After 31 December 2028: Where Does Your Company Stand If the Technopark Exemption Ends?

For most companies operating in a technopark, 2028 is a distant date. Yet it should be read not as the expiry date of a tax regime but as a planning horizon — because changing a structure takes time.

Under current legislation, provisional article 2 of Law No. 4691 provides for the earnings exemption until 31 December 2028.

First, an honest observation: this date has been extended before

There is no point hiding it. The technopark exemption has been extended several times, and the sector generally expects it to be extended again.

That is probably right. But there is a difference between planning on an expectation and planning against the date in force: the first leaves you unprepared if no extension comes.

What I tell my clients is this: expect an extension, but run the numbers once as though none is coming. The cost of that exercise is a single meeting; the cost of not doing it is trying to change a structure in the final year.

What changes if the exemption ends?

When the exemption ends, income from activity carried out in the zone becomes subject to the general rules — taxed at the standard corporate rate.

Two important distinctions here:

The earnings exemption and the payroll incentives rest on different provisions. The expiry of the earnings exemption does not mean the income tax withholding exemption and the employer’s social security support end automatically. They should be tracked separately — and for most companies the payroll advantage is larger than the corporate tax one. Detail in the payroll incentives article.

The VAT exemption is also a separate regime, with its own scope and timetable. See the VAT article.

So “the technopark ended” is not a single event; three independent advantages each have their own calendar.

Three things that can be done now

1. Run the no-exemption scenario

The simplest and most useful exercise: take your current profit, calculate the corporate tax you would owe without the exemption, and look at what that means for your cash flow.

In most companies that figure comes out larger than expected — because in a company accustomed to the exemption, pricing, compensation policy and growth plans have quietly been built on top of it.

You can run the arithmetic quickly with the corporate tax calculator.

2. Map the alternative regimes

Which regimes could be in play after the exemption?

R&D centre (Law 5746). The expenditure deduction mechanism works differently from an income exemption and has its own conditions — the most decisive being a minimum of 15 full-time-equivalent R&D personnel. I set out the comparison in the technopark vs R&D centre article.

The service export earnings deduction. If you sell abroad, this is a regime independent of the technopark. Now that the rate has risen to 100%, it has become a serious alternative in its own right — the calculator is here.

Sectoral and regional incentives. These vary with your activity.

Drawing this map today is far easier than drawing it in 2028 — because today you have the luxury of evaluating options.

3. Strengthen the record-keeping now

The nice thing about this item: it pays off whether or not an extension comes.

A clear in-scope/out-of-scope separation, a consistent cost allocation key, complete project and personnel records — all of these protect you in an audit if the exemption continues, and make the transition to an alternative regime easier if it ends.

So this is not a “just in case” preparation; it is an investment with a return in every scenario.

A note for companies with investors

If you have raised, or intend to raise, the 2028 date is an assumption sitting inside your financial model.

The question that will be asked in due diligence is this: how much of this company’s profitability depends on the technopark exemption, and what does the model look like when it ends?

A company with that answer ready sits down at the valuation table prepared. In a company without one, the investor makes their own assumption — and an investor’s assumption is never more optimistic than the founder’s.

I covered the topic more generally in the startup due diligence article; for companies in a technopark this heading stands out further.

In short

Under current legislation the technopark earnings exemption ends on 31.12.2028. An extension is likely but not guaranteed. Three things to do now: run the no-exemption scenario, know the map of alternative regimes, and strengthen the record-keeping.

The third does not go to waste even if an extension arrives — which is the best thing about it.

You can book a 30-minute call for your own structure.

Sources

• Law No. 4691 on Technology Development Zones, provisional article 2 — Legislation Information System
• Law No. 5746 on Supporting Research, Development and Design Activities — Legislation Information System
• Corporate Tax Law No. 5520 — Legislation Information System
• Ministry of Industry and Technology, technology development zone statistics and legislation — sanayi.gov.tr

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This article reflects 2026 legislation and is provided for general information only; it is not legal or tax advice. The exemption period can be extended by legislative amendment — verify the text in force before planning.