⏰ Tax Debt in Türkiye Can Be Spread Over 72 Months at 29%: A Month and a Half Remains
A practical reminder for anyone with an outstanding debt to the tax authority. An installment payment regime with significantly relaxed terms is in effect, and demand is immense: 228,000 applications were filed in the first 25 days, with 206 billion liras in debt structured into installments. But the window closes on August 31. Let us break down the essentials.
What Can Be Structured into Installments
All debts owed to the tax office with a payment due date up to June 5, 2026: personal income tax, corporate income tax, VAT, state duties, traffic fines, ecrimisil (unauthorized land use compensation), judicial fines, and even student loans. Only the Special Consumption Tax (ÖTV) and advance tax (geçici vergi) are excluded from the regime.
The Terms, and They Are Truly Softer Than Usual:
- Terms of up to 72 months (up to 12 months for VAT).
- An annual interest rate of 29% instead of the standard 39% installment rate. That is a 10-percentage-point discount, and with inflation running around 32%, this is effectively an installment plan at a negative real interest rate.
- No collateral required for debts up to 10 million liras. 99% of debtors fall below this threshold. For amounts exceeding this, collateral is required only on half of the excess.
- Online application in minutes: via the tax office website, the Digital Tax Office (Dijital Vergi Dairesi), or e-Devlet, without visiting an inspectorate.
Two Perks Few People Know About:
- Enforcement proceedings are suspended. For debt placed into an installment plan, bank accounts, real estate, and motor vehicles will not be frozen or seized. For a business under pressure, this is a breath of fresh air.
- After paying the initial 10%, the debt ceases to appear on the debt clearance certificate (borcu yoktur). This certificate is required everywhere: from public tenders to incentive programs. In other words, the installment plan plus a 10% payment restores your clean tax status.
Rules of the Game to Avoid Forfeiture
Payments must be made on time: a maximum of two missed payments is permitted per calendar year (with settlement in the following month). A third default, and the installment plan is cancelled, returning the debt to its original status with all accompanying consequences. The first payment is due in September 2026.
What to Do
If you have tax debt, the decision is almost purely mathematical: 29% per annum against inflation above thirty percent represents cheap money, while the stay of enforcement actions and a clean certificate add significant value. There is very little to calculate, but deadlines are tight: applications must be submitted by August 31 inclusive, separately for each tax office, and for all eligible debts at once. A month and a half left to decide.