Law No. 7578 on Amendments to the Social Services Law and Certain Other Laws was published in the Official Gazette dated 01.05.2026 and below amendments entered into force on its date of publication. With this regulation, maternity, maternal and paternity leave periods in working life, as well as employment restrictions aimed at protecting children, are being restructured. The key amendments introduced by the law are summarized below.
a) Amendments to Maternity Leave:
- The postnatal maternity leave period for female employees has been increased from 8 weeks to 16 weeks, bringing the total maternity leave period to 24 weeks. With this change, the total maternity leave period for female employees will be 24 weeks, and 26 weeks in the case of multiple pregnancies.
- In parallel with this amendment, the duration of the temporary incapacity allowance paid by the Social Security Institution (SSI) has also been updated to cover 8 weeks before birth and 16 weeks after birth.
- Furthermore, the limit allowing a female employee, whose health condition is suitable, to transfer part of the pre-birth leave period to the post-birth period has been reduced from 3 weeks to 2 weeks.
b) Paternity and Foster Family Leave:
- The paid paternity leave granted to male employees whose spouse gives birth has been increased from 5 days to 10 days.
- In addition, employees who become foster parents to one or more children will be entitled to 10 days of unpaid leave upon request, starting from the date the child is placed with the foster family.
c) New Employment Restrictions and Sanctions for Employers:
- Employment safeguards have been strengthened in sectors where children are the primary focus, such as educational institutions, nurseries, dormitories and sports schools. Accordingly, individuals with final convictions for serious offences such as sexual abuse, drug trafficking or intentional homicide are prohibited from being employed in workplaces where children are densely present.
- Employees working in workplaces where children are intensively present will be required to submit to the employer, every six months, an official document based on criminal record and archive information demonstrating that they are suitable to work in such environments.
- In parallel, individuals convicted of the aforementioned offences are prohibited from establishing or operating workplaces intended for children. If such a situation is identified, a six-month period will be granted for the transfer of the business, and failure to complete the transfer may result in the revocation of the business license.
- In case of employment in violation of the regulation, an administrative fine amounting to three times the gross minimum wage for each employee will be imposed on the employer. If the violation is not remedied within one month from the notification of the penalty, the fine will increase to seven times the gross minimum wage per employee; if the violation continues, the licenses and permits granted to the workplace may be revoked.
d) SSI Premium Incentive for the Employment of Youth under State Protection
- Financial incentives have been introduced for employers in order to support the participation of individuals raised under state protection in the workforce. Accordingly, where individuals meeting the conditions set out in the law are employed in the private sector, the employee and employer shares of disability, old-age and survivors’ insurance premiums, short-term insurance premiums, general health insurance premiums and unemployment insurance premiums will be covered by the Treasury for a period of five years from the employee’s date of employment.
- In order to benefit from this incentive, monthly premium and service declarations that must be submitted to the SSI must be filed within the statutory period, and any premiums not covered by the Treasury must be paid within the legal deadline.
e) Important Considerations Regarding the Transition Period:
- The new regulation will also have limited applicability to employees who have given birth prior to its effective date. Accordingly, employees who, as of 1 April 2026, have not yet completed the 24-week period calculated from the date of birth may also benefit from an additional 8 weeks of maternity leave, provided that they submit their request within 10 business days from the entry into force of the relevant provision.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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