Guide
Accounting for Software & Tech Companies in Türkiye — Guide
Accounting for software and technology companies: choosing between Technopark and the service-export deduction, taxing cross-border software/SaaS exports, employee share (ESOP) plans, and R&D incentives. A practical guide for growing tech companies.
Who it is for
Growing Turkish software and technology companies selling software/SaaS at home or abroad; technology-startup founders and those thinking about giving equity to their team.
What I solve
The choice between Technopark and the service-export deduction; how cross-border SaaS revenue is taxed; how an employee share (ESOP) plan is built without triggering avoidable payroll tax; and R&D incentives.
How I work
We first map your revenue model (project, licence, subscription) and customer geography, then decide the incentive question on effective tax burden together. I build institutionalisation in stages, matched to how fast you grow.
Articles in this guide (2)
- Software Firms: Technopark or Service-Export Deduction? (2026)
Two routes for companies exporting software/SaaS from Turkey: the 100% earnings exemption inside a technopark (Law 4691), or deducting 80% of the earnings from the tax base via Corporate Tax Law Art. 10/1-ğ without entering any zone. 2026 conditions, effective tax burden and decision criteria.
- Turkey's 2026 ESOP Turning Point: The Employee Share Exemption Cap Doubles
Law No. 7582 doubles the income-tax exemption cap on shares granted to tech-startup employees from one to two times annual gross salary; the real risk is that non-qualifying joint-stock companies tax the share as full salary under Income Tax Code Art. 61.
Frequently asked
Technopark or the service-export deduction for a software firm?
It depends: you have to compare the effective tax burden of the service-export deduction (without entering a zone) against the full exemption inside a Technopark. I put the two side by side in the article in this guide.
Does giving my team equity (ESOP) create a tax charge?
If structured wrongly it can be taxed like salary; applied correctly, the technology-startup exemption largely prevents that burden. I cover the detail in the ESOP article.
Is there VAT on a software invoice I issue abroad?
If the service-export conditions are met, the VAT exemption applies; whether they are met depends on the payment and delivery terms. I explain this with examples across the articles.