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Inheritance Share Calculator

Select the heirs to see each heir's statutory inheritance share, reserved portion, and freely disposable portion under the Turkish Civil Code.

Bilgileri girip Hesapla'ya bastığınızda sonuç ve hesaplamanın tüm kalemleri burada görünür.

Results are informational estimates and do not constitute legal advice. The exact amount and entitlement depend on the specifics of your case.

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Who are the legal heirs?

The Turkish Civil Code designates the decedent's blood relatives as heirs according to the parentelic (degree) system. As long as there is an heir in a preceding parentela, the next parentela cannot inherit. The surviving spouse, in every case, is an heir with a share that varies depending on the parentela with which they inherit.

1st parentela — descendants (TMK Art. 495): Children receive equal shares. In place of a child who died before the decedent, that child's own children (grandchildren) step in by right of representation.
2nd parentela — parents and their descendants (TMK Art. 496): If there are no descendants, the estate passes equally to the mother and father. In place of a parent who died earlier, that parent's own descendants (the decedent's siblings) step in; if there are no heirs on one side at all, the entire share passes to the other side.
3rd parentela — grandparents and their descendants (TMK Art. 497): If there are no heirs in the first two parentelas, the estate passes to the grandparents, or, if they died earlier, to their own descendants (paternal uncles and aunts, maternal uncles and aunts).

An adopted child and their descendants inherit from the adopter as if they were the adopter's own child (TMK Art. 500). Children born out of wedlock for whom a legal parent-child relationship has been established also receive an equal share with children born within marriage. If there are no heirs at all, the estate passes to the State (TMK Art. 501).

The surviving spouse's inheritance share

With whom does the spouse inherit?	Spouse's legal share	Spouse's reserved portion
Descendants (children, grandchildren)	1/4	The entire legal share (1/4)
Parentela of parents	1/2	The entire legal share (1/2) if the mother or father is alive; 3/8 if only with siblings
Parentela of grandparents	3/4	3/4 of the legal share (9/16)
No other heirs	The entire estate	3/4 of the legal share

What is a reserved portion?

The reserved portion is the minimum share set aside by law for certain legal heirs, which the decedent cannot touch through a will or gifts (TMK Art. 506). The reserved portion rates are as follows: one half of the legal share for descendants, one quarter of the legal share for each parent, the entire legal share for the surviving spouse if inheriting together with descendants or parents, and three quarters in other cases. The reserved portion of siblings was abolished by the 2007 amendment to the law.

The part remaining outside the reserved portions is the disposable portion; the decedent may leave this part to anyone they wish by will or gift. An heir whose reserved portion has been infringed can protect their share by filing an action for reduction (tenkis).

Sample calculation

For a decedent whose estate is valued at TL 1,200,000 and who leaves behind a spouse and two children:

Spouse: legal share 1/4 = TL 300,000 (reserved portion is also TL 300,000)
Each child: legal share 3/8 = TL 450,000 (reserved portion 3/16 = TL 225,000)
Freely disposable portion: 3/8 = TL 450,000

Certificate of inheritance and renunciation of the estate

Heirs can obtain a certificate of inheritance (veraset ilamı) from a notary or from the civil court of peace. An heir who does not want an insolvent estate can renounce it within 3 months of the date they learned of the death (TMK Art. 606). For details, you can read our guide to renouncing an estate and our article on how an inheritance is divided.

Inheritance Shares — Frequently Asked Questions

How is the estate divided when the deceased was married with children?

The surviving spouse receives 1/4 of the estate, and the remaining 3/4 is divided equally among the children. For example, if there is a spouse and two children, the spouse receives 1/4 and each child receives 3/8.

What is the spouse's inheritance share if there are no children?

If the spouse inherits together with the parentage line (the deceased's parents and their descendants), they receive 1/2 of the estate; if together with the grandparent line, they receive 3/4. If there are no heirs in these lines either, the entire estate goes to the spouse.

Do siblings inherit?

If the deceased has no descendants and a parent died before them, that parent's share passes to the siblings. If both the mother and father are alive, the siblings do not inherit.

What is a reserved share (forced share)?

A reserved share is the minimum portion that the deceased cannot override through a will or gifts. It is one-half of the statutory share for descendants, one-quarter for each of the mother and father, and, for the spouse, either the full statutory share or three-quarters of it, depending on the circumstances.

Do siblings have a reserved share?

No. Siblings' reserved shares were abolished by a legal amendment in 2007. Therefore, the deceased may completely disinherit their siblings through a will.

Do grandchildren inherit?

If the deceased's child died before them, that child's share passes in equal portions to their own children (the grandchildren). If the child is alive, the grandchildren do not inherit.

Does a stepchild inherit?

No, a stepchild is not a statutory heir. However, if the child has been legally adopted, the adopted child and their descendants inherit from the adoptive parent just like a biological child.

If a spouse dies during divorce proceedings, does the other spouse inherit?

As a rule, yes. However, if one of the deceased spouse's heirs continues the divorce case and the surviving spouse is proven to be at fault, the surviving spouse cannot be a statutory heir (Turkish Civil Code Art. 181).

Within what period can an inheritance be renounced?

Statutory heirs can renounce the inheritance by applying to the civil court of peace within 3 months from the date they learn of the deceased's death.

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