Korea Take-Home Salary 2026: Deductions, Rates and Examples
Published 2026-10-19
Your Korean contract states an annual salary (연봉, before deductions), but your bank account sees much less every month. This guide explains each deduction on a Korean payslip, shows 2026 rates with their official sources, and gives example take-home amounts so you can sanity-check an offer.
The six deductions on a payslip
| Payslip line (Korean) | What it is | Employee share, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 국민연금 National Pension | Pension contribution, on a capped monthly income base | 4.75% (total 9.5%, employer pays the other half) |
| 건강보험 Health Insurance | National health insurance | 3.595% (total 7.19%) |
| 장기요양 Long-term Care | Charged on top of health insurance | Health insurance premium × 0.9448/7.19 (about 13.1%) |
| 고용보험 Employment Insurance | Funds unemployment benefits and training | 0.9% |
| 소득세 Income Tax | Withheld monthly, settled in the year-end tax settlement (연말정산) | Progressive, 6%–45% of taxable income |
| 지방소득세 Local Income Tax | Local tax | 10% of the income tax amount |
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: National Pension Service (9.5%; income base KRW 410,000–6,590,000 per month for July 2026–June 2027), National Health Insurance Service and Ministry of Health and Welfare (7.19%, long-term care 0.9448%), Ministry of Employment and Labor (employment insurance 0.9%), Income Tax Act (tax brackets).
Example: monthly take-home in 2026
| Annual salary (KRW) | Monthly gross | Pension | Health + care | Employment ins. | Income + local tax | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30,000,000 | 2,500,000 | 109,250 | 93,540 | 20,700 | 22,900 | ≈ 2,253,610 |
| 40,000,000 | 3,333,333 | 148,810 | 127,440 | 28,200 | 104,520 | ≈ 2,924,360 |
| 50,000,000 | 4,166,666 | 188,380 | 161,330 | 35,690 | 215,570 | ≈ 3,565,700 |
| 70,000,000 | 5,833,333 | 267,560 | 229,120 | 50,690 | 450,090 | ≈ 4,835,870 |
Estimates from this site's salary calculator (Korean): single person, KRW 200,000/month non-taxable meal allowance, income tax estimated on an annual basis and divided by 12. Your employer uses the official simplified withholding table, so monthly tax can differ by a few thousand won; the difference is settled in 연말정산.
How to read your own payslip
- Find the gross (지급액 계) and the deductions total (공제액 계).
- Check pension: it should be 4.75% of your taxable monthly pay, but it stops rising once pay passes the KRW 6,590,000 base cap.
- Check health insurance at 3.595% and long-term care at about 13.1% of the health line.
- Non-taxable items (비과세), such as a meal allowance, are excluded from insurance and tax bases — ask HR which items are non-taxable.
Points that are different for foreign employees
- National Pension: whether you must join, and whether you can get a lump-sum refund when you leave Korea, depends on your nationality and Korea's agreements with your country. Check with the National Pension Service before assuming either way.
- Employment insurance: for many visa types it is optional rather than automatic — see our unemployment benefits guide.
- Income tax: some foreign employees can choose a flat-rate option instead of progressive rates. Whether it is better depends on your salary and deductions; ask your employer's payroll team or the National Tax Service.
FAQ
- Why is my first month's pay different?
- Insurance can start mid-month and some employers deduct the first month's premiums later, so the first one or two payslips are often uneven.
- Do I get money back in February?
- Possibly. The year-end tax settlement (연말정산) compares tax withheld with tax owed after deductions such as card spending, rent and insurance. You get a refund or pay extra with your February or March salary.
- Is the severance pay included in my annual salary?
- Usually not. Severance (퇴직금) is paid separately after one year of work; some contracts include it in the annual figure, so check the wording.
Sources
- National Pension Service (9.5%, income base) — checked 2026-10-18
- National Health Insurance Service (7.19%, long-term care 0.9448%) — checked 2026-10-18
- Ministry of Employment and Labor (employment insurance) — checked 2026-10-18
Related (Korean): 연봉 실수령액 계산기 (Korean)