Changes Made to Maternity and Paternity Leave Periods
Date: 01.05.2026
Subject: Changes made to maternity and paternity leave periods
With Law No. 7578 on Amendments to the Social Services Law and Certain Other Laws, published in the Official Gazette dated 01.05.2026, certain changes have been made regarding leave periods in working life. According to the records of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, the law is registered as Law No. 7578, with an adoption date of 22.04.2026.
With the new regulation, the postnatal maternity leave granted to female employees under Labour Law No. 4857 has been increased from 8 weeks to 16 weeks. Accordingly, the total maternity leave period will be applied as 24 weeks, consisting of 8 weeks before birth and 16 weeks after birth. In the case of multiple pregnancy, the total leave period will be 26 weeks.
In addition, the period during which a female employee whose health condition is suitable may continue working before birth with a doctor’s report has also been revised. The previous practice allowing work until 3 weeks before birth has been changed to allow work until 2 weeks before birth.
The Law has also increased the paternity leave granted to employees in the event of their spouse giving birth from 5 days to 10 days. In addition, employees who become foster families are entitled to 10 days of unpaid leave upon request, starting from the date the child is delivered to them.
With the amendment made to Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law No. 5510, the periods taken as the basis for temporary incapacity allowance due to maternity have also been harmonized with the new leave periods. Accordingly, the period of 8 weeks before birth and 16 weeks after birth will be taken into consideration.
Within the scope of the transitional provision, employees whose maternity leave period has expired but who have not yet completed the 24-week period from the date of birth as of 01.04.2026 may use an additional 8 weeks of maternity leave, provided that they request it within 10 business days from the effective date of the Law.
It is important for employers to review their personnel leave records, payroll practices, and Social Security Institution notification processes in line with these amendments.
Respectfully submitted for your information.