
On the other hand, the vested portion of the state contributions made to the individual pension account under the Individual Pension Savings and Investment System Law No. 4632 dated March 28, 2001 are exempted from inheritance and gift tax.
In the event of death, if you do not know whether the people you are a legal heir of have a pension contract or if there is a contract, but you do not now with which company, you may send your request to the PMC via the Contact Us page with a copy of your certificate of inheritance.