Turkey has been supportive of breastfeeding and has implemented measures to encourage and protect the practice. The country has provisions in its Labour Law that allow mothers to take breaks for breastfeeding during working hours. These breaks are paid and are aimed at providing mothers with the necessary time and space to breastfeed or express milk for their infants.
According to the Labour Code No. 4857, female workers are given 1.5 hours of breastfeeding leave per day to breastfeed their children under one year old. Breastfeeding leave can be used in divided hours; the female worker determines the hours and how much she will use breastfeeding leave.
In addition, the Breastfeeding Allowance is being provisioned in the Turkish Social Security Law.
Who is given Breastfeeding Allowance?
The breastfeeding allowance is given to the insured woman if she gives birth, or to the insured man if his non-insured wife gives birth. In addition, breastfeeding allowance is paid to the woman who receives an income or a pension due to her work that is subject to a service contract or on her own behalf and account, or to the uninsured spouse of a man who receives an income or pension.
Breastfeeding allowance is a type of payment that can be benefited by the insured who are working under a service contract (4/a) and the insured who work in their own name and on their own account (4/b), and the insured who are public servants are paid by their own institutions in accordance with the Civil Servants Law No. 657.
What are the Conditions of Breastfeeding Allowance?
In order to provide breastfeeding allowance to an insured woman or an insured man if his non-insured spouse gives birth, the following conditions must be met:
- For insured employees who are subject to a service contract (4/a social insurance status), short-term insurance premiums must have been declared for at least 120 days in the year before birth,
- For insured people who work on their own behalf and account (4/b social insurance status), at least 120 days of short-term insurance branch premiums must have been paid within a year before the birth and all premiums and premium-related debts, including general health insurance premiums, must have been paid.
- The birth must have occurred alive
If a child is born within 300 days starting from this date to the insured who are entitled to breastfeeding allowance and whose insurance ends, the insured woman or the man whose spouse will benefit from maternity insurance will benefit from breastfeeding allowance, provided that at least 120 days of premium has been paid within the 15 months before the date of birth.
Breastfeeding allowance is given to each child on the basis of the tariff valid on the date of birth, determined by the Board of Directors of the Social Security Institution and approved by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, provided that the child is alive at the time of birth (live birth). This figure has been determined as 202.00 TL for 2020, 232.00 TL for 2021, 316 TL for 2022 and 520.00 TL for the year 2023.
The limitation period for claiming breastfeeding allowance is five years from the date of entitlement.
Where to Apply to Get Breastfeeding Allowance?
The requirement for insured people who are entitled to breastfeeding allowance to submit a petition to the Social Security Institution in order to receive their allowance has been abolished. Breastfeeding allowance is paid automatically based on the breastfeeding allowance report seen in the system.
