Employment contract in Turkey: Template, Key Clauses and Local Law (2026)

How employment contracts work in Turkey An employment contract in Turkey is mainly governed by Labour Law No. 4857, with the Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098 covering employees who fall outside the Labour Law, such as certain senior staff. Turkish labour law is protective, and many terms are set by statute, so an employer cannot contract below the legal floor. A contract can be for an indefinite or a fixed term, and for full or part time work. An employment contract with a term of one year or more must be in writing. Even where writing is not strictly required, a written contract is strongly advised because it records the role, pay and working time, and because the employer must in any case give the employee written information about the essential terms. Fixed term contracts need an objective reason, and chaining them without such a reason can cause the relationship to be treated as indefinite. Registration with the Social Security Institution (SGK) is mandatory from the first day, and payroll must reflect statutory minimum wage, social security premiums and income tax withholding. ## Mandatory and key terms Probation. A probationary period may be agreed, up to two months, and it can be extended up to four months by a collective labour agreement. During probation either party can end the contract without notice, though wages for time worked remain due. Working time. The maximum weekly working time is 45 hours, which may be split across the working days of the week, commonly five or six. Work beyond 45 hours a week is overtime and attracts a premium, subject to annual limits and employee consent rules. Pay. Pay cannot fall below the national minimum wage, which the government sets and revises. Turkey does not have statutory thirteenth month pay by default, though bonuses may be agreed or set by collective agreement. Notice. For indefinite contracts, statutory notice under Article 17 scales with length of service, commonly described as two weeks for under six months, four weeks for six months to eighteen months, six weeks for eighteen months to three years, and eight weeks for more than three years. Notice can be worked or paid in lieu. These bands should be confirmed against the current statute for a specific case. Severance. An employee who qualifies is generally entitled to severance pay of thirty days' gross wage per completed year of service, available after at least one year of service and on qualifying grounds of termination. Severance is subject to a statutory ceiling per year that is revised every six months, so the current cap must be checked at the time of calculation. Job security. Employees with at least six months of service at a workplace employing thirty or more workers have protection against unfair dismissal and can challenge a dismissal that lacks a valid reason. Annual leave. Paid annual leave starts after one year of service and increases with tenure. ## A simple employment contract structure you can adapt 1. Parties and start date.

2. Job title, duties and place of work.
3. Contract type (indefinite or fixed term, with objective reason if fixed) and probation.
4. Working hours (within the 45 hour weekly maximum) and overtime.
5. Pay, allowances and payment date.
6. Annual leave and other leave.
7. Social security (SGK) registration and tax withholding.
8. Confidentiality and, where lawful, non-compete under the Code of Obligations.
9. Notice and termination.
10. Governing law (Turkish) and jurisdiction.
11. Signatures. Because so many terms come from statute, the contract should state the statutory floor rather than undercut it. This is general information, not legal advice; Turkish figures such as the minimum wage and the severance ceiling change often and should be confirmed with a Turkish lawyer or payroll adviser. ## Compliance points that catch employers out First, the severance ceiling and the minimum wage are revised frequently, so a calculation that was right last year may be wrong now. Second, fixed term contracts need a genuine objective reason, and misuse can convert them to indefinite. Third, dismissal of a job secure employee requires a valid reason and the right process, and an unfair dismissal claim can lead to reinstatement or compensation. Fourth, overtime beyond the 45 hour week has limits and premium pay, and the records must support what is paid. Non-compete and confidentiality clauses for employees are governed by the Turkish Code of Obligations and must be reasonable; the detail is covered in the companion NDA and consultancy pages for Turkey. ## Keeping employment contracts and their obligations in one place A Turkish employment contract is the start of a stream of obligations: the probation window, pay against a moving minimum wage, leave balances, SGK reporting, notice periods and severance calculations against a ceiling that changes twice a year. When the signed contract lives in one system and the obligations in another, something eventually slips. The idea worth keeping is that drafting a contract, checking it against the current legal floor, editing it when the law moves, and tracking its dates and duties are one connected job, and it is far easier when the document and its deadlines sit in one place. That single workspace idea is what Adira is built around for business contracts. Adira is India first today, with other jurisdictions on its roadmap, so for Turkey specific points such as the severance ceiling, notice bands or job security you would confirm the detail with Turkish counsel. The direction holds anywhere: a contract you can trust is one that stays in one place, in step with the law, with its dates in view.