Legislation check needed: Turkish rules on disability reports, benefits and fees change often. This page is a general guide only and is not legal advice; confirm with the relevant institution (SGK, Ministry of Family and Social Services, tax office, municipality) before acting. Last reviewed: 25 October 2026 (based on current texts on mevzuat.gov.tr).
Source and scope: Short English summary of our Turkish page, rewritten from earlier community articles on disability reports, ID cards, retirement, free travel, property tax, co-payments, private hospital fees and patient rights. Full version: Engelli ve Hasta Hakları (TR).
On this page:
The disability rate is individual
Important: A diagnosis of Addison’s disease (or another form of adrenal insufficiency) does not by itself mean any particular disability percentage. The rate is decided individually by the authorised hospital health board, according to the criteria in the legislation, based on how the condition affects that person and any other conditions. Two people with the same diagnosis can receive different rates. For retirement, SGK’s own Institutional Health Board separately decides the “loss of working capacity” rate, which need not match the rate in your disability report.
Vested rights: old report vs new report
- People who obtained reports under the old rules continue under them: under Art. 15 of the Regulation on Disability Assessment for Adults (Official Gazette, 20 February 2019), rates set by permanent (“sürekli”) reports issued to adults before the Regulation took effect remain valid; for time-limited reports, institutions cannot ask for a new report until the report expires.
- People getting new reports fall under the current rules: renewals of time-limited reports, objections, new report applications and control examinations are decided under the current Regulation. So when you renew or obtain a new report, your rate may change (up or down).
- Retirement — change of 15 January 2025: Law No. 7538 abolished, from 15 January 2025, the route of retiring on the basis of the disability degree set for income-tax purposes. People already granted a pension this way keep receiving it (Law No. 5510, provisional Art. 10/3), but if called for a control examination, Art. 28/5 and Art. 94 of Law 5510 apply and the pension may stop if the new report does not meet the conditions.
- Requests made with a tax-disability certificate before 15 January 2025 are handled under the old rules (Law No. 506); requests on or after 15 January 2025 fall under the current Law 5510 rules (table below).
- In short: “vested rights” are not automatic or unlimited. Which rules apply to you depends on the type (permanent/time-limited) and date of your report, the date you were first insured and the date of your pension request. Get written confirmation from SGK and the relevant institution before acting.
Current legislation in brief
- Disability health board report (age 18+): issued by authorised hospital disability health boards under the Regulation on Disability Assessment for Adults. Multiple conditions are combined using the method in the Regulation. You can object within 30 days of receiving the report via the provincial health directorate; the referee hospital’s decision is final. Time-limited reports can be renewed on request when less than six months remain. (Children are assessed under a separate regulation — ÇÖZGER.)
- Invalidity pension (malulen emeklilik): under Law No. 5510 Art. 25–26, an insured person is considered an invalid if SGK’s Institutional Health Board finds a loss of at least 60% of working capacity. The pension requires at least 10 years of insurance and 1,800 premium days; for people who need constant care from another person, the insurance-period condition is waived and 1,800 days suffice. There is no age condition. A condition already at this level before first becoming insured does not qualify for an invalidity pension; an early-retirement route exists instead. See SGK – Invalidity (TR).
- Disability (early) retirement: under Law 5510 Art. 28/4–5 and the transitional articles (provisional Art. 6 and 10), people with an SGK-determined loss of working capacity of 40–59%, and people disabled before first becoming insured, can retire without an age condition after an insurance period and number of premium days that depend on the rate band and first-insurance date. See the table below.
- Income-tax disability allowance: Income Tax Law No. 193 Art. 31: a loss of working capacity of at least 80% is 1st degree, at least 60% 2nd degree, at least 40% 3rd degree; the monthly amounts are updated every year. It can also be claimed for a disabled dependant (Art. 89/1-3).
- General framework: Law No. 5378 on Persons with Disabilities covers non-discrimination, accessibility and employment.
Conditions × days table (retirement and tax)
These tables are compiled from the current texts of Law No. 5510 and Income Tax Law No. 193 on mevzuat.gov.tr (as of 25 October 2026). They apply to 4/a insured people (employees, formerly SSK). Some transitional rules differ for 4/b (self-employed, formerly Bağ-Kur) and 4/c (civil servants): confirm with SGK. “Rate” means the loss of working capacity determined by SGK’s Institutional Health Board; an Addison’s diagnosis does not automatically correspond to any rate.
1) Disability (early) retirement — no age condition
| Rate / situation | Old rules (vested rights) | Current — first insured before 1/10/2008, request on/after 15/1/2025 | Current — first insured on/after 1/10/2008 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40–49% | Requests made / pensions granted with a tax-disability certificate before 15/1/2025: Law No. 506 rules; period and days vary by start date and disability degree — confirm with SGK | 18 years of insurance + 4,100 days | 18 years + 4,680 days. Transition: first insured 1/10–31/12/2008: 4,100 days; from 2009, +100 days for each start year (2009: 4,200 …), up to 4,680 | Law 5510 Art. 28/5-b; prov. Art. 6/7-e |
| 50–59% | Same (Law No. 506) — confirm with SGK | 16 years + 3,700 days | 16 years + 4,320 days. Transition: first insured 1/10–31/12/2008: 3,700 days; from 2009, +100 days per start year, up to 4,320 | Law 5510 Art. 28/5-a; prov. Art. 6/7-d |
| Disability at invalidity level (60%+) before first becoming insured (not eligible for invalidity pension) | The old rule still applies to people insured before 2008 through prov. Art. 10/1 | 15 years + 3,600 days | 15 years + 3,960 days. Transition: first insured 1/10–31/12/2008: 3,700 days; from 2009, +100 days per start year, up to 3,960 | Law 5510 Art. 28/4; prov. Art. 6/7-c; prov. Art. 10/1 |
2) Invalidity pension
| Situation | Old rules | Current (Law 5510) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loss of working capacity at least 60% (arising after insurance began) | Invalidity requests made before 1/10/2008 and decided later: conditions of Laws 506 / 2925 (prov. Art. 10) — confirm with SGK | 10 years of insurance + 1,800 days; no age condition; you must leave work and apply in writing | Law 5510 Art. 25–26; SGK |
| Invalid to the degree of needing constant care from another person | Same — confirm with SGK | No insurance-period condition; 1,800 days | Law 5510 Art. 26/b |
| Loss of working capacity below 60% | — | No invalidity pension; if conditions are met, the early-retirement route in Table 1 | Law 5510 Art. 25, 28/5 |
3) Income-tax disability allowance
| Degree | Loss of working capacity | 2026 monthly allowance | Old / current | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st degree | 80% or more | TRY 12,000 | Degree thresholds unchanged; amounts updated yearly by General Communiqué (2026: Serial No. 332). Since 15/1/2025 the tax-disability degree alone no longer gives a retirement right. | Income Tax Law Art. 31 |
| 2nd degree | 60–79% | TRY 7,000 | Same | Income Tax Law Art. 31 |
| 3rd degree | 40–59% | TRY 3,000 | Same | Income Tax Law Art. 31 |
Premium days and insurance period are counted from your SGK records (e-Devlet service statement); a pension also requires leaving work / ending the activity and a written request to SGK. SGK’s decision is binding. For a rough check with your own figures: Disability / invalidity retirement calculator (your data never leaves your device).
Other rights in brief
- Disability health board report: issued by authorised hospital health boards; the percentage is decided individually by the board — there is no automatic rate for Addison’s disease.
- Disability ID card: for Turkish citizens with a rate of 40% or more, via the provincial directorates of the Ministry of Family and Social Services. It does not replace the health board report.
- Free public transport, property-tax relief: depend on the rate and other conditions; ask your municipality, TCDD and the tax office. Retirement and income-tax rules are detailed in the tables above.
- Co-payments: for listed chronic diseases, visits related to that disease may be exempt from the examination co-payment when documented by a report; check the current SGK Health Implementation Communiqué (SUT).
- Private hospitals: extra fees above SGK limits are capped by the SUT; ask for an itemised statement and complain to SGK if overcharged.
- Patient rights: information, consent, privacy, choosing a doctor and complaints — use the hospital’s patient communication unit or CİMER.
Official sources
- Law No. 5510 on Social Insurance and General Health Insurance (mevzuat.gov.tr, TR) — Art. 25, 26, 28; prov. Art. 6, 10
- Law No. 7538 (Official Gazette, 15/1/2025, TR)
- Regulation on Disability Assessment for Adults (mevzuat.gov.tr, TR) · Official Gazette, 20/2/2019
- Income Tax Law No. 193 (mevzuat.gov.tr, TR) — Art. 31, 89
- Law No. 5378 on Persons with Disabilities (mevzuat.gov.tr, TR)
- SGK – Invalidity (TR) · SGK – Invalidity pension (TR)
- Ministry of Family and Social Services – early and invalidity retirement for working people with disabilities (FAQ, TR)
Disclaimer: This page is general information prepared by a patient community; it is not legal or medical advice. For your own case, consult your endocrinologist and a lawyer / social-security specialist; binding decisions are made by SGK and the authorised health boards. This page contains no medication dose recommendations; always consult your own doctor (endocrinologist) about diagnosis, treatment or any dose change. In an emergency in Türkiye, call 112.