Amended Return or Defence after a KURGAN Letter in Turkey 2026: Correcting Fake Invoices on Your Own Initiative, Voluntary Disclosure (TPL Art. 371), Filing Under Reservation, Defending Without Correction, Partial Correction, Council of State Case Law and Three Model Texts
26 October 2026

Amended Return or Defence after a KURGAN Letter in Turkey 2026: Correcting Fake Invoices on Your Own Initiative, Voluntary Disclosure (TPL Art. 371), Filing Under Reservation, Defending Without Correction, Partial Correction, Council of State Case Law and Three Model Texts

For a company in Turkey that receives a KURGAN information request or an Examination Preparation Letter from the Tax Inspection Board, the costliest decision is whether to remove the flagged invoices from its records by filing amended returns, or to defend the transactions as genuine. The letters rest on the duty to provide information in Tax Procedure Law (TPL) Art. 148; they do not impose a duty to correct. There are four routes for the same invoice: an amended return on the company’s own initiative, an amended return with voluntary disclosure under TPL Art. 371, an amended return under reservation, and a defence without any correction. Each has different consequences for the tax loss penalty, the criminal exposure under TPL Art. 359, the right to sue, VAT and corporate tax, and the likelihood of an examination. Tax declared without reservation cannot be challenged in court (TPL Art. 378(2)). Voluntary disclosure is the only route that removes both the penalty and the application of Art. 359, and the administration’s position is that it is not available for the subject of an Examination Preparation File, a position that tax lawyers contest. This guide explains each route with the relevant Council of State and Constitutional Court decisions, a worked example and three model texts. It reflects the law in force on 27 October 2026.

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Scope of this guide. This page goes deeper into one decision covered in our main guide on fake invoice allegations and KURGAN tax audits in Turkey, which explains the letters, the deadlines and the intent criteria. How an assessment is built if the deduction is later denied is explained in our guide on VAT deduction denied for fake invoices in Turkey.

Short answer: correction is a choice, not a duty

KURGAN information requests and Examination Preparation Letters rest on the administration’s power to request information. Under TPL Art. 148, public bodies, taxpayers and persons dealing with taxpayers must provide the information requested by the Ministry or by those authorised to conduct tax examinations. The provision imposes a duty to provide information. It does not impose a duty to correct a return. The administration’s own documents point the same way: the Board’s position is that information requests do not ask the taxpayer to correct its returns, but that taxpayers who do correct may be removed from examination plans.

A choice is meaningful only when its consequences are known. According to the first results announced by the Tax Inspection Board on 23 October 2026, 1,900 of the 5,543 taxpayers sent an Examination Preparation Letter filed amended returns and removed invoices of about TRY 23.4 billion from their records, while 622 submitted explanations and documents without correcting. Both routes were taken by a significant number of companies. Which one is right depends on the invoice.

The decision at a glance

Situation of the invoiceRoute to examine firstReason
Goods or services were never receivedVoluntary disclosure if still available; otherwise correction before any examinationDefending a transaction that did not happen exposes the company to the threefold penalty and its managers to TPL Art. 359
Goods received from the issuer; full document chainDefence without correctionA real supply carries the right to deduct (VAT Law Art. 29; TPL Art. 3/B)
Goods received, but the issuer was not the real supplierInvoice-by-invoice review; VAT and corporate tax assessed separatelyVAT deduction requires purchase from the issuer; a real cost may still count for corporate tax
Company believes the supply was real but wants to pay now and sueAmended return under reservationPreserves the right to sue in some cases; collection is not suspended
Some invoices documented, others notPartial correction with a written rationaleWholesale correction gives up sound deductions; unexplained partial correction weakens the defence

Four routes, four outcomes

The table sets out the four routes for the same flagged invoice side by side. The conditions and the case law behind each cell are explained in the sections that follow.

Four routes for the same invoice and their legal consequences

RouteTaxTax loss penaltyCriminal exposure (TPL Art. 359)Right to sueExamination
1. Amended return on own initiativeVAT removed from the deduction, with late payment interest (TPL Art. 112)50% if filed before an examination begins (TPL Art. 344(3)); how this combines with the threefold penalty is contestedRemains in law; reduced in fact if no examination followsNo suit against the tax (TPL Art. 378(2)); penalty and interest can be challengedIn one past monitoring programme, taxpayers correcting without reservation were removed from examination plans on the basis of risk analysis
2. Voluntary disclosureVAT with the disclosure surcharge, within 15 daysNone if the conditions are metArt. 359 does not apply if the Art. 371 conditions are metNo suit against the tax; a reservation on a disclosure return is invalidThe administration does not accept disclosure for the subject of an Examination Preparation File; rejection is likely
3. Amended return under reservationVAT and interest paid; the suit does not suspend collection (Administrative Procedure Law Art. 27(4))The rule for late returns applies and can be argued in courtRemains in law; consistent with defending the transaction as realAvailable where the return followed a coercive letter; not for a reservation added on the company’s own initiativeIn the same programme, taxpayers filing under reservation were referred for examination
4. Defence without correctionNothing for now; depends on the examinationIf the deduction is denied: one times for unknowing use, three times for knowing useDepends on whether intent is foundFull right to sue the assessmentAn examination is likely; the defence file decides the outcome

No route is right for every invoice. Defending an invoice for goods that were never received leaves the company facing the threefold penalty and its managers facing a criminal investigation. Correcting an invoice for goods that were actually received from the issuer, with a sound document chain, gives up a right to deduct that the company holds, when nothing requires it to. The right route is chosen invoice by invoice.

Route 1: amended return on the company’s own initiative

An own-initiative correction means filing an amended return that removes the VAT on the flagged invoices from the deduction, without a voluntary disclosure request and without a reservation. Four technical consequences should be calculated before the return is filed.

Which periods, and how many returns?

The amended return is filed for the period in which the VAT on the invoice was deducted. If VAT was carried forward after that period, the carried-forward amount changes and later periods are affected too. Section 7.3 of the Revenue Administration’s VAT Circular No. 60 states that all returns in between must then be corrected, but that where the correction produces no payable tax in the intermediate periods, separate returns for each period are not required and returns for the corrected period and the latest period are sufficient. Where the company has claimed VAT refunds in the intermediate periods, the carried-forward amount matters for the refund calculation, and the administration’s rulings require a separate amended return for each period (Istanbul Tax Office Directorate ruling no. 39044742-KDV.11-954 of 2 July 2013).

Payment: late payment interest

Tax arising from an own-initiative amended return is paid with late payment interest under TPL Art. 112(3). The interest is calculated at the late-payment surcharge rate set under Law No. 6183 Art. 51, and fractions of a month are disregarded. That rate has been 3.7% per month since Presidential Decision No. 10556 (Official Gazette, 13 November 2025). A company with sufficient carried-forward VAT may find that the correction reduces the carried-forward balance without producing tax to pay; the cash effect then appears in later periods.

Penalty: the 50% rule and the threefold question

Under TPL Art. 344(3), the tax loss penalty for returns filed after the statutory deadline is applied at 50%, except for returns filed after a tax examination has begun or the matter has been referred to an assessment commission. The Revenue Administration’s guide on voluntary disclosure (August 2024) also states that where amended returns are filed late on the taxpayer’s own initiative, or the disclosure conditions are breached, a tax loss penalty of only 50% of the lost tax is imposed.

How that rule combines with the threefold penalty for the acts in Art. 359 (TPL Art. 344(2)) is contested. In decision E.2021/3928, K.2023/479 of 1 March 2023, the Council of State’s Ninth Chamber upheld a regional court judgment concerning a company that had removed some invoices by amended returns before an examination and was later found to have used them knowingly. The regional court held that the threefold penalty was to be applied at 50%, that is, at one and a half times the tax. That is one decision, and the point remains open.

Returns filed after an examination has begun are treated differently. In decision E.2024/559, K.2024/974 of 23 October 2024, the Council of State’s Plenary Tax Chambers held unanimously that where amended returns were filed after an examination of the same matter had begun, the conditions in TPL Arts. 30(4) and 344(3) were not met. The assessment then had to follow the examination report, and tax and 50% penalties charged on the amended returns were unlawful. The decision to correct should therefore be taken before any notice of examination.

The price in terms of the right to sue

Under TPL Art. 378(2), taxpayers cannot sue against the bases they have declared or the tax assessed on them. In decision E.2020/250, K.2020/401 of 11 March 2020, adopted by majority, the Plenary Tax Chambers held that tax arising from late amended returns filed without a reservation could not be challenged in court, while the tax loss penalty and late payment interest, which are not barred, remained subject to judicial review. A company that corrects on its own initiative therefore largely gives up the possibility of recovering the tax later.

Own-initiative correction: the four calculations

PointRuleBasis
Periods to amendThe deduction period and, if carried-forward VAT changes, the latest period; every period where tax becomes payable or refunds were claimedVAT Circular No. 60, section 7.3; administrative rulings
PaymentTax with late payment interest at the Law 6183 surcharge rate, month fractions disregardedTPL Art. 112(3); Law 6183 Art. 51
Penalty before an examination50% of the penalty; application to the threefold penalty contestedTPL Art. 344(2)–(3); Council of State 9th Ch. E.2021/3928, K.2023/479
Penalty after an examination beginsThe 50% rule does not apply; assessment follows the examination reportTPL Arts. 30(4), 344(3); Plenary Tax Chambers E.2024/559, K.2024/974
Right to sueNot against the tax; available against the penalty and interestTPL Art. 378(2); Plenary Tax Chambers E.2020/250, K.2020/401

Corporate tax and provisional tax

The VAT correction is only one side of the problem. If the invoice amount was recorded as an expense or cost, the corporate tax base may also be affected, and two situations must be distinguished. If the goods or services were never received, there is no expense either, and the corporate tax return also has to be considered. If the goods were actually received but the invoice came from a company interposed between the real seller and the buyer, the position differs. In decision E.2023/7867, K.2024/670 of 19 February 2024, the Council of State’s Third Chamber held unanimously that VAT deduction requires the goods or services to have been bought from the issuer of the invoice, but that because corporate tax is levied on net corporate income (Corporate Tax Law Art. 6), a real expense may be accepted as a cost even without a document. In such files, the VAT deduction can be corrected while the cost is defended for corporate tax.

For provisional tax, Income Tax Law supplementary Art. 120 provides that provisional tax which can no longer be set off is not collected as tax, but the related late payment interest and penalty are collected. The corporate tax effect should be calculated together with the VAT correction, because the two returns tell the same story about the same purchase.

Route 2: voluntary disclosure (TPL Art. 371)

Voluntary disclosure is the only mechanism that can close the tax and the criminal side of a fake invoice file at the same time. Under TPL Art. 371, taxpayers who commit acts giving rise to a tax loss penalty in taxes based on returns, and those who take part in them, are not penalised if they disclose their unlawful conduct to the relevant authorities on their own initiative by petition and meet the conditions listed. TPL Art. 359 provides that it does not apply to those who report the situation to the relevant authorities in compliance with the conditions of Art. 371. The Revenue Administration’s voluntary disclosure guide reads the two provisions together: disclosure is available to those who committed evasion offences, and no criminal complaint is made against taxpayers who meet the conditions.

Conditions of voluntary disclosure under TPL Art. 371 and what they mean in a KURGAN file

ConditionStatutory wordingMeaning in a KURGAN or Examination Preparation file
1. No informant’s reportNo informant has reported the matter to an official authority by petition or recorded statement before the taxpayer’s disclosure, and the report has been entered in the official recordsThe finding about the seller is not an informant’s report; a separate report about the company would close the door
2. Before an examination or referralBefore an examination of the relevant tax type begins or the matter is referred to an assessment commission; for acts constituting evasion offences, before the commission of the act is detectedA notice of examination closes the door; the meaning of “detected” is contested (see below)
3. Missing returnsReturns never filed are filed within 15 days of the disclosureRelevant only where a return was never filed
4. CorrectionIncomplete or incorrect returns are completed or corrected within 15 days of the disclosureVAT returns removing the deduction and, where needed, the corporate tax return
5. PaymentOverdue tax is paid within 15 days of the disclosure with a surcharge at the late-payment rate under Law No. 6183 Art. 51 for each month or part of a monthFailure to pay within the 15 days breaches the conditions

Disclosure is now made electronically. The voluntary disclosure guide states that a return showing that it contains a disclosure request is treated as a disclosure return, so a separate petition is not strictly required. In a fake invoice file, however, it is useful to file a petition with the tax office on the same day, recording the scope of the request and the invoices concerned; a model is given below. The surcharge is calculated for each month or part of a month at the Law 6183 Art. 51 rate, currently 3.7% per month. The guide also states that disclosure is not available for VAT that a taxpayer removes from its deductions after an invitation to remedy a negative finding in a VAT refund procedure, or for the subject of a preliminary finding letter under TPL Art. 370(b).

When does the door close? The “detection” debate

The words that decide the fate of disclosure in a fake invoice file are in the parenthesis of Art. 371(2): for acts constituting evasion offences, the disclosure must be made before the commission of the act is detected. That moment can come earlier than the start of an examination, which is the test for ordinary tax loss.

The administration’s view is set out in its guide to the Examination Preparation File: voluntary disclosure is not available for the subject of the file, although an amended return may still be filed. On that view, a company that has received an Examination Preparation Letter cannot obtain disclosure for the invoices it lists.

Tax lawyers have contested that view on several grounds. An Examination Preparation Letter is, on the administration’s own description, an information request, and an information request is not one of the events that close disclosure under Art. 371. A report about the seller’s issuing of fake documents is not a detection that the buyer used fake documents. The VAT General Implementation Communiqué itself provides that, absent a separate finding or report about the document the buyer used, the buyer is not to be treated as a user of fake documents merely because it bought from a person about whom a fake document report exists (section IV/A2-3.5). Finally, Article 73 of the Constitution requires tax obligations to be set by law, and it is argued that a guide cannot narrow a right granted by statute. The question has not been settled by the courts.

Is voluntary disclosure still available?

Letter receivedAdministration’s positionLegal assessment
KURGAN information requestAn information request under TPL Art. 148Disclosure is arguable; no event listed in Art. 371 has occurred unless an informant’s report or examination exists
Examination Preparation Letter from the Board’s presidency (pre-examination model)Disclosure not available for the subject of the fileContested; a rejection can be argued in any later action against the assessment
Letter from an inspector after notice of examinationDisclosure closedClosed by the wording of Art. 371(2)
Preliminary finding letter (TPL Art. 370(b))Disclosure closed for the findingClosed by the statute; the 20% penalty route applies instead

Two practical consequences follow. If disclosure is to be attempted, it should be made at the earliest possible moment after the letter is served. And the petition should not read as a confession that the company knowingly used fake documents. It should state, in measured terms, that the right to deduct has become disputed because of the finding about the seller and that the returns are being corrected for that reason. The petition will be one of the first documents a prosecutor reads if a criminal file is ever opened.

Route 3: amended return under reservation

A reservation (ihtirazi kayıt) is a statement by which the taxpayer files the return but declares that it does not accept its content and preserves its right to sue. The Tax Procedure Law contains no provision on reservations. They were developed by Council of State case law as an exception to the bar in TPL Art. 378(2), and Administrative Procedure Law Art. 27(4) recognises them indirectly by providing that suits against taxes assessed on returns filed under reservation do not suspend collection. According to the Plenary Tax Chambers, a reservation must be written on the return, noted on the accrual slip, or made by a petition filed with the tax office no later than the date on which the return is filed (E.2020/250, K.2020/401).

The line drawn by the courts: the coercive letter

In fake invoice files, the value of a reservation depends on the circumstances in which the amended return was filed. In application no. 2015/15100, decided on 27 February 2019, the Constitutional Court found a violation of the right to property where courts had dismissed, without examining the merits, actions against taxes assessed on amended returns that the taxpayers had filed under reservation after a tax office letter requiring correction and warning of consequences. Following that decision, the Plenary Tax Chambers held that in such cases the courts must examine whether the invoices reflected real supplies of goods or services (E.2020/522, K.2020/606 of 22 May 2020), relying on TPL Art. 3 and VAT Law Art. 29.

The Plenary Tax Chambers have kept that line narrow. Where a taxpayer added a reservation on its own initiative, without any coercive letter from the administration, the reservation did not give a right to sue against the tax; only the penalty and the late payment interest could be reviewed (E.2023/1742, K.2024/215 of 27 March 2024, unanimous). They have also held, by majority, that a reservation placed on a return filed with a voluntary disclosure request is invalid: disclosure requires an unconditional notification made without outside pressure, while a reservation makes the return conditional (E.2019/1545, K.2020/283 of 11 March 2020). Voluntary disclosure and a reservation therefore cannot be combined on the same return.

When does a reservation give a right to sue against the tax?

SituationRight to sue against the taxAuthority
Amended return under reservation after a coercive tax office letterYes; the court must examine whether the supplies were realConstitutional Court no. 2015/15100 (27 February 2019); Plenary Tax Chambers E.2020/522, K.2020/606
Reservation added on the company’s own initiative, without a coercive letterNo; penalty and interest can be challengedPlenary Tax Chambers E.2023/1742, K.2024/215
Reservation on a voluntary disclosure returnNo; the reservation is invalidPlenary Tax Chambers E.2019/1545, K.2020/283 (majority)
Letter sent to another company that referred to findings about the claimantYes, in one case decided by majorityCouncil of State 3rd Ch. E.2025/4341, K.2025/5658 (17 December 2025)
KURGAN letter or Examination Preparation LetterNot settled by the courtsContested

Is a KURGAN letter a coercive letter?

The courts have not yet answered this question. The administration describes KURGAN letters as information requests under TPL Art. 148 that are not coercive, and its guide to the Examination Preparation File says only that nothing prevents an amended return from being filed. On that basis, the administration can argue that returns filed under reservation after such a letter were filed on the taxpayer’s own initiative. On the other side, the letter identifies the invoices, and asks whether they were recorded, whether their VAT was deducted and whether amended returns were filed. Those are strong facts suggesting that any correction was prompted by the administration. In decision E.2025/4341, K.2025/5658 of 17 December 2025, adopted by majority, the Council of State’s Third Chamber treated a deficiency letter issued in the VAT refund procedure of the claimant’s customer, which referred to findings about the claimant, as having compelled the claimant to file amended returns, and held that its reservation gave a right to sue. A company correcting under reservation should therefore name the letter and its date of service expressly in the reservation text.

Deadline, collection and examination

An action against tax accrued on a return filed under reservation is brought in the tax court within 30 days (Administrative Procedure Law Art. 7). For returns filed electronically, electronic transmission of the accrual slip counts as service (TPL Art. 28). Because views differ on the starting day, counting the period from the day after the return is filed is the safest approach. The action does not suspend collection (Administrative Procedure Law Art. 27(4)): the tax is paid and recovered if the case is won. According to the Ministry’s progress report, in one past monitoring programme the taxpayers who filed under reservation were referred for examination to resolve the inconsistency in their returns. Correction under reservation therefore combines paying the tax now with the prospect of an examination. It suits a company that believes the supply was real, wants to pay for reasons such as a pending VAT refund or commercial standing, and is prepared to pursue recovery in court.

Route 4: defending without correction

The fourth route is to leave the invoice in the records, keep the VAT deduction and reply to the letter with explanations and documents showing that the transaction was real. In the Board’s first results, 622 taxpayers took this route. Its legal basis is TPL Art. 3/B: in taxation, the real nature of the taxable event is decisive and may be proved by any evidence other than an oath. VAT Law Art. 29 ties the deduction to the VAT shown on invoices issued for supplies made to the taxpayer; if the transaction was real, the right to deduct exists.

The strength of this route is limited by the strength of the document chain. The Tax Inspection Board’s circular of 18 April 2025 requires the inspector first to establish whether the goods or services were actually received and, if so, to assess against thirteen objective criteria whether a document not belonging to the real seller was used knowingly. The order, the delivery and transport documents, the goods receipt, the warehouse entry, the bank payment and the use of the goods in production or resale are each concrete facts to set against a criterion. How the criteria work is explained in our main guide on fake invoice allegations and KURGAN tax audits.

The risk is plain. If the defence does not satisfy the risk analysis, an examination for use of fake documents is opened. According to the Ministry’s progress report, knowing use was found for 72 of the 154 buyers whose examinations were completed in current-period audits generated by KURGAN, about 47%. Where the defence is strong, however, even a denied deduction leaves the company with a file that can be argued in the tax court and with its right to sue intact.

Three rules for a company that defends. First, reply to the letter, and on time: TPL Art. 148 imposes a duty to provide information, and a special irregularity penalty can follow a written warning (TPL supplementary Art. 355). Second, write only sentences that a document can support. Third, prepare for an examination now: the information uploaded to the Examination Preparation File is used as evidence in any examination, and according to the progress report, fake document use reports have been prepared through an automated reporting system since 19 August 2026, so examinations can conclude quickly.

Partial correction, invoice by invoice

The right answer may be neither wholesale correction nor wholesale defence. For invoices from the same seller, the delivery documents, payments and records of use may be complete for some and broken for others. A finding about the seller does not make every invoice it issued fake: the VAT General Implementation Communiqué provides that the buyer is not to be treated as a user of fake documents merely because a report exists about the seller (section IV/A2-3.5), and in cases that reach court the question is whether each invoice reflects a real supply (Plenary Tax Chambers E.2020/522, K.2020/606). An invoice-by-invoice review avoids paying tax that is not owed and makes the defended invoices more credible.

The danger of partial correction is inconsistency. If the company corrects one invoice from a seller and defends another, it should explain why. An unexplained partial correction can be read as “the company knew which invoices were problematic” and makes the intent assessment harder for the invoices it defends. The line between corrected and defended invoices should be drawn on a documented criterion that can be repeated, such as complete delivery and payment records. A model explanation is given in the model texts below.

Worked example: one invoice, seven outcomes

Assume a company deducted TRY 200,000 of VAT shown on a purchase invoice with a base of TRY 1,000,000 at the 20% rate, and that there is no carried-forward VAT, so correction produces tax to pay. The table shows only the tax and the tax loss penalty. Late payment interest, the disclosure surcharge, corporate tax and litigation costs are left out. The figures are illustrative; each file needs its own calculation.

Tax and penalty by route for an invoice carrying TRY 200,000 VAT (interest and surcharges excluded)

ScenarioTaxTax loss penaltyBasisNote
Voluntary disclosure conditions metTRY 200,000TRY 0TPL Art. 371Disclosure surcharge added; Art. 359 does not apply
Correction within 30 days of a preliminary finding letter, where the Art. 370(b) thresholds are metTRY 200,000TRY 40,000 (20%)TPL Art. 370(b)Disclosure closed for the finding
Own-initiative correction before an examination, on a one-times basisTRY 200,000TRY 100,000TPL Art. 344(3); voluntary disclosure guideLate payment interest added
Own-initiative correction before an examination, threefold penalty at 50%TRY 200,000TRY 300,000TPL Art. 344(2)–(3); 9th Ch. E.2021/3928, K.2023/479Where knowing use is later found
Defence; examination finds unknowing useTRY 200,000TRY 200,000; TRY 100,000 with the Art. 376 reductionTPL Art. 344(1); Communiqué No. 306No tax crime report or criminal complaint
Defence; examination finds knowing useTRY 200,000TRY 600,000; TRY 300,000 with the Art. 376 reductionTPL Arts. 344(2), 359No settlement for Art. 359 penalties; criminal exposure
Defence acceptedTRY 0TRY 0TPL Art. 3/B; VAT Law Art. 29Right to deduct preserved

The range runs from zero to TRY 800,000 for the same invoice. Where the defence has a good chance of success, the expected outcome moves toward the lower end; where the goods were never received, it moves toward the upper end, and disclosure, or at least correction before an examination, becomes markedly cheaper. The Art. 376 reduction requires the company to apply within 30 days of service of the assessment and to pay the tax and the remaining penalty; a company that sues loses the reduction (TPL Art. 376).

Side effects: compliant taxpayer discount and VAT refunds

The effect of the decision is not confined to the invoice. Under Income Tax Law supplementary Art. 121, compliant taxpayers may deduct 5% of their annual income or corporate tax from the tax payable, up to TRY 12,000,000 for returns filed from 1 January 2026. Amended returns filed late to correct a return that was filed on time, or filed with voluntary disclosure, do not breach the timely filing condition, but the tax accrued on the relevant returns must have been paid. Those found to have committed the acts in TPL Art. 359 in the year for which the discount is calculated or in the previous four calendar years cannot use the discount. A finding of knowing use can therefore cost not only the threefold penalty but the discount over five consecutive years. There is no express administrative statement on whether an own-initiative correction counts as a finding that an Art. 359 act was committed for this purpose.

For exporters and manufacturers claiming VAT refunds the position is more sensitive. A negative finding about a supplier slows the refund, and the voluntary disclosure guide states that disclosure is not available for VAT removed from the deductions after an invitation to remedy the negative finding. At the same time, the VAT General Implementation Communiqué provides that, without a separate finding or report about the document the buyer used, the buyer is not treated as a user of fake documents merely because it bought from a person about whom such a report exists.

The criminal side: does an amended return close the file?

Paying the tax does not by itself remove the criminal risk. Under TPL Art. 359, a person who uses a fake document faces three to eight years’ imprisonment, and a person who uses a document that is misleading in content faces eighteen months to five years. The only route that certainly removes that exposure is a disclosure that meets the conditions of Art. 371, to which Art. 359 refers. An amended return filed without meeting those conditions does not, by the wording of the statute, prevent Art. 359 from applying.

Prosecution, however, depends on a procedure set by law. Under TPL Art. 367, tax inspectors report evasion offences to the public prosecutor with the opinion of the report evaluation commission, and a public case cannot be filed until that notification is made. Communiqué No. 306 on the Tax Procedure Law provides that no tax crime report is prepared and no criminal complaint is made for taxpayers found to have used a fake document without knowing it. According to the Ministry’s progress report, in one past monitoring programme taxpayers who corrected without reservation were removed from the examination plans for fake document use, and a tax crime report can only follow an examination. Correction therefore reduces the criminal risk in fact, not in law. That reduction is not a guarantee, particularly where an informant’s report or an investigation about the company already exists from another source.

If an examination is opened and a tax crime report is prepared, the effective repentance rules in Art. 359 apply. If the tax assessed, all late payment interest and surcharge, half of the penalties and the related surcharge are paid during the investigation stage, the prison term is reduced by half; if paid during the prosecution stage before judgment, by one third. The items to be paid, the effect of the stage and the relationship with the tax case are explained in our guide on effective repentance in Turkish fake invoice cases. Acts committed over several calendar years in pursuit of the same decision are treated as a continuing offence (Criminal Code Art. 43, applied through Art. 359). What a manager should do if summoned is explained in our guide on giving a statement in a Turkish fake invoice investigation, and the personal exposure of directors in our guide on personal liability of directors and managers.

The wording travels to the criminal file. The disclosure petition, the rationale for a partial correction and the explanations in the Examination Preparation File are documents that may later sit in a prosecutor’s file. “We later realised that the invoices were fake” and “the right to deduct has become disputed because of the finding about the seller” lead to the same tax result, but read very differently in a criminal investigation.

Ten questions before deciding

  1. Is the letter a KURGAN information request, an Examination Preparation Letter from the Board’s presidency, or a letter from an inspector after notice of examination?
  2. When does the reply period end, and is a reasoned request for more time needed?
  3. Is there an informant’s report, a preliminary finding letter or an invitation to remedy a negative VAT refund finding concerning the company?
  4. For each invoice, were the goods or services actually received, and if so, from whom?
  5. Which delivery, receipt, warehouse, payment and use records are complete, and which are missing?
  6. In which period was the VAT on each invoice deducted, and is there carried-forward VAT or a refund claim in later periods?
  7. Were the invoices recorded as an expense or cost, and what is the corporate tax and provisional tax effect?
  8. If correcting, will it be with voluntary disclosure, on the company’s own initiative or under reservation, and is the effect of that choice on the right to sue understood?
  9. Are the reply, the rationale for correction and the petitions consistent with what the managers could say in a statement?
  10. Have the side effects on the compliant taxpayer discount and on VAT refunds been calculated?

Model texts

The three models below are English working drafts for group review. The texts filed with the tax office or the Tax Inspection Board must be in Turkish and rewritten for the facts of each file. Where the company may still defend the transactions as real, every sentence must be consistent with any later statement to a prosecutor and with any tax court petition.

Model 1: voluntary disclosure petition

TO THE …………… TAX OFFICE DIRECTORATE

DISCLOSING TAXPAYER : …………… Anonim Şirketi, tax identification no. ……………
ADDRESS : ……………
SUBJECT : Request to benefit from voluntary disclosure under Art. 371 of Tax Procedure Law No. 213.

EXPLANATIONS

In the periods …… to …… of 20…, our company recorded in its statutory books …… purchase invoices issued by …………… (tax identification no. ……………), whose dates, serial numbers and amounts are listed in the annex, and deducted the VAT shown on them in the returns for those periods.

1. TPL Art. 371(1) and (2): no examination has begun and no informant’s report is known
We learned of the risk finding concerning the seller’s transactions through the Tax Inspection Board’s letter no. ……, served electronically on …/…/2026. No tax examination has begun at our company, no notice of examination has been served on us, and to our knowledge no informant’s report concerning our company has been entered in the official records.

2. TPL Art. 371(4) and (5): correction and payment within fifteen days
Because the finding concerning the seller has made our right to deduct the VAT on these invoices disputed, and in order to avoid a dispute, we wish to correct the VAT on them for the periods in which it was deducted. We will file the amended returns for those periods with a voluntary disclosure request within the fifteen-day period in Art. 371 and pay the resulting tax with the disclosure surcharge within the same period.

This disclosure does not mean that we waive our right to provide explanations and documents on the reality of the purchases concerned and on our company’s good faith.

Respectfully submitted. …/…/2026

…………… A.Ş.
Legal Representative
Name, signature

ANNEX : Schedule of the invoices (date, serial number, base, VAT, period of deduction).

Model 2: reservation petition filed with amended returns

TO THE …………… TAX OFFICE DIRECTORATE

TAXPAYER : …………… Anonim Şirketi, tax identification no. ……………
SUBJECT : Reservation on the amended VAT returns for the periods …… of 20…

EXPLANATIONS

By letter no. …… served electronically on our company on …/…/2026, the Tax Inspection Board stated that …… invoices issued by …………… (tax identification no. ……………) were considered risky transactions, and asked whether these invoices had been recorded, whether their VAT had been deducted and whether amended returns had been filed.

1. TPL Art. 3/B and VAT Law Art. 29: the purchases were real
The goods on these invoices were delivered to our company, their price was paid into the seller’s bank account and the goods were used in our business. We therefore consider that we are entitled to deduct the VAT shown on the invoices under Art. 29 of VAT Law No. 3065.

2. Administrative Procedure Law Art. 27(4) and TPL Art. 378(2): the returns are filed under reservation
Nevertheless, following the administration’s letter referred to above, and to prevent the dispute from growing and to avoid possible problems with security and refunds, the amended returns for the relevant periods have been filed today. These returns were filed because of the administration’s letter and against our will. We hereby declare that they are filed under reservation, preserving our right to sue against the returns and against the tax, late payment interest and penalties to be accrued on them.

Respectfully submitted. …/…/2026

…………… A.Ş.
Legal Representative
Name, signature

ANNEXES : Tax Inspection Board letter; amended returns and accrual slips; schedule of documents for the invoices.

The petition should be filed on the same day as the returns. If the reservation field of the electronic return is also used, its wording should refer to the letter and its date of service as well.

Model 3: explanation for a partial correction

TO THE TAX INSPECTION BOARD PRESIDENCY

QUERY NO : ……………
TAXPAYER : …………… Limited Şirketi, tax identification no. ……………
SELLER : …………… (tax identification no. ……………), year 20…

Your information request with the query number above stated that …… invoices our company received from …………… in 20… were considered risky transactions.

1. TPL Art. 3/B and VAT Law Art. 29: invoices whose supply is documented
On service of your letter, our company compared each of the invoices with its order, shipment, receipt, payment and use records. For …… invoices, the entry of the goods into our warehouse is documented by delivery notes, the carrier’s invoices and warehouse receipts; their price by payments into the seller’s bank account; and the later sale of the goods by our invoices to customers. The documents are attached, and our right to deduct the VAT on these invoices continues.

2. TPL Art. 344(3): invoices corrected before any examination
For the remaining …… invoices, part of the transport documents and bank records could not be fully assembled because of the time that has passed. Since our company cannot document the reality of these transactions with the same clarity, and in order to avoid a dispute, it has corrected the VAT on them for the periods in which it was deducted. This correction does not mean that the goods were not received or that our company has any connection with the seller.

Our company has no shareholding, management or professional link with the seller; the business relationship began in 20…, and the seller’s tax registration was checked at the start of the relationship. We are ready to provide any further information and documents if an examination is carried out.

Respectfully submitted. …/…/2026

…………… Ltd. Şti.
Manager
Name, signature

ANNEXES : Invoice-by-invoice schedule; delivery and warehouse records; bank payment receipts; accrual slips for the amended returns.

The line drawn in the third model rests on delivery and payment records. In another file a different criterion may be decisive. What matters is that the line between corrected and defended invoices is drawn on a documented criterion that can be repeated.

How Hukukçular Evi can help

Hukukçular Evi Ankara reviews each invoice flagged in a KURGAN or Examination Preparation Letter, sets out the tax and criminal consequences of correction, disclosure, reservation or defence for each one, drafts the disclosure and reservation petitions and the rationale for a partial correction, builds the reply to the Tax Inspection Board around the document chain, represents the company during the examination and the assessment, and brings the tax court action where needed. We work in English with foreign-owned companies and group finance and legal teams. The scope of the service is described on our fake invoice defence page (in Turkish), and the lawyer’s profile is on the author page. You can reach us on +90 554 648 37 15 before any return is filed.

Frequently asked questions

A KURGAN letter arrived. Must we remove the invoices from our records?

No. The letter is an information request under TPL Art. 148, which imposes a duty to provide information, not to correct. Correction is a choice and should be made with its consequences known, invoice by invoice.

If we file amended returns, will a tax loss penalty be imposed?

Not if the voluntary disclosure conditions are met. Without disclosure, for returns filed before an examination begins, the penalty is applied at 50% (TPL Art. 344(3)); how that combines with the threefold penalty is contested. After an examination begins, the 50% rule does not apply (Plenary Tax Chambers E.2024/559, K.2024/974).

Is voluntary disclosure still possible after an Examination Preparation Letter?

The administration’s guide states that it is not available for the subject of the file. That view is contested because an information request is not among the events listed in TPL Art. 371. After a notice of examination, disclosure is closed by the statute itself.

How much is the voluntary disclosure surcharge?

It is calculated for each month or part of a month at the late-payment surcharge rate in Law No. 6183 Art. 51, which has been 3.7% per month since Presidential Decision No. 10556 (Official Gazette, 13 November 2025).

Can we sue against our own amended return?

Not against the tax on a return filed without reservation (TPL Art. 378(2)); the penalty and interest can be challenged. A reservation after a coercive letter from the administration gives a right to sue against the tax; a reservation added on the company’s own initiative does not.

Can we file a disclosure return under reservation?

You can write the reservation, but it will not be valid. The Plenary Tax Chambers held by majority that a reservation on a return filed with voluntary disclosure is invalid and that an action against the tax on it must be dismissed (E.2019/1545, K.2020/283).

What is the deadline to sue against a return filed under reservation?

Thirty days in the tax court (Administrative Procedure Law Art. 7). For electronic returns, transmission of the accrual slip counts as service (TPL Art. 28), so counting from the day after filing is the safest approach.

Does the action stop collection?

No. Actions against taxes accrued on returns filed under reservation do not suspend collection (Administrative Procedure Law Art. 27(4)). The tax is paid, and refunded if the case is won.

We have carried-forward VAT. Must we amend every month?

Under section 7.3 of VAT Circular No. 60, if no tax becomes payable in the intermediate periods, returns for the corrected period and the latest period are sufficient. Where refunds were claimed in intermediate periods, the administration requires a separate amended return for each period.

The goods were real but came through another company. What then?

VAT deduction requires the goods to have been bought from the issuer of the invoice. For corporate tax, the Council of State’s Third Chamber held that a real expense may be accepted as a cost even without a document (E.2023/7867, K.2024/670). VAT and corporate tax should be assessed separately.

Does correcting end the criminal risk?

Not in law. Only a disclosure meeting the conditions of TPL Art. 371 removes the application of Art. 359. Because prosecution depends on a tax crime report and opinion (TPL Art. 367), correction reduces the risk in fact but gives no guarantee.

What happens to the compliant taxpayer discount?

Late amended returns correcting a return filed on time do not breach the timely filing condition, but the tax accrued must be paid. A finding that an Art. 359 act was committed in the year concerned or the previous four years excludes the discount (Income Tax Law supplementary Art. 121).

Can we correct some invoices and defend others?

Yes. The company should explain in writing the documented criterion that separates corrected from defended invoices, so that the partial correction is not read as knowledge of the problem.

What if an examination has already started?

Voluntary disclosure is closed and the 50% penalty rule for late returns no longer applies; the assessment follows the examination report. The focus shifts to the defence file, the examination records and, if the deduction is denied, the tax court action.

What happens if we do not reply to the letter?

TPL Art. 148 imposes a duty to provide information, and a special irregularity penalty can follow a written warning (TPL supplementary Art. 355). Silence is not a defence and leaves the risk analysis without the company’s evidence.

Important note: This guide is for general information only and does not constitute legal or tax advice on any matter. Whether to correct, disclose, reserve or defend must be decided for each invoice on the documents and the amounts in the file. It does not suggest that any company or person has committed an offence; the presumption of innocence applies. It reflects the law in force on 27 October 2026. Legislation and sources relied on: Tax Procedure Law No. 213, Arts. 3, 28, 30, 112, 148, 344, 355 (supplementary), 359, 367, 370, 371, 376 and 378; VAT Law No. 3065, Art. 29; Income Tax Law No. 193, supplementary Arts. 120 and 121; Corporate Tax Law No. 5520, Art. 6; Law No. 6183, Art. 51; Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577, Arts. 7 and 27; Criminal Code No. 5237, Art. 43; Constitution Art. 73; Presidential Decision No. 10556; VAT General Implementation Communiqué, section IV/A2-3.5; Communiqué No. 306 on the Tax Procedure Law; VAT Circular No. 60; the Revenue Administration’s voluntary disclosure guide (August 2024); Constitutional Court application no. 2015/15100 (27 February 2019); Council of State decisions E.2021/3928, K.2023/479; E.2023/7867, K.2024/670; E.2025/4341, K.2025/5658; Plenary Tax Chambers E.2019/1545, K.2020/283; E.2020/250, K.2020/401; E.2020/522, K.2020/606; E.2023/1742, K.2024/215; E.2024/559, K.2024/974.

Call before the amended return is filed

A filed return cannot be withdrawn. The choice between disclosure, reservation and defence determines the right to sue and the criminal exposure. We work in English with foreign-owned companies and group legal teams. Hukukçular Evi Ankara: +90 554 648 37 15

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Post by Av. Fatma Öztürk