Turkey lifts civil servant and pension salaries by up to 13.5%

Turkey's June 2026 consumer price data showed a 0.99% monthly and 32.11% yearly increase in inflation. Based on these figures, the government set a 13.52% raise for civil servants and for SSK and Bağ‑Kur retirees, while the lowest pension tier will rise from 20,000 TL to 23,552 TL – a 17.76% jump. The new pension and salary tables were approved in a draft law presented to the Grand National Assembly and are expected to cost about 79 billion TL in the second half of 2026.

Payments are scheduled for mid‑July: civil servants will see the adjusted salaries in their July 15 payroll, with the “14‑day difference” paid a week later. SSK retirees will receive their increased payments between the 17th and 26th of July, while Bağ‑Kur retirees will be paid between the 25th and 28th. The law also covers a one‑off 1,000 TL surcharge for the lowest pension recipients.

Academic staff benefit from the same 13.52% increase, taking professor salaries to 153,353 TL and research‑assistant wages to 102,813 TL from July onward. Opposition leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu criticised the 3,500 TL uplift for the lowest pension as insufficient, saying retirees cannot survive on 23,000 TL. BBVA Research, citing the same inflation data, kept its year‑end Turkish inflation forecast at 30% and noted that lower energy prices could shave about one point off the CPI if Brent stays at $70‑75 per barrel.

Separate announcements confirmed the disbursement of 8.1 billion TL in July for elderly and disabled allowances, underscoring the broader social‑benefit package accompanying the wage reforms.