Amendments To Maternity Leave Under Turkish Labor Law Published

The amendments to the Labor Code regarding maternity leave have introduced an important regulatory change requiring private-sector employers and employees to recalculate maternity leave periods. As a result of the amendment made by Law No. 7578 to Article 74 of Labor Code No. 4857, the postnatal maternity leave period for female employees has been increased from 8 weeks to 16 weeks, and the total maternity leave period has been extended to 24 weeks. The regulation entered into force under the law published in the Official Gazette dated May 1, 2026 and numbered 33240.

This article examines the maternity leave amendments introduced by Law No. 7578 in terms of the new duration of maternity leave, the limit on prenatal work, the commencement of unpaid leave after childbirth, foster family leave, paternity leave, their effects on SSI processes and temporary incapacity allowance, and the transitional provision. It also provides a practical assessment of the matters employers should