13.10.2025 12:10
SGK Expert İsa Karakaş announced that a salary increase of 16-18% and a base increase of 1,000 TL for civil servants and retirees has been confirmed for January 2026. Karakaş stated that the government maintains a rigid stance on uniform salary increases, saying, "Those who have expectations in this regard may experience disappointment." He also emphasized that the year-end inflation target is aimed to be kept below 30%.
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SGK Expert İsa Karakaş made striking evaluations regarding the salary increase to be made in January 2026 for civil servants and retirees. Karakaş stated that a salary increase of between 16-18% based on inflation rates and a base increase of 1,000 TL have been confirmed, but warned that "a disappointment may be experienced" regarding expectations for a general increase.
SALARIES UNDER THE GRIP OF INFLATION
SGK Expert İsa Karakaş wrote a notable analysis about the salary increase for civil servants and retirees to be made in January 2026. Karakaş pointed out that, like all fixed-income citizens, civil servants and retirees have been "eroded under the grip of the inflation monster" for years. Reminding that the salaries of current civil servants are still calculated according to the Retirement Fund Law, Karakaş emphasized that those who entered the SGK system after 2008 will not be able to retire until 2033. Therefore, he stated that he conducted his analysis only based on current retirees.
INFLATION DATA WILL DETERMINE THE INCREASE RATE
Karakaş expressed that as of September 2025, the increase in the CPI was 3.23%. He noted that the cumulative inflation, which was 4.14% in July and August, rose to 7.5% with the September data. Stating that a 13.64% update in civil servant salaries and a base increase of 1,000 TL are guaranteed, Karakaş announced that he expects a salary increase between 16.5% and 18.5% by the end of the year.
"THOSE EXPECTING A GENERAL INCREASE WILL BE DISAPPOINTED"
Karakaş, who also included information obtained from Ankara's backstage, stated that the government has a "very strict stance" on the general increase, saying, "Those expecting a general increase in January 2026 will again be disappointed. It is still early for a welfare share."
Karakaş reminded that the government set an inflation target of 28.5% for the end of the year, while this rate is projected to be 29.86% in the TCMB Market Participants Survey, saying, "Even if it is 29.999, as long as it does not exceed 30. This rate is a psychological threshold in the disinflation process."
"PUBLIC INCREASES MAY BE POSTPONED"
Stating that the government has entered a "meticulous period" in the fight against inflation, he also mentioned that some public increases may be postponed until the end of the year, saying, "The government's goal is to achieve an inflation rate below 30% by the end of the year. Elements like welfare share can be clarified later in this process."
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