The honest number first: 20%. That is what the state now adds to your BES contributions, down from 30%, effective January 1, 2026 under Presidential Decree 10811. On 2026 contributions up to 396,360 TL, the maximum state match is 79,272 TL. The OKS auto-enrolment stay-in bonus was halved too, from 1,000 TL to 500 TL. If you built your retirement plan around the old subsidy, the math changed underneath you this year.
Here is what did not change: BES remains the only savings wrapper in Turkey where the state adds a fifth to whatever you put in, and for katilim savers the match itself is invested in katilim state contribution funds, so even the government's money stays interest-free. The wrapper is still worth using. But with the subsidy covering less, fees matter more than they ever did, and the fee differences between katilim plans are enormous. Browse every product on our retirement page; this is the map.
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The five providers that matter
Two companies are interest-free from the foundation up. Katilim Emeklilik, founded 2013 by Albaraka Turk and Kuveyt Turk, is the flagship: 20 katilim funds, a named three-scholar committee (Donduren, Dereci, Odabasi), published icazet certificates and a signed annual compliance report. Bereket Emeklilik, Turkey's first interest-free pension company, reaches savers through nearly 1,600 Tarim Kredi cooperatives, though it does not publicly name its committee scholars.
Three conventional companies run katilim windows with real regulatory substance behind them. Turkiye Hayat ve Emeklilik sells the widest-access katilim plans through the state banks, including the quietly excellent Saglam Temel plan with zero management deduction. Garanti BBVA Emeklilik publishes the best documentation of any window: named scholars and annual icazet certificates for every year since 2021. Anadolu Hayat Emeklilik goes one further on granularity, publishing a separate icazet certificate for each plan and each of its seven katilim funds.
The word window deserves a defense here. Under the SEDDK participation regulation of December 2020, any company running katilim pension business must maintain a minimum three-member advisory committee, a participation compliance unit, annual compliance reporting and full segregation of participation payments from conventional flows. Katilim plans may hold only katilim funds, by regulation. A Turkish katilim window is a legal structure with teeth, not a marketing label.
Where the money actually goes
Your contributions buy pension fund units, and the katilim menus span the full risk spectrum: lease certificate funds for stability, screened equity funds, gold, silver and precious metals funds, money market funds for cash parking. Fund expenses are capped by regulation at 1.09% for money market, lease certificate and OKS funds, 1.91% for precious metals funds, and 2.28% for equity and variable funds. You get 12 fund allocation changes and 4 plan changes a year, and retirement vests at age 56 with 10 years in the system.
2025 demonstrated the range: Katilim Emeklilik's KJM precious metals fund returned 139%, the best of all 394 pension funds on BEFAS, while its KEF gold fund returned 102.45%. Those were metal prices, not magic, and chasing them now means buying a commodity cycle top; we explain why in the KJM lesson. The structural takeaway is better than the headline: the katilim menu can lead the entire Turkish pension system, and BEFAS makes the best katilim funds portable to any provider's contract, which we cover in how to use BEFAS.
The fee lines that decide everything
With the match at 20%, plan-level deductions are the silent killer. The standard construction charges a management deduction in the contract's first five years, commonly expressed as a percentage of the gross minimum wage, plus a deferred entry fee if you exit early. On a modest contract those deductions eat a painful share of early savings.
| Plan | Entry requirement | Management deduction |
|---|---|---|
| Turkiye Hayat Katilim Temel | 1,640 TL monthly minimum | 4.25% of gross annual minimum wage, charged monthly for 5 years, plus deferred entry fee on exit before year 5 |
| Turkiye Hayat Saglam Temel | 25,000 TL lump sum plus about 1,441 TL monthly | None |
| Katilim Emeklilik BES | Per plan schedule | Plan-level deductions per contract; fund fees at regulatory caps |
| Garanti BBVA Katilim OKS | Employer-selected | 0.85% fund fee on all six funds, no other plan deductions |
The pattern is visible: the best-priced contracts are the ones that publish their numbers. If you can fund the 25,000 TL entry, Saglam Temel deletes the biggest cost line in Turkish BES. If your employer chooses the OKS plan, Garanti's published 0.85% is the market's cleanest price. Everywhere else, demand the full deduction schedule in writing before signing. Our plan-by-plan comparison does the arithmetic.
What to actually do in 2026
- Keep contributing. A 20% match plus interest-free investing plus fund expense caps still beats every alternative wrapper for long-term TL savings.
- Fight fees harder than you used to. The subsidy now covers less of any fee drag, so a zero-deduction plan is worth real money over a decade.
- Use the full menu. Lease certificate funds alone will not beat Turkish inflation; a structural allocation to screened equities and metals is what the katilim shelf is for.
- If you are auto-enrolled, do not opt out reflexively. The 500 TL bonus is smaller, but the 20% ongoing match on your 3% contribution is still free money; see our OKS explainer for the mechanics.
- Check whether your provider names its scholars and publishes icazet certificates. Under a regulation that makes committees universal, disclosure quality is the real differentiator.
Frequently asked questions
Is the state contribution itself halal in a katilim plan?
Yes. In katilim plans the state match is invested in a katilim state contribution fund holding participation assets only, so the government's addition earns interest-free returns alongside your own money. This is written into the plan rules, not left to chance.
Compare providers in your region
See side-by-side comparisons of Shariah-compliant products, or let our matcher recommend the best options for your situation.
Can I move an existing conventional BES contract to a katilim plan?
Yes, you get four plan changes a year, and switching a plan to katilim funds is a standard operation at every provider covered here. Vested rights and accumulated state contributions move with you. What you cannot do is hold conventional funds inside a katilim plan; the regulation forces the whole plan interest-free, which is exactly the point.