Freelance Withholding Calculator (Türkiye)
See how a Turkish freelance receipt (serbest meslek makbuzu) breaks down: 20% income tax withholding is deducted from the gross fee and 20% VAT is added on top. Enter the gross fee to find your net income, or enter the net amount you want to receive and get the gross to invoice. The result shows the withholding, the VAT, the total you collect and your client's total cost separately.
Frequently asked questions
How does Turkish freelance withholding work?
When invoicing business clients, 20% of the gross fee is withheld as prepaid income tax and paid to the tax office by the client. On a 10,000 TL gross fee, withholding is 2,000 TL and your net income is 8,000 TL.
How do I convert a net fee to gross?
Gross = net ÷ 0.80. To receive 8,000 TL net, invoice 10,000 TL gross. The "From net" tab does this automatically.
Who pays the VAT?
20% VAT is added on top of the gross fee and collected from the client, then remitted with your VAT return. On a 10,000 TL job the client pays 12,000 TL in total, and you collect 10,000 TL (8,000 net + 2,000 VAT).
Is the withheld tax lost?
No — it is prepaid income tax credited to you. It is offset against the tax computed in your annual return, and any excess is refundable.