Mother and young child preparing food together at a kitchen table

Alimony and Child Support in Turkey: Types, Amounts, Duration and Enforcement

By Av. Talha Yayla · October 21, 2026 · 14 min read

Turkish law knows four kinds of maintenance: interim maintenance while a divorce is pending, poverty alimony for a spouse after divorce, child support, and support between close relatives. A spouse who will fall into poverty because of the divorce, and whose fault is not the heavier, can claim alimony from the other in proportion to that person's means, for an indefinite period (Turkish Civil Code No. 4721, Art. 175). Child support is owed by the parent who does not have custody until the child reaches majority, and beyond that while education continues (Art. 182, 328). There are no fixed tables or percentages: the judge sets the amount from the needs of the recipient and the paying party's ability. A debtor who ignores a maintenance order can be committed to prison for up to three months on the creditor's complaint (Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law No. 2004, Art. 344).

This guide explains each type, how amounts are set and changed, when alimony ends, and how maintenance is collected in Turkey (Türkiye) and across borders — the point at which most international cases become difficult.

Interim maintenance (tedbir nafakası): ordered by the judge of his or her own motion for the duration of the divorce case (Art. 169).
Poverty alimony (yoksulluk nafakası): indefinite, for the spouse who would fall into poverty and is not more at fault (Art. 175).
Child support (iştirak nafakası): each parent contributes according to means (Art. 182, 327–330).
Family support (yardım nafakası): ascendants, descendants and siblings in need (Art. 364).
End of alimony: automatically on the recipient's remarriage or either party's death; by court order on de facto cohabitation, end of poverty or dishonourable conduct (Art. 176).
Change of circumstances: either side can ask for an increase, reduction or removal (Art. 176, 331).
Post-divorce claims: time-barred one year after the divorce becomes final (Art. 178).
Enforcement: attachment of salary and assets, plus up to three months' coercive imprisonment.

Legal status of this guide. It reflects the Turkish Civil Code and the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law as in force. By a decision of 4 June 2026 the Constitutional Court annulled the words "without limit of time" in Article 175; the annulment takes effect on 30 June 2027, and until then — unless Parliament legislates earlier — the provision continues to apply as written. Check the current position before relying on this in a pending case. Last updated: October 2026.

The four types at a glance

Type	Who receives it	When	Fault relevant?
Interim (tedbir)	Spouse and children	During separation and the divorce case	No
Poverty (yoksulluk)	Former spouse	From the final divorce, indefinitely	Yes: the claimant must not be more at fault
Child support (iştirak)	The child, paid to the parent with custody	From the divorce until majority, or longer during education	No
Family support (yardım)	Parents, adult children, siblings in need	Whenever poverty arises	No

Alimony is distinct from two other financial consequences of divorce: compensation for material and moral damage, which depends on fault (Art. 174), and the division of matrimonial property, which depends on the property regime. A spouse may be entitled to all three. Property division is covered in our guide to matrimonial property in Turkey.

Interim maintenance

Once a divorce or separation case is filed, the judge takes, of his or her own motion, the provisional measures needed for the duration of the case — in particular for the housing and maintenance of the spouses, the management of their property and the care and protection of the children (Art. 169).

Three features make interim maintenance valuable:

Fault is irrelevant. Even the spouse who caused the breakdown can receive interim maintenance if he or she lacks means during the case.
No request is strictly necessary, although in practice it should be asked for expressly in the petition with evidence of both parties' finances.
It runs from the filing date and continues until the divorce judgment becomes final, which, with appeals, can be years.

Maintenance can also be obtained without filing for divorce. A spouse is entitled to live apart for as long as living together seriously endangers his or her personality, economic security or the peace of the family, and where the separation is justified the judge, on request, orders the financial contribution one spouse must make to the other (Art. 197). A foreign spouse who has left the home because of violence can therefore seek maintenance immediately, alongside the protective measures described in our guide to protection orders in Turkey.

Poverty alimony

Article 175 reads, in substance: the party who will fall into poverty because of the divorce may, provided his or her fault is not the heavier, claim maintenance from the other party for his or her livelihood, in proportion to that party's financial means and without limit of time. The fault of the paying party is not required.

The three conditions

Poverty caused by the divorce. Courts treat as poor a person who cannot meet essential needs — food, clothing, housing, health, transport — from his or her own income. Earning the minimum wage does not automatically exclude a claim; having substantial assets or a good salary does.
The claimant's fault is not heavier. Equal fault, lesser fault or no fault all qualify. A spouse who is principally to blame for the breakdown cannot claim.
A request. Unlike interim maintenance, poverty alimony is awarded only if claimed.

The rule is gender-neutral. A husband who meets the conditions can claim from his wife, although in practice most recipients are women who left work during the marriage.

When to claim

Normally in the divorce case itself. If it was not claimed there, a separate action can be brought after the divorce, but rights of action arising from the divorce are time-barred one year after the divorce judgment becomes final (Art. 178). The competent court for a post-divorce maintenance claim is that of the maintenance creditor's domicile (Art. 177).

Lump sum or periodic

The court may order poverty alimony as a lump sum or, as circumstances require, as periodic payments (Art. 176). Monthly payments are the norm. A lump sum, once paid, is final: it cannot later be increased, and it does not end on remarriage.

The rule on duration is changing. The Constitutional Court has annulled the phrase that makes poverty alimony unlimited in time, with effect from 30 June 2027. New legislation on how long alimony lasts is expected before that date; awards made in the meantime may be affected by transitional rules.

"Indefinite" does not mean unconditional. Alimony ends automatically if the recipient remarries or either party dies, and the court removes it if the recipient lives as if married without marrying, is no longer poor, or leads a dishonourable life (Art. 176). The payer must apply to court for the last three; simply stopping payment exposes him or her to enforcement and imprisonment.

Child support

The costs of a child's care, education and protection are borne by the mother and the father (Art. 327). When the court grants a divorce it regulates custody and the other parent's contribution: the parent who is not given custody must contribute to the child's care and education costs according to his or her means (Art. 182).

Who claims. The parent who actually cares for the child may sue the other in the child's name; a trustee or guardian may sue where necessary; and a minor capable of judgment may also sue (Art. 329).
Duration. Until majority. If the child is an adult but still in education, the parents must continue to support the child, to the extent that can be expected of them in the circumstances, until the education ends (Art. 328). After majority the claim belongs to the child personally and is brought as family support.
Payment. Monthly, in advance (Art. 330).
The court acts in the child's interest. Child support concerns public policy: the judge is not bound by what the parents agreed if it is inadequate, and a parent cannot validly waive it for the future on the child's behalf.
Unmarried parents. The same duty applies once paternity is established, and the court can order provisional support during the case. See our guide to paternity lawsuits in Turkey.

Custody and contact arrangements are dealt with in our guide to child custody in Turkey for foreign parents.

Person counting money beside a calculator and household bills — There is no formula. Evidence of real costs and of the payer's real income decides the amount.

How the amount is set

Turkey has no statutory formula, no percentage of income and no official table. For child support the Code says the amount is determined by considering the needs of the child and the living conditions and ability to pay of the mother and father, taking the child's own income into account (Art. 330). For spousal alimony the measure is the recipient's need and the payer's financial capacity.

The court establishes the facts through an economic and social status inquiry, carried out by the police or gendarmerie at each party's address, and through records it requests directly: payroll and social security records, bank accounts, land registry and vehicle records, company shareholdings and tax filings. Parties should not rely on the inquiry alone. Evidence that changes outcomes includes:

rent contracts, school fees, health and childcare costs of the claimant;
the standard of living during the marriage — travel, cars, memberships;
evidence of undeclared income: business turnover, rental income, assets held through companies or relatives;
for a foreign party, income and assets abroad, documented and translated.

Where the payer's income is abroad, the Turkish court has no direct access to foreign records. The claimant must bring the evidence: employment contracts, tax returns, company registry extracts, social media material showing lifestyle. A court that sees only a blank on the foreign side tends to award cautiously.

Protecting the award against inflation

In a high-inflation economy a fixed monthly sum loses value quickly. On request, the judge can decide in advance how periodic maintenance will be adjusted in future years according to the parties' social and economic circumstances (Art. 176, 330). Ask for an annual increase clause — typically linked to a published price index — in the petition. Without it, the recipient must sue again for each increase.

Currency

Where the recipient lives abroad, or the payer earns in foreign currency, a claim can be framed in foreign currency. Whether the court accepts this depends on the facts of the case; it is usually worth requesting where both parties' economic lives are in that currency.

Increasing, reducing and ending

A maintenance order is never final as to amount. If the parties' financial circumstances change, or where fairness requires, the court may increase or reduce periodic maintenance (Art. 176). For child support, the judge re-determines the amount or removes it on request when circumstances change (Art. 331).

Event	Effect on spousal alimony	Effect on child support
Recipient remarries	Ends automatically	None
Death of either party	Ends automatically	Ends on the payer's or child's death
Recipient cohabits as if married	Removed by court order	None
Recipient is no longer poor	Removed by court order	May justify a reduction
Payer loses job or income falls	Reduction on application	Reduction on application
Inflation, child's needs grow	Increase on application	Increase on application
Payer remarries or has more children	Not in itself a ground; may be considered	Not in itself a ground; may be considered
Child reaches majority	—	Ends, subject to continuing education

Until the court changes the order, the original amount remains due. A payer whose income has collapsed should file for reduction immediately; arrears build up month by month and the enforcement court can postpone coercive imprisonment where a reduction or removal case has been filed (Art. 344).

Collecting unpaid maintenance

Maintenance orders are enforced through the enforcement offices (icra dairesi). An interim order can be enforced as soon as it is made; it does not wait for the final judgment.

Attachment of salary. For current monthly maintenance the creditor's position is privileged: the ordinary limits on salary attachment do not protect the debtor in the same way, and the employer can be ordered to deduct the monthly amount at source.
Attachment of assets. Bank accounts, vehicles and real estate can be seized and sold for arrears.
Priority. Maintenance claims rank ahead of ordinary creditors.
Coercive imprisonment. A debtor who fails to comply with a maintenance decision is, on the creditor's complaint to the enforcement criminal court, committed for up to three months. If the debtor pays after imprisonment has begun, he or she is released (Art. 344). The complaint concerns current monthly maintenance falling due, and must be made within a short period after the default; arrears that have accumulated over a long time are collected by attachment only.
Limitation. Each monthly instalment is subject to a limitation period. Do not let arrears run for years.

Is maintenance unpaid, or has your income changed since the order? Send the judgment and the payment history. Message Yayla Law on WhatsApp or use the contact form. Enforcement, increase and reduction cases can all be handled by power of attorney if you live abroad.

When the payer or recipient is abroad

Which law applies

In a Turkish court, maintenance claims are governed by the law of the maintenance creditor's habitual residence (Law No. 5718, Art. 19). A child living in Turkey claims under Turkish law even if both parents are foreign; a former spouse living in Germany claims in a Turkish court under German maintenance law. Turkey is also party to the Hague Convention of 1973 on the law applicable to maintenance obligations, which leads to the same starting point.

Collecting abroad on a Turkish order

If the payer lives and earns abroad, a Turkish judgment must be made enforceable there. Two instruments help. Turkey is party to the 1956 New York Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance, under which the creditor applies through the Turkish Ministry of Justice, which transmits the claim to the authority of the debtor's country to pursue it there at no cost for the administrative steps. Turkey has also joined the 2007 Hague Child Support Convention, which provides a faster recognition procedure between contracting states. Which route is available depends on the other country.

Collecting in Turkey on a foreign order

A foreign maintenance judgment cannot be given directly to a Turkish enforcement office. It must first be declared enforceable by a Turkish family court. Turkey is party to the Hague Convention of 1973 on recognition and enforcement of maintenance decisions, which simplifies the conditions for decisions from other contracting states. The general procedure is set out in our guide to enforcing a foreign judgment in Turkey.

When the payer leaves Turkey

A maintenance debt does not by itself prevent departure. A creditor who fears the payer will leave can ask for precautionary attachment of assets in Turkey, and should make sure the order includes an inflation clause, since returning to court later against a defendant abroad is slow.

Maintenance in an agreed divorce

In an uncontested divorce the spouses present a protocol covering the financial consequences and the children, which the judge approves or modifies. The protocol can fix alimony for a set period, provide a lump sum, or record that neither spouse claims alimony. A waiver of poverty alimony in an approved protocol binds the spouse who made it. A waiver of child support does not bind the child: the parent with custody can claim it later if the child's needs require. The uncontested procedure is explained in our guide to divorce in Turkey for foreigners.

Where the divorce took place abroad and the foreign judgment dealt with maintenance, the status part needs recognition and the maintenance part needs an enforcement decision in Turkey; see recognition of a foreign divorce in Turkey.

Support between relatives

Everyone is obliged to provide maintenance to ascendants and descendants who would fall into poverty without help, and to siblings in the same position; the duty towards siblings applies only if the person liable is well-off (Art. 364). The claim is brought in the order of inheritance and is limited to what the claimant needs to live and what the defendant can afford (Art. 365). The most common uses are an adult student claiming from a parent, and an elderly parent claiming from adult children.

Frequently asked questions

How much is alimony in Turkey?

There is no formula or percentage. The judge sets the amount from the recipient's needs and the payer's income and assets, established through official records and a social and economic inquiry.

How long does alimony last in Turkey?

Under the text currently in force, poverty alimony is awarded without time limit; the Constitutional Court has annulled that phrase with effect from 30 June 2027, and new rules on duration are expected. Alimony ends on the recipient's remarriage or either party's death, and can be removed by the court if the recipient cohabits as if married, is no longer poor, or leads a dishonourable life.

Can a husband receive alimony from his wife?

Yes. The rule is gender-neutral. The claimant must face poverty because of the divorce and must not be more at fault than the other spouse.

Until what age is child support paid?

Until the child reaches majority. If the child is still in education, the parents must continue support to the extent that can reasonably be expected until the education ends.

What happens if my ex does not pay?

You can start enforcement proceedings, attach salary and assets, and complain to the enforcement criminal court, which can order up to three months' coercive imprisonment for unpaid current maintenance.

Can alimony be increased because of inflation?

Yes. Either party may apply when circumstances change. The court can also set an annual increase in advance if this is requested in the original case.

Can I claim alimony after the divorce is final?

Yes, but claims arising from the divorce are time-barred one year after the judgment becomes final. Child support can be claimed at any time while the child is entitled to it.

I waived alimony in the divorce protocol. Can I still claim?

A waiver of your own poverty alimony in an approved protocol is binding. A waiver of child support does not bind the child, and support can be claimed later if the child's needs require it.

My ex-spouse lives abroad. Can I still collect?

Yes, through assets in Turkey, or abroad through the New York Convention procedure via the Ministry of Justice, the Hague Child Support Convention, or enforcement proceedings in the other country.

Legal basis and sources

Turkish Civil Code No. 4721, Articles 169, 174–178, 182, 197, 327–333, 364 and 365 — official consolidated text at mevzuat.gov.tr.
Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law No. 2004, Article 344 — mevzuat.gov.tr.
International Private and Procedural Law No. 5718, Article 19 — mevzuat.gov.tr.
New York Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance (1956); Hague Maintenance Conventions of 1973; Hague Child Support Convention (2007).

This article provides general legal information on Turkish law as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Amounts depend entirely on the circumstances of each case.

Alimony Child support Divorce Family law