Opening a Turkish company does not create one single SGK task. The owner's insurance position and the company's obligations once it hires staff are separate files. Mixing them is where many new-company checklists go wrong.
Which SGK status applies to a company owner?
SGK lists limited-company partners, joint-stock-company partners who sit on the board, and certain other company partners within the 4/b category. A shareholder's title, board role and other work relationship all matter. Check the registered facts before assuming that every owner has the same result.
The official SGK insurance-status guidance sets out those company-partner categories. It is the starting point for an owner review, not a substitute for an individual assessment.
When must the company register as an employer?
The company needs an employer-side workplace record when it will employ people under a service contract in the 4/a lane. That is a company obligation. It should be prepared before the first employee starts, rather than treated as an after-payroll repair.
Article 11 of Law No. 5510 governs the workplace notification framework. Article 8 requires the employer to notify 4/a insured employees before their insurance start date. Read the current consolidated text of Law No. 5510 alongside the facts of the hire.
What is the operating sequence for a first hire?
First confirm the legal employer, workplace address and intended start date. Then establish the employer-side SGK access, submit the workplace and employee notifications required for that file, and set up the recurring payroll calendar. Do not use the owner's 4/b record as a substitute for a 4/a employee file.
SGK's e-SGK applications page explains that E-Bildirge is used by workplaces employing 4/a insured people for monthly filings, and that the portal includes employee entry and exit notifications.
What should foreign founders check early?
Foreign ownership does not remove SGK analysis. Keep the trade-registry extract, shareholder and board records, work contract if any, payroll start date, and workplace details aligned. If the owner will also work for the company, have the proposed structure reviewed before payroll is run. Residence, work-authorisation and tax questions are separate from the SGK classification question.
Common mistakes
- Assuming that incorporation alone completes every social-security step.
- Putting an owner on payroll without checking the applicable insurance status.
- Starting an employee before the pre-start notification work is complete.
- Treating monthly payroll filing as the only continuing control.
FAQ
Does every Turkish company owner have 4/b insurance?
No single answer fits every owner. SGK publishes category rules, and the shareholder's company type, board role and other employment facts should be checked against them.
Does a company without employees need a 4/a workplace payroll file?
A 4/a workplace payroll file concerns people employed under a service contract. An owner classification review can still be necessary even when the company has no employees.
Can a foreign shareholder ignore SGK?
No. Nationality does not eliminate the need to review the relevant social-security, work-authorisation and payroll rules.
This is general information, not legal, tax or social-security advice. Rules and individual facts matter. Contact Corpenza's payroll team before the first hire or an owner-payroll change.
