YMM Attestation Threshold Now 1M TRY: What It Means for Foreign Companies

Turkey has two tiers of professional accountants: SMMM (Certified Public Accountant, SerbestMuhasebeci Mali Musavir) and YMM (Sworn-in CPA, Yeminli Mali Musavir). Most foreign-owned companies never need a YMM — until a specific trigger flips the switch. With the March 2026 update, that trigger now sits at 1,000,000 TRY for several key attestation categories.

This matters to you if you run a Turkish company and want to predict your compliance cost.

SMMM vs. YMM in one paragraph

An SMMM keeps your books, files your VAT (KDV) and corporate tax returns, and signs off as your accountant. Every Turkish company must work with an SMMM. A YMM is a higher-tier, TURMOB-licensed practitioner authorised to sign specific attestation reports (tasdik) that the tax office treats with the same weight as a tax audit. YMMs cannot keep your books — they attest.

In short: your SMMM runs the day-to-day; a YMM steps in only for specific, threshold-driven certifications.

The new 1M TRY threshold: what it triggers

Effective March 2026, a 1,000,000 TRY threshold applies to several YMM attestation categories, including:

• VAT refund attestations (KDV iadesi tasdik) — when a VAT refund claim exceeds the threshold, a YMM report is required to process the refund quickly.
• Certain deduction and exemption certifications — where the tax code requires a YMM report to take the deduction (for example specific R&D, export, or investment incentives).
• Full certification (tam tasdik) — an annual, voluntary report that can pre-clear your corporate tax return with the tax authority and reduce audit exposure. The full tasdik regime has its own separate criteria but is increasingly chosen by larger groups.

Below the 1M TRY threshold for the relevant item, your SMMM handles the filing and no YMM involvement is needed.

Thresholds vary by category (VAT refund, specific deductions, etc.), and the single 1M TRY figure is the most common headline number but not the only one in the system. We confirm the exact figure for your transaction before triggering YMM work.

Above threshold: how we coordinate YMM work

If your case exceeds the threshold — most commonly a sizeable VAT refund on export operations — here is our standard workflow:

1. We prepare the full underlying documentation as your SMMM.
2. We refer the file to a partner YMM with a track record in your specific industry.
3. The YMM reviews, clarifies with us, and issues the attestation report.
4. We file the report with the tax office and follow up until the refund or deduction is finalised.

You deal with one primary contact (us). The YMM relationship runs through us, so nothing falls between the cracks.

Below threshold: SMMM does everything

If you are a typical foreign-owned e-commerce, services, or consulting company under the threshold, there is no YMM cost and no YMM fee. Your company formation support, monthly bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax filings, and annual statements are all handled by your SMMM.

This is where most of our international clients sit — and it is the reason we are transparent about thresholds upfront.

Why this matters for foreign clients

Three reasons this update is worth understanding before you onboard:

• Transparency. You know in advance whether your case will need YMM involvement and why.
• Cost predictability. YMM attestation is a separate fee on top of bookkeeping. Keeping you below the threshold, when legitimate, reduces cost.
• Speed of refunds. For VAT refund cases above the threshold, a YMM report is the fast lane. Without it, cash-back timelines extend materially.

For a broader view of how we approach international tax and compliance for foreign companies, see the service page.

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Find out if a YMM report is in your future

If you expect a VAT refund, are claiming R&D or export-related deductions, or operate near 1M TRY in any attestable category, let us map your next 12 months. Book a scope-check call and we will tell you exactly which filings need YMM work and which do not.