Compare business loan offers by the total amount you will pay for the same borrowing amount and maturity, rather than by interest rate alone. An offer with a low interest rate can turn out to be more expensive because of fees and early repayment terms.
Standardise offers before comparing
Offers can only be compared when requested on identical terms. Request a written repayment schedule from each institution for the exact same amount, term and currency, then set these items side by side:
- The interest rate, and whether that rate is fixed or variable.
- Loan allocation fee.
- Loan disbursement fee.
- Valuation, pledge and mortgage fees.
- Insurance or other products required alongside the loan.
- Taxes calculated on interest.
- Early repayment fee and settlement conditions.
Caps on allocation and disbursement fees
At lending institutions, the annual allocation fee is capped at 0.20% of the limit, and the disbursement fee on Turkish lira cash loans is capped at 1.10% of the disbursed amount. These limits stem from the commercial customer fee regulations in force as of November 2026. You can compare the figures in your offer against these caps:
- For disbursements with a term of under one year, the disbursement cap decreases proportionally based on the number of days to maturity. The allocation fee is applied pro rata according to the number of months of the facility limit.
- If the limit allocation or renewal was not requested by you, an allocation fee cannot be charged.
- When a limit is increased, a new fee can only be charged on the additional limit.
- A disbursement fee can only be charged on cash loans.
- For revolving loans, the cap is applied annually based on the average drawn balance.
- For non-Turkish lira cash loans, the disbursement fee may be set freely.
Valuation and collateral expenses
For pledge, mortgage and valuation procedures, the fee that lending institutions can charge cannot exceed 15% above the amount paid to third parties. If the service is provided in-house, the fee cannot exceed the reasonable cost of the service. For secured loan offers, ask in advance how much this cost will be, as the amount is not reflected in the loan's interest rate.
How to read early repayment terms
The lending institution must accept your request to settle the loan in full early, but it may charge you an early repayment fee. A reduction in unaccrued interest and other financing costs must also be granted on the amount repaid early.
- For variable-rate loans, the fee is capped at 2% of the amount repaid early.
- For fixed-rate loans, the cap is calculated using a formula based on the remaining maturity. Therefore, request a sample settlement calculation during the offer stage.
- Different caps apply to loans disbursed up to 30 June 2024.
- Check the contract separately for the terms on partial repayments and bringing forward single instalments.
If you are likely to settle the loan ahead of schedule, an offer with a slightly higher interest rate but lower settlement costs may prove cheaper overall.
Which institutions do these limits apply to?
The caps above cover products offered to commercial customers by lending institutions that accept deposits or participation funds. Offers from financing, factoring and financial leasing companies fall outside this regulation; for these offers, check the fees in the contract individually.
Covered institutions publish their maximum fee tariffs on their websites and provide you with an information form outlining the name, definition and maximum amount of each fee item. This form is an integral part of the contract. Fee increases must be notified at least two business days before they take effect and cannot be applied retrospectively.
Example: the upfront cost of two offers
Upfront fees directly reduce the net amount you receive. The figures below are illustrative: two offers for a 12-month loan of 1,000,000 TL, with fees excluding taxes.
- Offer A: 0.20% allocation (2,000 TL) and 1.10% disbursement (11,000 TL). Upfront fee 13,000 TL.
- Offer B: 0.10% allocation (1,000 TL) and 0.50% disbursement (5,000 TL). Upfront fee 6,000 TL.
Add the 7,000 TL difference to the total interest in each repayment schedule. The offer with the lower total may be B even if Offer A has the lower interest rate, so decide on the total.
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