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Short, plain and current articles on tax, payroll and company life.

Featured articleTax19 October 20263 min read

Withholding tax vs VAT withholding: who deducts, who pays?

The two are often confused. Withholding tax deducts income tax at source; VAT withholding deducts part of the VAT at source. Examples show who pays what.

In brief

Withholding tax deducts income or corporate tax at source; VAT withholding deducts part of the VAT.
Withholding tax is filed on the withholding return; VAT withholding on VAT return No. 2.
Whoever should withhold and does not is liable for the tax and penalty.

Social security & payroll17 October 20263 min read

2026 payroll parameters: every figure in one article

Minimum wage, SGK floor and ceiling, premium rates, income tax brackets, exemptions, meal and transport allowances, disability allowance, severance ceiling and incentives; current as of October 2026.

Hiring your first employee: SGK, contract and payroll steps

Workplace registration, the hiring notification deadline, employment contract, personnel file, health and safety, incentive check and first payroll; a step-by-step checklist for first-time employers.

How is net salary calculated in Türkiye in 2026?

From gross to net: social security, income tax, stamp duty and the minimum wage exemption in one table.

How do foreigners set up a company in Türkiye? (2026)

Tax number, apostille and translation, MERSİS and trade registry, bank account and capital, work permit conditions for a foreign partner and profit repatriation.

Read more →Tax14 October 20263 min read

Tax penalties, voluntary disclosure and ways to reduce them

Missed a return or under-declared? Tax loss penalty, irregularity, voluntary disclosure, penalty reduction and settlement; which is better when?

Read more →Tax13 October 20263 min read

Marketplace withholding in e-commerce (1%): deduction, credit and refund

What is the 1% withholding marketplaces such as Trendyol, Hepsiburada and Amazon deduct from seller payouts, how is the base found, how is it credited in provisional and annual returns, and how is an excess refunded?

Severance pay 2026: conditions, the gross-up wage and the ceiling

Who gets severance, what goes into the grossed-up wage, the 2026 ceilings, income tax and stamp duty, payment timing and interest; with worked examples.

Read more →Tax11 October 20263 min read

Meta and Google ad invoices: 15% withholding and VAT return No. 2

Withholding and reverse-charge VAT on online advertising bought from platforms abroad; grossing up, filing time, the payment condition for deducting VAT-2 and a document list.

SGK incentives 2026: a current guide for employers

The 5/2 point Treasury incentive, minimum wage support, incentives for hiring benefit recipients and additional employment, disabled and R&D incentives; common conditions and the most common mistakes.

Bağ-Kur premiums 2026: amounts, the 5-point discount and due date

2026 Bağ-Kur (4/b) premium rate, minimum and maximum premiums, conditions for the 5-point discount, due date and consequences of debt for sole proprietors and company partners.

Read more →Tax8 October 20262 min read

Withholding on business rent: gross or net?

How a tenant business calculates withholding, what it pays the landlord and when it pays the tax over; what changes if the landlord is a company.

Sole proprietorship or limited company?

Formation cost, tax rates, taking profit out, liability, social security and accounting burden; at what profit level does a limited company become worthwhile?

Read more →Tax6 October 20263 min read

Taking dividends from a company: corporate tax, 15% withholding and the return

The tax cost of distributing a limited or joint stock company's profit to partners; withholding, the annual return, the half-exempt rule and alternatives for paying partners.

Young entrepreneur income exemption 2026: TRY 400,000, conditions and common mistakes

A TRY 400,000 annual income exemption for three years for entrepreneurs under 29 who become taxpayers for the first time; who qualifies, who does not, and why the Bağ-Kur support ended.

e-Invoice, e-Archive and e-Ledger: who moves, and when?

e-Invoice obligation by turnover and sector, e-Archive invoices, e-Ledger and e-Waybill; transition dates, how to apply and the penalty for not switching.

2026 minimum wage support: who gets it and how it is calculated

TRY 42.33 per insured person per day; the 2025 same-month reference, the TRY 1,300 daily earnings limit, the no-debt condition and offsetting; with a worked example.

Read more →Tax1 October 20263 min read

Partners' current account: when a partner withdraws money or lends to the company

Calculating interest on money a partner withdraws, VAT, hidden profit distribution risk; a partner lending to the company, the agreement, interest and the thin capitalisation limit.

VAT refunds: who can claim and how the process works

Refunds of accumulated VAT from exports, withholding sales and reduced-rate supplies; offset and cash refunds, sworn accountant reports, guarantees and timing.

Setting up a limited company in Istanbul in 2026

Documents, steps, timing and official cost items; when is the capital paid, and what needs doing in the first month after formation?

Employing foreign staff: the salary requirement and real cost

The work permit salary requirement of 1–5 times the minimum wage by occupation, an employer cost table, tax and SGK, the Turkish employee quota and common mistakes.

Employee benefits: which are subject to tax, which to SGK?

Meal cards, transport, shuttle, child and family allowances, private health insurance, private pension, bonuses, housing allowance, phones; income tax and SGK treatment in one table.

SGK missing-day codes: which code for which situation?

The list of missing-day codes for employees reported for fewer than 30 days in a month, keeping documents, part-time and timesheet codes, common mistakes and how to correct.

Rental income return: residential, commercial and the exemption

The TRY 58,000 exemption for residential rent, credit for withholding on commercial rent, the lump-sum and actual expense methods; who files a return in March?

When is an invoice required, what must it show, and what is the penalty?

The invoice threshold, information an invoice must contain, the 7-day deadline, e-Invoice versus e-Archive, and 2026 penalties for not issuing or not obtaining invoices.

SGK administrative fines: the 7 most common causes and how to prevent them

Hiring notifications, the monthly withholding and premium return, occupation codes, missing-day documents; fine amounts, the 25% reduction, objection and a checklist to avoid repeats.

Non-deductible expenses (KKEG) list for 2026

Expenses recorded in the books but not deductible from the tax base; tax penalties, passenger car limits, thin capitalisation, the finance expense restriction, donations and common mistakes.

How to choose a NACE code and what it affects

The activity code chosen at formation; VAT rate consistency, SGK hazard class, health and safety, licences and incentives; risks of a wrong code and how to change it.

How provisional tax is calculated and planned

Advance tax paid on quarterly profit; filing periods, rates for companies and sole proprietors, credit in the annual return and cash planning.

e-Ledger certificate upload deadlines and the consequences of late upload

Monthly and quarterly upload deadlines for e-Ledger and certificate files, the December period, 2026 extensions and consequences of late upload; a checklist before correcting entries or certificates.

Annual paid leave: entitlement, splitting, pay and common mistakes

The 14, 20 and 26-day rule, under-18s and over-50s, splitting leave, weekly rest and public holidays, leave pay and payment when the contract ends.

Corporate tax return: an April preparation checklist

From accounting profit to taxable profit, non-deductible expenses, exemptions, prior-year losses, minimum corporate tax and what to check before filing.

Business opening and operating licence: step by step

The difference between sanitary and non-sanitary establishments, applying to the municipality, documents required, fire report and occupancy permit, timing and consequences of operating without a licence.

Resignation, termination for just cause and mutual termination: which rights apply?

Does someone who resigns get severance? Termination by the employee for just cause (art. 24), notice periods, mutual termination and unemployment benefit; practical notes for employees and employers.

Read more →Tax28 August 20262 min read

Which expenses are deductible?

The three conditions for a deductible expense and common expenses in one table; meals, phone, rent, vehicles, training, donations and personal spending.

Unemployment benefit 2026: conditions, amount and application

The 600-day and 120-day conditions, which exit codes qualify, minimum and maximum amounts in 2026, duration, the İŞKUR application and when payment stops.

Read more →Tax18 August 20262 min read

Buying a car for the company: VAT, SCT, depreciation and 2026 limits

Expense and depreciation limits on passenger cars, the monthly lease limit, VAT deduction and the difference for commercial vehicles; with 2026 amounts.

Balance sheet basis or single-entry bookkeeping?

The 2026 thresholds that decide the type of books for sole proprietorships, differences between the two systems, rules for switching and voluntary balance sheet basis.