Teknopark status: what the exemptions are actually worth
A company inside a technology development zone pays no corporate tax on profits from software it develops there, and its developers pay no income tax on salary until the end of 2028, capped at forty times the gross minimum wage. The state also covers half the employer social security contribution for R&D staff.
Türkiye refunds half of what a software company or game studio spends on advertising, app store commissions and hosting when it sells to customers abroad, and up to 70% when those customers are in one of twenty target markets. It is paid in cash, against invoices you have already settled. Try it with your own numbers.
01What does Teknopark status pay?
| Corporate tax | Profits from software activities or products developed through R&D in a technology development zone are exempt from corporate income taxsource |
|---|---|
| Personnel income tax | 100% exemption on personnel salaries until 31 December 2028, capped at 40 times the gross minimum wagesource |
| Social security | The state covers 50% of the employer social security contribution for R&D and support staff, with support staff capped at 10% of R&D personnelsource |
| VAT and customs | Machinery, equipment and imported goods for R&D projects are exempt from VAT and customs dutysource |
02Who qualifies for Teknopark status?
- Companies with an office inside a designated technology development zone.
- Software and R&D work actually carried out in the zone, which is what the exemption attaches to.
- Companies of any size, including foreign-owned ones.
- Support staff, up to ten percent of the R&D headcount.
03What catches people out with Teknopark status?
- The exemption covers work done in the zone. Revenue from activity carried out elsewhere does not qualify.
- The salary exemption is capped at forty times the gross minimum wage, so the most senior salaries are only partly covered.
- The income tax exemption currently runs to the end of 2028, so it is a dated benefit rather than a permanent one.
- Companies whose R&D deductions or exemptions exceed 2 million lira a year must put 3% of that amount into venture funds or entrepreneurs.
04How does Teknopark status fit with the export incentive?
Teknopark status covers the development side and the export incentive covers the commercial side, so the two fit together rather than competing. A studio developing in a zone and selling abroad can use both, and the exemptions apply to different money in the accounts.
| What you spend it on | Programme item | Paid back | Annual cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ads and player acquisition | Digital product promotion: ads & marketing (up to 10 products/yr) | 50% to 70% | 50 000 000 ₺ ≈ $1,043,841 |
| App store and platform commissions | App store & platform commissions (up to 10 products/yr) | 50% | 20 000 000 ₺ ≈ $417,537 |
| Hosting and servers | Hosting costs | 50% | 5 000 000 ₺ ≈ $104,384 |
Rates and caps here come from the same file as our calculator, so the two can never disagree. The caps are revalued upward every calendar year.
What Türkiye would pay back on your spending
Türkiye runs a government programme that refunds part of what a software company or game studio spends on reaching customers abroad. It covers advertising, app store and platform commissions, and hosting. The refund is paid in cash against invoices the company has already settled, so it does not depend on the company making a profit. The standard rate is 50%, and it rises to 70% when the customers being targeted are in one of the twenty countries on the Turkish Ministry of Trade's target list.
Put your own yearly figures in below. The rates and the annual caps come from the same file as our full calculator, and the total updates as you type.
05Questions we get asked
Does a game studio qualify?
Software development is squarely within scope. What matters is that the work producing the revenue is done inside the zone and is genuinely development work.
Is office space in a zone expensive?
It varies by zone and city, and it is usually cheaper than the equivalent commercial space nearby because the zones exist to attract exactly this kind of tenant.
What happens after 2028?
The salary exemption is legislated with that end date. It has been extended before, but planning on the assumption it continues is a choice rather than a certainty.
Who is telling you this
CyberScope Solutions is an Istanbul consultancy that manages Türkiye's IT export incentive claims for software companies and game studios. We set up the entity, file the claims in the ministry's system and deal with the reviewer when the questions come back. These programmes are what we work in every week.
- We do the filing. Claims run through DYS, the ministry's own system, and we handle the evidence pack, the deadlines and the follow-up questions.
- You find out early if it is not for you. The first call is thirty minutes and we will say plainly if your spend pattern does not suit the programme.
- These pages get rebuilt, not left. Rates and caps come from the same file as our calculator, so when one changes the page changes with it.
Turn that number into money
Send us the rough shape of your spend. You get back what it is worth, what setting it up involves, and how fast the first claim can go in. Companies already operating here treat this as routine, and the six month window means the clock is running on invoices you have already paid.
- A reply from a person within one working day
- No mailing list, no drip sequence
- Thirty minutes, and you keep the numbers either way
Got it.
We will read it properly and reply within a working day. If you would rather get it over with now, pick a time that suits you.
Book a 30 minute call06Where these numbers come from
- https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/turkey/corporate/tax-credits-and-incentives checked 2026-08-20