CHAPTER 11 · LIFE & ONGOING DUTIES
Build your tax and reporting routine.
Separate exempt personal income from domestic returns, business filings and international obligations.
A written compliance calendar with an owner and evidence for every task.
An exemption is not a universal filing exemption
Under Article 20/D, covered foreign income is not itself subject to an annual Turkish income-tax return and is excluded from a return filed for other income. Keep the certificate and the basis for treating each receipt as covered. Do not simply omit every overseas payment.
Review Turkish rent, investment receipts, employment and business income under their respective rules. Thresholds, withholding and other exemptions vary by income and year. A business can have VAT, withholding, payroll, social-security, e-document or information obligations even where personal foreign investment income is exempt.
Costs associated with exempt income cannot be used to reduce taxable income, and foreign tax on that exempt income cannot be credited against Turkish income tax. Keep a clear allocation of shared expenses and obtain advice where tracing is difficult.
Create a calendar of obligations
| When | What to review | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| At registration | Tax types, e-notifications, books, invoice process and SGK | Registration summary, engagement and access permissions |
| Each month | Sales/expenses, bank reconciliation, payroll and applicable returns | Invoices, ledgers, filing acknowledgements and payment receipts |
| Applicable interim periods | Provisional tax and other periodic information filings | Calculations, submission and payment evidence |
| Annual personal review | Domestic reportable income, exempt-income support and foreign returns | Income schedules, certificate and source-country statements |
| Annual company cycle | Accounts, corporate return, corporate decisions and required registers | Approved accounts, filings and supporting resolutions |
| Whenever facts change | Address, work, business, ownership or residence changes | Notifications and revised advice |
Use the right year and live deadline
Ordinary annual individual income-tax filing generally falls in March after the income year; the usual calendar-year corporate return period is April. Exact due dates, exceptions, special periods and extensions must be checked against GİB’s current tax calendar. Do not use these months as a substitute for a taxpayer-specific schedule.
A guide published in 2026 may concern income earned in 2025. Label each worksheet with both the income period and the filing year. The exemption-certificate deadline is a separate event: year-end of settlement, or the end of the following February for November/December settlement under Communiqué 333.
Agree internal cut-off dates with your accountant well before statutory deadlines, particularly when foreign tax vouchers arrive late. Decide who checks official notices and who approves/payments after filing.
How to review a return
- Provide a complete income and transaction schedule, including items you believe exempt. Let the accountant document the exclusions.
- Review the taxpayer identity, period, category, amounts, currency conversion and source of each material figure.
- Check deductions and credits are supported and not attached to Article 20/D-exempt income improperly.
- Approve filing through the agreed process and obtain the official acknowledgement and assessment/accrual information.
- Pay using official channels and save payment evidence separately from the filing receipt.
- Reconcile foreign returns and tax-residence statements so the factual position is consistent across countries.
Preserve and revisit
Maintain secure, backed-up records with an agreed legal retention schedule. Preserve long-term evidence of original exemption eligibility beyond a routine annual bookkeeping cycle where needed to support the ongoing claim. Do not assume “no annual return for this income” means records can be discarded.
If a mistake is discovered, ask promptly about correction procedures and their effects. Keep the original, corrected calculation and correspondence; do not silently alter records. An accountant’s filing service does not transfer every legal responsibility away from the taxpayer.
Your document checklist
This is a preparation list. The receiving authority or bank may require additional or different documents.
- Income-by-income annual reconciliation
- Exemption certificate and supporting residence history
- Domestic and foreign tax vouchers
- Submitted returns, acknowledgements and payment receipts
- Business ledger and e-document archive
- Named-responsibility filing calendar
Ask your adviser
- Which returns are due for my exact registrations?
- Which thresholds apply to this income year?
- Who monitors notices, files, approves and pays?