What Are My Rights When I Am Dismissed? Compensation, Unemployment Benefit, Exit Code

On the day you are dismissed, you are often handed a few documents and told “sign here”. Yet the answer to the question what are my rights when I am dismissed depends on the documents you sign that day, on the exit code the employer reports to SGK (the Social Security Institution) and on the steps you take over the following few weeks. In this article we bring together all the rights of a dismissed employee in a single table and explain, step by step, the conditions for unemployment benefit, what the exit code means, the release and the time limits that must not be missed.

What are my rights when I am dismissed? #

Not every employee can receive every item; most rights depend on length of service, the number of employees at the workplace and the reason for termination. The general picture is as follows:

To see your own table of claims, you can use our severance and notice pay calculator and employee receivables calculator.

Severance pay and notice pay #

Severance pay (kıdem tazminatı) is paid at 30 days’ dressed gross wage for each full year of service; periods exceeding full years are added pro rata. The annual amount cannot exceed the severance pay ceiling: for contracts ending between 1 July and 31 December 2026, the ceiling is 73.729,87 TL. Only stamp duty is deducted from severance pay, and if it is not paid on time the highest interest rate applied to deposits runs. For the details of the calculation and examples, see our article how severance pay is calculated.

There is no one-year service requirement for notice pay (ihbar tazminatı). If the employer ends an indefinite-term contract without waiting for the periods below and without paying the wages for those periods in advance, it pays compensation equal to the wages for the period:

If the employer has you work through the notice period, it must give you job-search leave of at least two hours a day during this period without any deduction from wages. If the leave is not granted, the wages for those hours are paid in addition.

Annual leave, wage and overtime claims #

One of the first items to check when you are dismissed is pay for annual leave you earned but did not use. Whatever the reason for the end of the contract, the employer pays for unused leave days on the basis of the wage on the date the contract ended; an employee dismissed on grounds of breach of morality and good faith does not lose this right either. For those who have worked for at least one year, annual leave cannot be less than 14 days for service of up to five years (five years included), 20 days for service of more than five years and less than fifteen years, and 26 days for service of fifteen years or more.

The last months’ wages, differences in premiums and bonuses, overtime, and work on weekly rest days and national and public holidays can also be claimed regardless of the reason for termination. The limitation period for these claims is 5 years; in other words, claims for the last five years can be made retrospectively. For how overtime is calculated and proved, see our article calculating overtime pay.

Reinstatement, bad-faith, discrimination and trade union compensation #

If you are within the scope of job security (at least 30 employees at the workplace, at least 6 months’ service, an indefinite-term contract, not being an employer’s representative), the employer must state the reason for termination in writing and clearly. If no reason is given or the reason is not valid, the reinstatement route is open. The time limits are as follows:

Critical periods in reinstatement #

1. 1 month: The time limit for applying to a mediator, counted from service of the termination notice (Labour Law Art. 20). A lawsuit cannot be filed directly.
2. 2 weeks: If no agreement is reached in mediation, the time limit for filing a lawsuit at the labour court, counted from the date the final report is drawn up. There is no “30 days” for the lawsuit; the period is two weeks.
3. 10 working days: The time limit for applying to the employer to return to work, counted from service of the final decision. If you do not apply, the termination is deemed valid.

If the employer does not take you back within 1 month of your application, compensation for non-reinstatement equal to 4–8 months’ wages and wages for the idle period of up to 4 months are paid. For the conditions and the burden of proof, see our reinstatement action guide.

If you are outside the scope of job security #

Even if you are not within the scope of job security, you are not unprotected:

• Bad-faith compensation: If the right of termination was abused (for example, if you were dismissed because you asserted your rights or made a complaint), compensation equal to three times the wages for the notice period is paid; if the notice period was not granted either, notice pay is claimed in addition.
• Discrimination compensation: For differential treatment on grounds such as language, race, sex, disability, political opinion, religion or pregnancy, compensation of up to four months’ wages and the rights lost can be claimed.
• Trade union compensation: An employee dismissed because of trade union membership or trade union activity is paid trade union compensation of not less than one year’s wages. No condition as to the number of employees at the workplace or length of service applies to this claim; an employee within the scope of job security can also file a reinstatement action, but if not taken back, no separate compensation for non-reinstatement is awarded.

Unemployment benefit: conditions, duration and the 2026 amount #

Unemployment benefit, which is the first thing most people ask about when dismissed, is not compensation but an insurance benefit paid by İŞKUR (the Turkish Employment Agency), and it is independent of any lawsuit against the employer. Under Law No. 4447, the following conditions must be met together:

Four conditions #

• The employment contract ended through no choice or fault of your own
• You worked continuously under an employment contract for the last 120 days before the contract ended
• Unemployment insurance premiums were paid for at least 600 days in the last 3 years
• You apply to İŞKUR in person or via e-Devlet within 30 days of termination; days of delay are deducted from the total payment period

The 2026 benefit amount #

The daily benefit is 40% of the average daily gross earnings calculated from earnings subject to premiums over the last four months, and it cannot exceed 80% of the gross minimum wage. According to İŞKUR’s 2026 information, a person who worked on the minimum wage is paid 13.111,72 TL a month, and the highest wage group is paid at most 26.223,44 TL. Only stamp duty is deducted from the benefit; the benefit cannot be attached except for maintenance debts.

Those dismissed by the employer for a valid reason or without a reason being given, those whose fixed-term contract has ended, those left unemployed because the workplace closed and those who terminate their contract themselves for just cause can receive the benefit. Those who resign without a reason and those dismissed by the employer on grounds of conduct contrary to morality and good faith (Labour Law Art. 25/II) cannot. For the route of leaving for just cause, see our article on resignation with compensation.

What is the exit code, and why does it matter? #

The employer reports the end of the contract to SGK with a reason-for-leaving code. When assessing an unemployment benefit application, İŞKUR looks at this code first. You can see the code through the SGK service on e-Devlet for querying notifications of starting and leaving employment. The codes most often encountered in practice are:

Social security exit codes and their meanings #

In the past, termination by the employer based on the rules of morality and good faith was reported with a single code 29; code 29 does not appear in SGK’s current list, and such terminations are now reported with codes 42–50 according to the relevant sub-paragraph. If you still say “I was dismissed with code 29”, you may be referring to an old exit or to one of the codes between 42 and 50.

What to do if the code is wrong #

The key point is this: the exit code does not by itself determine the right to compensation. An employee dismissed with a code between 42 and 50 may argue that the incident alleged by the employer did not occur or that the termination was not made in time; the court investigates the real reason for termination. Termination based on the rules of morality and good faith must be made within 6 working days of the employer learning of the incident and in any event within 1 year of the incident (the 1-year period does not apply where the employee obtained a material benefit).

Challenging an incorrect exit code: step by step #

1. Check the code and the date: Download your notification of leaving employment and your service record from e-Devlet; check whether the code matches the reason stated in the termination notice.
2. Ask the employer for a correction in writing: For example, if code 03 (resignation) or a code between 42 and 50 was reported although you were dismissed without a reason being given, send your request for correction by a method that can be proved (notary, KEP registered e-mail or a petition signed for on receipt). The correction of the code with SGK is made by the employer.
3. Do not hold back your İŞKUR application: Even if the correction takes time, apply within 30 days of termination; days of delay are deducted from the entitlement period.
4. Judicial remedy against a refusal: Disputes to which İŞKUR or SGK is a party are heard by the labour court. A lawsuit can be filed at the labour court to establish the real reason for termination and to obtain payment of the benefit; which lawsuit is filed against whom depends on the circumstances of the case.
5. Mediation for claims: For severance pay, notice pay, wages and other employee claims, as well as reinstatement requests, applying to a mediator before filing a lawsuit is a precondition for the lawsuit. In these claims too, the dispute over the code is resolved by examining the real reason for termination.

The release, the resignation letter and the mediation report #

The most common mistake when dismissed is signing documents without understanding what they are. A release (ibraname, a document stating “I have no outstanding claims”) is valid under Article 420 of the Turkish Code of Obligations only if all of the following conditions are met:

• It is in writing
• It is drawn up after at least one month has passed since the end of the contract
• The type and amount of the claim released are stated clearly
• Payment is made in full according to the amount due and through a bank

A release that does not meet these conditions is absolutely null and void; a document showing a payment below the real amount counts only as a receipt for the amount paid. By contrast, a ready-made resignation letter put in front of you on the day of termination cannot be overcome as easily as a release: you would later have to prove that the resignation was obtained under pressure. For this reason, do not sign an “I am leaving of my own free will” text when being dismissed; accept the notice only with a “received” (tebellüğ ettim) note and the date.

An agreement document signed in mediation, on the other hand, is different from a release: for the items agreed, it has the nature of a court judgment, and no lawsuit can later be filed for the same claims. Before reaching an agreement, make sure each item has been calculated correctly.

Checklist: first steps when you are dismissed #

1. Accept the termination notice with the date noted and keep a copy. The 1-month time limit for reinstatement starts from this date of service.
2. Do not sign any resignation letter, blank paper or release. If you are asked to sign a report, write your objection and explanation below it.
3. Gather the documents: employment contract, payslips, bank account statement, e-Devlet service record and notification of leaving employment, records showing working hours, correspondence, names of witnesses.
4. Check the exit code; if it is wrong, ask the employer for a correction in writing.
5. Apply to İŞKUR within 30 days. A lawsuit or mediation process is no reason to postpone the application.
6. If you are within the scope of job security, apply to a mediator within 1 month; if no agreement is reached, file a lawsuit within 2 weeks of the final report. You can track your time limits with the time limit and limitation period checker.
7. Draw up your table of claims: calculate severance pay, notice pay, leave, wages and overtime separately; go to the mediation table with this table.
8. If you have a mobbing or discrimination claim, write down the incidents in chronological order and preserve the evidence (mobbing in the workplace).

For all employment law disputes, from severance pay to reinstatement, see our Istanbul employment lawyer page.

Brief summary #

1. When dismissed, you can claim severance pay (subject to the 1-year condition), notice pay, unused leave, wages and overtime; the limitation period is 5 years.
2. For reinstatement, you apply to a mediator within 1 month of service of the termination notice and, if no agreement is reached, to the court within 2 weeks.
3. Unemployment benefit requires 120 days of continuous work, 600 premium days in the last 3 years and an application to İŞKUR within 30 days; the duration is 180, 240 or 300 days.
4. The exit code does not by itself determine the right to compensation; codes 42–50 are now used instead of code 29, and correction of a wrong code can be requested.
5. A release signed before one month has passed since termination, that does not show the amounts or that was not paid through a bank is invalid.