Daily Meal Allowance Set at 264 TL Including VAT Starting January 1, 2025

In 2024, the daily meal allowance, including VAT, is set at 187 TL, with the income tax exemption amount determined for 2025 being 264 TL, which is an increase of 41.18% compared to the previous year, according to the General Communiqué No. 329 published in the Official Gazette No. 32768 dated December 30, 2024. On the other hand, the upper limit for social security premium exemptions related to meal cards was removed with a decision dated December 2.

Eda Uluca Özcan, CEO of Pluxee Turkey, stated, “Recent studies show that in the ever-diversifying world of fringe benefits, meal cards are one of the most significant advantages for employees. Furthermore, providing meal benefits through meal cards is also a highly advantageous option for employers. Compared to providing meal allowances in cash or as an addition to salaries, meal cards offer significant advantages through certain exemptions in expense management, income tax, and social security premiums. Meal cards provide accounting and administrative ease for employers and are much more advantageous than cash.”

“Meal cards offer both tax advantages and a controllable system retroactively” Eda Uluca Özcan also noted that meal cards are used in thousands of small businesses across 81 provinces and that meal cards provide a substantial business volume for these businesses. “While the meal card sector generates business volume in small enterprises, it also makes an important contribution to employment. Additionally, since all payment processes are digital, meal cards offer a transparent and retroactively controllable system for the public,” she added.