What comes out of your pay
Korean employers deduct four social insurances and income tax before paying you. These are the 2026 employee shares:
| Deduction | Korean | Your share (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| National Pension | 국민연금 | 4.75% of monthly pay (pay between ₩410,000 and ₩6,590,000 counts) |
| Health Insurance | 건강보험 | 3.595% |
| Long-term Care Insurance | 장기요양보험 | 13.14% of your health insurance premium |
| Employment Insurance | 고용보험 | 0.9% |
| Income tax | 소득세 | From the National Tax Service withholding table |
| Local income tax | 지방소득세 | 10% of your income tax |
Your employer pays a matching share of the pension, health and long-term care insurance on top of your salary, plus most of the employment insurance and all of the industrial accident insurance.
Take-home pay at a glance
Monthly take-home pay for a single employee with no children and no tax-free allowance, paying all four insurances:
| Salary | Monthly gross | Take-home / month |
|---|---|---|
| ₩24M a year | ₩2,000,000 | ₩1,784,190 |
| ₩2.1M a month | ₩2,100,000 | ₩1,870,940 |
| ₩26M a year | ₩2,166,666 | ₩1,929,056 |
| ₩2.2M a month | ₩2,200,000 | ₩1,957,680 |
| ₩27M a year | ₩2,250,000 | ₩2,001,070 |
| ₩2.3M a month | ₩2,300,000 | ₩2,044,440 |
| ₩28M a year | ₩2,333,333 | ₩2,073,493 |
| ₩2.4M a month | ₩2,400,000 | ₩2,131,180 |
| ₩30M a year | ₩2,500,000 | ₩2,217,920 |
| ₩2.6M a month | ₩2,600,000 | ₩2,303,700 |
| ₩32M a year | ₩2,666,666 | ₩2,358,296 |
| ₩2.7M a month | ₩2,700,000 | ₩2,384,570 |
| ₩33M a year | ₩2,750,000 | ₩2,425,000 |
| ₩2.8M a month | ₩2,800,000 | ₩2,465,440 |
| ₩34M a year | ₩2,833,333 | ₩2,492,753 |
| ₩2.9M a month | ₩2,900,000 | ₩2,546,320 |
| ₩35M a year | ₩2,916,666 | ₩2,560,456 |
| ₩36M a year | ₩3,000,000 | ₩2,626,700 |
| ₩38M a year | ₩3,166,666 | ₩2,762,166 |
| ₩3.2M a month | ₩3,200,000 | ₩2,788,450 |
| ₩40M a year | ₩3,333,333 | ₩2,893,733 |
| ₩42M a year | ₩3,500,000 | ₩3,019,960 |
| ₩45M a year | ₩3,750,000 | ₩3,213,400 |
| ₩48M a year | ₩4,000,000 | ₩3,395,760 |
| ₩50M a year | ₩4,166,666 | ₩3,522,776 |
| ₩4.5M a month | ₩4,500,000 | ₩3,773,610 |
| ₩55M a year | ₩4,583,333 | ₩3,833,773 |
| ₩60M a year | ₩5,000,000 | ₩4,145,120 |
| ₩65M a year | ₩5,416,666 | ₩4,459,646 |
| ₩70M a year | ₩5,833,333 | ₩4,771,023 |
| ₩75M a year | ₩6,250,000 | ₩5,026,310 |
| ₩80M a year | ₩6,666,666 | ₩5,301,366 |
| ₩90M a year | ₩7,500,000 | ₩5,883,730 |
| ₩100M a year | ₩8,333,333 | ₩6,471,103 |
| ₩120M a year | ₩10,000,000 | ₩7,504,600 |
| ₩150M a year | ₩12,500,000 | ₩8,937,180 |
Things that are different for foreigners
National Pension
Most foreign employees join the National Pension, but nationals of some countries are exempt because their country does not offer the same to Koreans, and some visa types are excluded. If you leave Korea for good, you may be able to claim your contributions back as a lump sum, depending on your nationality. Ask your employer or the National Pension Service (call 1355, English available).
Employment Insurance
Employment insurance is required for some visa types and optional or not available for others. If you are not enrolled, untick the box above.
A flat tax option
Foreign employees can choose a flat 19% income tax rate (20.9% with local tax) instead of the normal progressive rates, applied when the year's tax is settled. Because nothing is tax-free under it, it only helps on high salaries — see where the flat rate starts to pay off. This calculator uses the normal rates.
Payroll offices round some figures, may withhold income tax at 80% or 120% of the table if you asked, and settle the real tax once a year in the year-end tax settlement (연말정산) every February. This calculator gives a close monthly estimate.
Rates as of October 2026: National Pension 9.5% total (4.75% employee), health insurance 7.19% total, long-term care 0.9448%, employment insurance 0.9% employee. Income tax from the simplified withholding table under the Income Tax Act Enforcement Decree.