Reference · rebuilt from data, not written
Figures we track
Korean rates and thresholds move, and when they do, the guides quoting them go quietly wrong. These are the numbers we watch on a schedule. Each one keeps its own history, so you can see not just what it is but what it was.
4th generation: annual limit on manual and related therapies
4th generation policyholders claiming manual therapy, extracorporeal shockwave or prolotherapy
₩3,500,000 a year, up to 50 sessionsverified 2021-07-014th generation: maximum non-covered premium surcharge
Holders of 4th generation indemnity policies, assessed on the previous year’s non-covered claims
up to +300%verified 2024-07-015th generation: annual limit on non-severe non-covered treatment
Holders of 5th generation policies claiming non-covered treatment outside the severe categories
₩10,000,000 a yearverified 2026-05-065th generation: excess on non-severe non-covered treatment
Holders of 5th generation policies claiming non-severe non-covered treatment
50% inpatient; outpatient 50% or ₩50,000, whichever is greaterverified 2026-05-06Acquisition tax: heavy rates for multiple homes and companies
Acquisitions of additional homes in adjusted areas, high-count acquisitions outside them, and acquisitions by companies
8% or 12% — not the ordinary scheduleverified 2026-10-11Airport cash payment of a pension refund: how far ahead to apply
Departing foreign nationals wanting the refund in cash at Incheon on the day they fly
Within 1 month before departureverified 2026-09-16Airport SIM counter: hours at Incheon Terminal 1 arrivals
Arrivals collecting or activating a SIM or eSIM at the airport
24 hours (T1 arrivals)verified 2026-09-12Alien registration: deadline from entry
Foreign nationals intending to stay in Korea for more than 90 days
90 days from entryverified 2026-10-12Business cards registerable on Hometax
Individual businesses. Corporate cards are linked to the company already and are not registered this way.
50 cardsverified 2026-08-31Business registration: deadline to apply after starting business
Sole proprietors and companies starting business at a place of business in Korea
20 days from commencementverified 2026-10-12Business-use account: deadline to report it to the tax office
Sole proprietors who are double-entry bookkeeping obligors under the Income Tax Act
6 months from the start of the taxable periodverified 2026-10-07Comprehensive real estate holding tax: deduction from aggregate published price
Individuals holding housing, tested against the aggregate published price of all homes held
₩900M · ₩1.2B for a single-home householdverified 2026-10-11Used in Buying vs Renting in Korea: The Real Break-Even · What Owning a Korean Home Costs Every Year
Comprehensive real estate holding tax: rate band for individuals with up to two homes
Individuals holding two homes or fewer, on the housing portion of the tax
0.5–2.7% by tax baseverified 2026-10-11Corporate income tax rate schedule
Corporations, for fiscal years beginning on or after 1 January 2026
10 / 20 / 22 / 25%changed 2026-01-01Used in Registering a Business in Korea as a Foreigner · Sole Proprietor vs Corporation in Korea for Foreigners
Corporate tax return: deadline after a company's business registration is closed
Companies (법인) that have closed a business registration, as distinct from sole proprietors
3 months from the fiscal year end monthverified 2026-10-06D-10 job-seeking status: maximum total period of stay
D-10 job-seeking holders who qualify under the track the extension covers — principally graduates of Korean universities. Not every route into D-10 carries the same period.
3 years (up to 1 year per grant)changed 2025-10-29Used in After the Language Programme: D-2, D-10 or E-7 · Losing Your Job on a Korean Work Visa
D-4 financial evidence: balance commonly required
D-4 applicants, as required by the institution and the consulate
USD 10,000 (common), ₩8m at some schoolsverified 2026-09-09D-4 part-time work: Korean proficiency standard
D-4-1 language trainees applying for a part-time work permit
TOPIK level 2verified 2026-09-07Used in Keeping D-4 Status: Registration, Attendance, Work · TOPIK Levels and What Each One Actually Opens
D-4 part-time work: waiting period before eligibility
D-4-1 and D-4-7 holders wanting a part-time work permit
6 monthsverified 2026-09-07D-4 part-time work: weekday hour ceiling once the standard is met
D-4-1 language trainees holding a part-time work permit
20 hoursverified 2026-09-07Deadline for paying retirement benefits after leaving
Employers, on every departing employee entitled to retirement benefits
14 daysverified 2026-09-18Used in Departure Guarantee Insurance for E-9 and H-2 Workers · Korean Severance Pay: What You Are Actually Owed
Deemed supply on closure: deduction rate per taxable period, buildings and structures
Buildings and structures held at closure, where input VAT was deducted on acquisition
5% per taxable period, capped at 20 periodsverified 2026-10-06Deemed supply on closure: deduction rate per taxable period, non-building depreciable assets
Machinery, equipment, fixtures, vehicles and other non-building depreciable assets held at closure, where input VAT was deducted on purchase
25% per taxable period, capped at 4 periodsverified 2026-10-06Defined contribution plan: employer’s minimum annual contribution
Employees enrolled in a defined contribution (DC) retirement pension plan
1/12 of annual wages (≈8.33%)verified 2026-09-18Departure guarantee insurance: employer accrual rate
Employers of Employment Permit System workers (E-9, H-2) — not foreign employees generally
8.3%verified 2026-09-18Used in Departure Guarantee Insurance for E-9 and H-2 Workers · Korean Severance Pay: What You Are Actually Owed
Depositor protection limit
Anyone holding protected deposits at a Korean financial institution, foreign nationals included
₩100,000,000changed 2025-09-01Dismissal: advance notice, or pay in lieu
Employees being dismissed, subject to the statutory exceptions
30 daysverified 2026-09-25Downtown refund: maximum per purchase
Shoppers collecting a refund at a city-centre counter or kiosk before departure
₩6,000,000 or lessverified 2026-09-28Dynamic currency conversion: typical exchange rate markup
Anyone paying with a foreign-issued card in Korea who is offered their home currency at the terminal
3–5%verified 2026-09-13Used in ATMs in Korea for Foreign Cards · Paying in Korea With a Foreign Card
E-7 basic annual wage requirement, professional (E-7-1)
E-7 specific activities status holders and the employers sponsoring them
₩31,120,000verified 2026-02-01Used in E-7-4: The Route From E-9 to Long-Term Status · E-9 vs E-7: What Actually Separates Them
E-7-4 skilled technical status: annual issuance quota
E-9, E-10 and H-2 holders applying to convert to E-7-4 skilled technical status
33,000verified 2026-01-01E-9: deadline to apply for a workplace change after a contract ends
E-9 workers who have left a workplace and intend to move to another
1 month to applyverified 2026-09-23Used in Changing Employers on a Korean Work Visa · E-9 vs E-7: What Actually Separates Them · Reporting Your Employer as a Foreign Worker
E-9: maximum continuous employment activity period
Employment Permit System workers on E-9
4 years 10 monthsverified 2026-09-23Used in E-7-4: The Route From E-9 to Long-Term Status · E-9 vs E-7: What Actually Separates Them
E-9: permitted workplace changes during the base employment period
Employment Permit System workers on E-9, and their employers
3, plus 2 in the extensionverified 2026-09-23Used in E-9 vs E-7: What Actually Separates Them · Reporting Your Employer as a Foreign Worker · When Your Old Employer Will Not Release You
E-9: window to obtain permission for a new workplace
E-9 workers who have applied for a workplace change through the employment centre
3 monthsverified 2026-09-24Employer’s deadline to report a change in a foreign national’s employment
Employers of foreign nationals — this is the employer’s duty, not the employee’s
15 daysverified 2026-09-22Used in Changing Employers on a Korean Work Visa · Losing Your Job on a Korean Work Visa · When Your Old Employer Will Not Release You
Employer’s social insurance burden, budgeting composite
Small employers budgeting a hire, at fewer than 150 employees and using the average industrial accident rate
≈11.44%verified 2026-10-05Employment and industrial accident insurance: deadline to report the end of coverage
Employers whose insurance relationship ends because the business closed or operations ceased
14 days from the date coverage endsverified 2026-10-06Employment income payment statement: employer’s filing deadline
Employers filing employment income payment statements; employees relying on Hometax to retrieve them
10 Marchverified 2026-03-10Employment insurance on application: period that can be backdated
Foreign nationals on statuses where the Employment Insurance Act applies on application — E-1 to E-7, E-9, E-10, F-4, H-2 among them
none — no retroactive coverageverified 2026-09-22Employment insurance: deadline to report an employee's acquisition of insured status
Employers reporting a new employee's acquisition of employment insurance coverage
15th of the following monthverified 2026-10-12Employment insurance: employee contribution rate
Employees covered by employment insurance, including foreign nationals where the status applies
0.9%verified 2026-01-01Used in Korea’s Four Social Insurances, From Your Side · Reading Your Korean Payslip · Unemployment Benefit in Korea as a Foreign Worker
Employment insurance: employer rate at under 150 employees
Employers with fewer than 150 employees
1.15%verified 2026-10-05English medical certificate: issuing fee at a university hospital
Foreign patients obtaining an English medical certificate for an insurance claim — this figure is Seoul National University Hospital’s, not a national rate
₩20,000verified 2026-09-27Estate agent fee caps on a housing sale
Housing purchases in Seoul. Other local authorities set their own within the national framework.
0.4% at ₩200M–900M, rising to 0.7% above ₩1.5Bverified 2026-08-31Exceeding the working hours limits: maximum fine
Employers, on breaches of the statutory working hours and extended work limits
₩20,000,000verified 2026-09-20Extended and night work: statutory premium
Employees at workplaces with five or more ordinary employees
50% eachverified 2026-09-20Failing to give the employee a written employment contract: maximum fine
Employers, on every employee including foreign nationals
₩5,000,000verified 2026-09-17Failing to report a change in a foreign national’s employment: maximum fine
Employers of foreign nationals who miss the 15-day notification to immigration
₩2,000,000verified 2026-09-24Failing to report a change of stay address: the penalty
Registered foreign nationals who do not report a change of stay address within the deadline
Up to ₩1,000,000 — a criminal fineverified 2026-10-10Filings that substitute for resident registration in a housing lease
Foreign nationals and overseas Koreans renting housing in Korea and needing opposing power under the Housing Lease Protection Act
2 — stay-address report, domestic residence reportverified 2026-10-08Final VAT return on closing a business: deadline
General taxpayers (일반과세자) closing a business registration, including foreign-owned sole proprietorships and companies
25th of the following monthverified 2026-10-06First-Class National Housing Bond coupon rate
Anyone required to buy First-Class National Housing Bonds on a property registration
1.00%changed 2025-04-01First-year monthly leave: how long it can be used
Employees in their first year, on the up-to-11 days that accrue one per completed month
12 months from hireverified 2026-09-19Used in Annual Leave in Korea: How It Actually Accrues · When Unused Leave Stops Being Owed to You
Fixed-term employment: period beyond which the contract is treated as open-ended
Fixed-term employees, including foreign nationals on work statuses
2 yearsverified 2026-09-17Flat tax break-even salary (modelled, single filer)
A single foreign employee with the basic deduction and no material additional deductions
≈ ₩135,000,000verified 2026-09-14Flat tax: deadline to apply for 19% monthly withholding
Foreign employees wanting 19% withheld from payroll rather than settled later
10th of the following monthverified 2026-09-14Foreign resident: years of Korean residence triggering full worldwide taxation
Foreign nationals who are Korean tax residents and hold foreign-source income
5 years or less, in the preceding 10verified 2026-09-14Foreign worker flat tax rate on Korean employment income
Foreign employees electing the flat rate instead of the progressive brackets
19% (20.9% with local income tax)verified 2026-09-14Used in Income Tax for Foreigners: Resident or Not · Your Korean Withholding Tax Receipt, Explained · The 19% Flat Rate: When It Beats the Brackets · Year-End Settlement for Foreign Employees
Foreign worker flat tax: deadline for starting work in Korea
Foreign employees considering the flat-rate election on Korean employment income
31 December 2026verified 2026-09-14Used in Income Tax for Foreigners: Resident or Not · The 19% Flat Rate: When It Beats the Brackets
Gift tax: deduction for gifts from a lineal ascendant
Recipients who are Korean tax residents receiving a gift from a parent or grandparent
₩50,000,000verified 2026-09-29Global ATM: overseas card networks accepted
Overseas-issued cards used at a Korean bank’s Global ATM service
Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, Visa, PLUS, JCB, UnionPayverified 2026-09-13Used in ATMs in Korea for Foreign Cards
Global income tax filing deadline when leaving Korea permanently
Residents with a global income filing obligation who are relocating their domicile abroad
The day before departureverified 2026-09-16Government mobile ID credentials available to foreign residents
Registered foreign residents in Korea using the government mobile identification service
resident card, permanent residence card, overseas Korean residence reportverified 2026-09-30Health insurance dependants: residence requirement for foreign nationals
Foreign nationals and overseas Koreans being registered as dependants of a workplace subscriber
6 monthsverified 2026-09-21Health insurance: deadline to report a workplace withdrawal on closure
Employers de-registering a workplace from National Health Insurance after closing the business
14 daysverified 2026-10-06Health insurance: employer’s deadline to report a new subscriber
Employers, on every workplace subscriber including foreign employees
14 daysverified 2026-09-21Holiday work: statutory premium within eight hours
Employees at workplaces with five or more ordinary employees, working on a holiday
50% (100% beyond 8 hours)verified 2026-09-20Home internet signup benefits: range found across subscribers
New home internet subscribers negotiating cash, vouchers or bill credits at signup
₩0 – ₩910,000verified 2026-10-01Home internet: contract terms offered by major carriers
Anyone signing a home internet contract in Korea, including short-stay foreign residents
none, 1, 2 or 3 yearsverified 2026-10-01Housing acquisition tax rate
Individuals acquiring housing for consideration. Multiple owners and companies are on a separate, heavier schedule.
1% ≤₩600M · 1–3% to ₩900M · 3% aboveverified 2026-08-31Used in Closing Costs When Buying Property in Korea · What Owning a Korean Home Costs Every Year
Housing bond purchase rate on a property transfer
Registration of ownership transfer or preservation for housing. Land and other property run on separate schedules.
13 – 31 per 1,000, by value and regionverified 2026-09-01Housing deductions available to a foreign resident employee
Foreign nationals who are Korean tax residents, at year-end settlement
3 — rent loan principal and interest, long-term mortgage interest, monthly rent creditchanged 2021-01-01Housing lease: tenant's deadline to refuse renewal before expiry
Residential tenants on a fixed-term lease who intend the lease to end on its expiry date
2 months before expiryverified 2026-10-09Housing lease: when opposing power takes effect
Residential tenants in Korea who have taken delivery of the property and completed resident registration, or the equivalent filing for foreign nationals
From the following dayverified 2026-10-08Housing subscription savings deduction: annual cap for a qualifying foreign employee
Foreign residents who are the spouse of a head of household owning no home, with total salary of ₩70m or below
₩3,000,000 a year, deducted at 40%changed 2025-01-01HUG deposit return guarantee: application window within the lease term
Tenants applying for the deposit return guarantee after the lease has already started
Before half the lease term has elapsedverified 2026-10-08HUG deposit return guarantee: maximum deposit covered
Tenants applying for the Korea Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation deposit return guarantee
₩700M capital region · ₩500M elsewhereverified 2026-10-08Immediate refund: cumulative limit per stay
Shoppers using immediate refund repeatedly during one stay in Korea
₩5,000,000verified 2026-09-28Immediate refund: maximum per transaction
Shoppers using immediate refund at the till, where the tax is deducted before payment
under ₩1,000,000verified 2026-09-28Immigration Contact Center: languages for human rights and unpaid wage reports
Foreign nationals reporting unpaid wages, violence or other rights violations through 1345
20 languagesverified 2026-06-01Inbound remittance: threshold for written confirmation of purpose
Receipts into Korea that do not otherwise require a foreign exchange declaration
USD 100,000verified 2026-09-29Industrial accident insurance: overall average rate
Employers, as a planning average only — the applicable rate is set by industry classification
1.47% averageverified 2026-01-01Industrial accident: temporary disability benefit rate
Employees unable to work because of an occupational injury or illness, regardless of nationality
70% of average wageverified 2026-09-21Inspecting a landlord's unpaid taxes without their consent: deposit threshold
Tenants who have concluded a lease, inspecting the landlord's unpaid national and local taxes before the lease term begins
Deposits above ₩10,000,000verified 2026-10-08Job-seeking benefit: daily ceiling
Every employed insured person claiming job-seeking benefit, whatever the previous salary
₩68,100verified 2026-01-01Job-seeking benefit: daily floor at eight hours
Claimants whose relevant scheduled working day was eight hours — not part-timers
₩66,048verified 2026-01-01Job-seeking benefit: insured days required before leaving
Employment insurance subscribers claiming job-seeking benefit
180 daysverified 2026-09-21Used in Unemployment Benefit in Korea as a Foreign Worker · Which Korean Social Insurances You Are Actually In
Job-seeking benefit: window in which it can be drawn
Employment insurance subscribers, including foreign nationals who were covered
12 monthsverified 2026-09-22Used in Losing Your Job on a Korean Work Visa · Unemployment Benefit in Korea as a Foreign Worker
K-Pass transport refund: standard rate
Registered K-Pass users, including foreign nationals who complete residence verification
20% standardverified 2026-01-01Korean indemnity insurance: overseas stay for premium suspension or refund
Holders of Korean private indemnity health policies living abroad for an extended period
3 months continuousverified 2026-10-04Korean tax residency: the day-count element
Individuals determining whether they are Korean tax residents, and therefore the scope of income Korea taxes
183 days — an element, not the testverified 2026-10-12Leasehold registration order: protection from application alone
Tenants whose lease has ended without the deposit being returned and who must move out of the property
None — protection follows the completed registrationverified 2026-10-09Leave use-promotion: first written notice, general annual leave
Employers running the statutory use-promotion procedure, which if valid removes the duty to pay for unused leave
6 months before expiryverified 2026-09-19Limited-transaction account: daily limit at the branch counter
Accounts opened as limited-transaction accounts at ordinary banks, including newly incorporated companies that cannot yet evidence a transaction purpose
₩3,000,000 per dayverified 2026-10-07Limited-transaction account: daily limit for electronic banking
Accounts opened as limited-transaction accounts at ordinary banks, on internet and mobile banking transfers
₩1,000,000 per dayverified 2026-10-07Litigation interest rate under the Act on Special Cases Concerning Expedition of Legal Proceedings
Monetary claims in litigation, from the day after the complaint or an equivalent document is served on the debtor
12% per yearverified 2026-10-09Long-term care insurance rate
Everyone paying health insurance
13.14%verified 2026-08-31Used in Korea’s Four Social Insurances, From Your Side · Hiring Your First Employee in Korea · NHIS Health Insurance for Foreigners in Korea · Reading Your Korean Payslip
Maximum extended working hours per week
Employees at workplaces with five or more ordinary employees, under the ordinary working hours regime
12 hoursverified 2026-09-20Meal allowance exempt from income tax
Employees who are not provided with meals in kind
₩200,000verified 2026-08-31Minimum age for a post-paid transit check card
Check cards carrying the post-paid transport function
12 yearsverified 2019-06-11Minimum wage
Every employee in Korea, foreign or not, from the first hour
₩10,320changed 2026-01-01Used in Hiring Your First Employee in Korea · Korea’s Minimum Wage and the 209-Hour Month · Your Korean Employment Contract: What to Check
Minimum wage, official monthly equivalent (40-hour week)
Employees working a 40-hour week and meeting the paid weekly holiday conditions
₩2,156,880verified 2026-01-01Used in Hiring Your First Employee in Korea · Korea’s Minimum Wage and the 209-Hour Month
Mobile phone identity verification: designated agencies
Anyone verifying their identity by mobile phone on a Korean bank, government or commerce service
SKT, KT, LG U+verified 2026-09-30Monthly conversion hours for a full-time employee
Full-time employees on a 40-hour week with a paid weekly holiday
209 hoursverified 2026-01-01Used in Korea’s Minimum Wage and the 209-Hour Month · Overtime, Night and Holiday Pay: The Stacking Rules
Monthly rent tax credit: annual rent ceiling
Employees claiming the monthly rent tax credit
₩10,000,000 of annual rentverified 2026-10-11Monthly rent tax credit: rate by total salary
Employees meeting the conditions, including a total salary of ₩80,000,000 or less, paying monthly rent on qualifying housing
17% ≤₩55M salary · 15% to ₩80Mverified 2026-10-11National Health Insurance contribution rate
Employees. Long-term care is charged on top, as a percentage of this contribution.
7.19%changed 2026-01-01Used in Korea’s Four Social Insurances, From Your Side · Freelancing in Korea Legally: The 3.3% System · Hiring Your First Employee in Korea · NHIS Health Insurance for Foreigners in Korea · Reading Your Korean Payslip · Registering an Employee for Korea’s Four Insurances
National Pension contribution rate
Employees, including most foreign nationals. Some nationalities are exempt by treaty.
9.5%changed 2026-01-01Used in Korea’s Four Social Insurances, From Your Side · Freelancing in Korea Legally: The 3.3% System · Hiring Your First Employee in Korea · Reading Your Korean Payslip · Registering an Employee for Korea’s Four Insurances
National pension lump-sum refund: countries whose nationals may claim
Foreign nationals leaving Korea permanently who contributed to the national pension
24 by agreement + 26 by reciprocityverified 2026-06-15Used in Leaving Korea: Tax, Pension and What You Are Owed · Which Korean Social Insurances You Are Actually In
National pension: deadline to report a workplace withdrawal and loss of insured status
Employers de-registering a workplace from the National Pension Scheme, and reporting employees' loss of insured status
15th of the following monthverified 2026-10-06National Pension: minimum contribution period for an old-age pension
Anyone contributing to the National Pension, including foreign nationals
10 yearsverified 2026-09-21NHIS dependant: annual combined income ceiling
Anyone being registered as a dependant of a workplace health insurance subscriber, Korean or foreign
₩20,000,000verified 2026-10-02NHIS dependant: business income treated as none
Prospective dependants with some business income but no business registration
₩5,000,000verified 2026-10-02NHIS dependant: property ceiling for siblings
Siblings of a workplace subscriber being registered as dependants
₩180,000,000verified 2026-10-02NHIS dependant: property tax assessment ceiling
Dependants other than siblings, being assessed on property
₩540,000,000verified 2026-10-02NHIS: overseas stay required for premium exemption
National health insurance subscribers staying outside Korea, subject to the dependants condition
3 monthsverified 2026-10-04NHIS: shortened exemption period for work-related overseas stay
Subscribers whose overseas stay is recognised by the insurance service as being for work
1 month, work-related onlyverified 2026-10-04Night work: the hours that attract the night premium
Employees at workplaces with five or more ordinary employees
22:00 to 06:00verified 2026-09-20Non-covered medical services with prices published by institution
Anyone comparing the price of a non-covered procedure between Korean hospitals before booking
753 itemsverified 2026-01-01Ordinary wage: number of requirements a payment must satisfy
Every premium calculation, since extended, night and holiday pay are all multiples of ordinary wage
regularity and uniformityverified 2026-09-20Overdraft (current account) interest rate for deemed interest on director loans
Companies computing deemed interest on money lent to a related party such as a representative director, where this rate applies rather than the weighted average borrowing rate
4.6% per yearverified 2026-10-07Paid weekly holiday: minimum contractual hours for entitlement
All employees, including part-time and fixed-term
15 hoursverified 2026-09-17Used in Annual Leave in Korea: How It Actually Accrues · Korea’s Minimum Wage and the 209-Hour Month
Penalty for failing to file a tax return
Taxpayers who do not file a return by the statutory deadline, including a final VAT return after closing a business
20% of the unreported taxverified 2026-10-06Penalty for never reporting a business-use account: the higher of two bases
Double-entry bookkeeping obligors who never reported a business-use account at all
0.2% — the higher of two basesverified 2026-10-07Penalty for not using a reported business-use account
Double-entry bookkeeping obligors who reported a business-use account but settled qualifying transactions elsewhere
0.2% of the bypassing transactionsverified 2026-10-07Pension income floor for short-hours work
Employees working under 60 hours a month on a contract of a month or more
₩2,200,000verified 2026-01-01Pension standard monthly income limits
Every National Pension contributor, employee and employer alike
₩410,000 – ₩6,590,000verified 2026-07-01Used in Korea’s Four Social Insurances, From Your Side · Registering an Employee for Korea’s Four Insurances
Prepaid home internet for foreign residents: available terms
Foreign residents in Korea whose stay is shorter or less certain than a standard contract term
6 or 12 monthsverified 2026-10-01Private indemnity health insurance: generation on sale to new applicants
Anyone taking out indemnity health insurance in Korea now, as distinct from anyone already holding a policy
5th generationchanged 2026-05-06Probation: maximum period the reduced minimum wage may apply
Employees on probation under a contract of one year or more, outside simple labour occupations
3 monthsverified 2026-09-17Public integrated service for changing your address across financial institutions
Anyone moving house in Korea and updating addresses held by banks, card issuers, insurers and securities firms
None — the public service closed in August 2020verified 2026-10-10Registered foreign nationals: deadline to report a change of stay address
Foreign nationals holding alien registration who have moved to a new address in Korea
15 daysverified 2026-10-10Residence required before a foreign dependant is covered
Foreign nationals and overseas Koreans who entered Korea on or after 3 April 2024, seeking dependant status on an employee's health insurance
6 monthsverified 2024-04-03Resident registration: deadline to report a move-in
Korean nationals who have changed their place of residence
14 daysverified 2026-10-10Seoul metro ticket machines accepting foreign cards
Visitors and new arrivals buying single-journey tickets or short-term passes on the Seoul metro
440 machines, 273 stationsverified 2026-03-17Used in Paying in Korea With a Foreign Card · T-money: Buying It, Topping It Up, Getting It Back
Seoul metro ticket machines: service fee on foreign card payments
Foreign-issued card payments at the new Seoul metro ticket machines
≈3.7% averageverified 2026-03-17Used in Paying in Korea With a Foreign Card · T-money: Buying It, Topping It Up, Getting It Back
Simplified substitute payment: ceiling for a former employee
Former employees whose arrears the state pays under the Wage Claim Guarantee Act, foreign nationals included
₩10 millionverified 2026-10-09Simplified substitute payment: ceiling while still employed
Employees still in the job, who meet the separate eligibility test for arrears owed by their current employer
₩7 millionverified 2026-10-09Simplified substitute payment: deadline to file, labour office route
Former employees pursuing unpaid wages through a labour office complaint, foreign nationals included
1 yearverified 2026-09-25Simplified taxpayer payment-exemption line
Simplified VAT taxpayers
₩48,000,000verified 2026-08-31Simplified VAT taxpayer threshold
Individual businesses. Corporations cannot use the simplified regime at all.
₩104,000,000verified 2026-08-31Used in Freelancing in Korea Legally: The 3.3% System · Korean VAT for Small Business Owners · Registering a Business Credit Card on Hometax · Registering a Business in Korea as a Foreigner · Sole Proprietor vs Corporation in Korea for Foreigners
Small-deposit tenant: deposit ceiling for top-priority protection
Residential tenants testing whether they fall within the small-deposit tenant category, which varies by region
₩165,000,000 in Seoulverified 2026-10-08Small-deposit tenant: maximum amount protected ahead of secured creditors
Small-deposit tenants recovering from an auction or public sale of the leased housing
Up to ₩55,000,000 in Seoulverified 2026-10-08Small-employer insurance subsidy: monthly pay ceiling
Employers with fewer than 10 employees, on newly enrolled employees
under ₩2,700,000 a monthverified 2026-10-05Standard T-money card: price of the card itself
Anyone buying a physical T-money card at a convenience store or station machine
≈₩4,000verified 2026-09-26Statutory annual leave: minimum workplace size
Workplaces in Korea, deciding whether the Labor Standards Act’s annual leave provisions apply at all
5 employeesverified 2026-09-19Used in Annual Leave in Korea: How It Actually Accrues · Unpaid Wages and Unfair Dismissal: Two Routes · The 52-Hour Week in Korea, and What It Does Not Buy
Statutory default interest rate under the Civil Act
Monetary obligations in default where no contractual rate was agreed, including an unreturned housing deposit
5% per yearverified 2026-10-09Statutory severance: minimum continuous service
All employees including foreign nationals, alongside the 15-hour weekly threshold
1 yearverified 2026-09-18Statutory working hours per week
Employees at workplaces with five or more ordinary employees
40 hoursverified 2026-09-20T-money balance refund: handling fee deducted
Departing visitors and residents cashing out a remaining prepaid transport balance
≈₩500verified 2026-09-26Tacitly renewed housing lease: waiting period before termination takes effect
Residential tenants whose lease has been tacitly renewed and who now wish to terminate it
3 months from receiptverified 2026-10-09Tax refund eligibility: maximum stay in Korea for a foreign national
Foreign nationals shopping in Korea, deciding whether they qualify as a non-resident tourist
under 6 monthsverified 2026-09-28Tax refund: deadline to take the goods out of Korea
Anyone holding a Korean tax refund slip or having taken an immediate refund
3 monthsverified 2026-09-28Tax refund: minimum spend per transaction
Eligible non-resident shoppers at licensed tax refund merchants in Korea
₩15,000verified 2026-09-28TOPIK: how long a score stays usable
Anyone holding a TOPIK certificate for a future application
2 yearsverified 2026-09-10TOPIK: interval between sitting and official result
Anyone whose TOPIK score has to arrive before an admission or immigration deadline
Roughly 4-6 weeks, varies by roundverified 2026-09-10TOPIK: test rounds offered each year
Anyone planning a TOPIK sitting around an admission or status deadline
PBT 6, IBT 6, Speaking 3verified 2026-09-10Tourist SIM and eSIM: maximum validity from activation
Foreign visitors on a passport-registered tourist SIM or eSIM
90 daysverified 2026-09-11Used in Buying a Korean SIM: Airport, Online or in Town · eSIM, USIM or Prepaid SIM in Korea · A Korean Number Before Your Registration Card · What Breaks Without a Korean Phone Number
Unfair dismissal: deadline to apply to the Labor Relations Commission
Employees dismissed from workplaces with five or more ordinary employees, foreign nationals included
3 monthsverified 2026-09-25Used in Reporting Your Employer as a Foreign Worker · Unpaid Wages and Unfair Dismissal: Two Routes
University dormitory: monthly cost, twin room
Language students in university dormitories, where a place is available
₩130,000–200,000 (twin)verified 2026-09-09Used in Dormitory, Goshiwon or One-room for Students · Budgeting for Korean Study: 3, 6 or 12 Months
University Korean language course: tuition per term
Regular Korean language courses at university-affiliated institutes
₩1.2m–1.8m per termverified 2026-09-09University Korean-track: TOPIK level generally expected
Foreign applicants to Korean-taught undergraduate programmes
Level 3 to enter, 4 to graduateverified 2026-09-10Used in After the Language Programme: D-2, D-10 or E-7 · TOPIK Levels and What Each One Actually Opens
USD time deposit rate at Korean banks
Foreign currency time deposits in US dollars at the major Korean commercial banks
≈3% pre-taxverified 2026-08-31Vehicle tax annual prepayment rate
Anyone with a vehicle registered in their name
5%verified 2026-01-01Used in Your Korean Car Tax Is Set by Engine Size, Not Price
Wise: annual KRW receiving limit, resident recipient
Individuals receiving personal transfers in KRW through Wise’s Korean settlement route
USD 100,000 a yearverified 2026-09-01Wise: KRW receiving limit, non-resident recipient
Individuals not confirmed as Korean residents receiving personal transfers in KRW through Wise
USD 5,000 per transfer, USD 50,000 a yearverified 2026-09-01Withholding tax receipt: current form and revision date
Anyone reading a Korean employment income withholding receipt, or a guide that explains one
Appended Form 24, revised 20 March 2026verified 2026-03-20Workplace change on the notification route: deadline to notify
E-1 to E-7 holders who meet the Ministry of Justice criteria for the notification exception — not E-1 to E-7 generally
15 daysverified 2026-09-24WOWPASS: overseas card networks accepted for top-up
Visitors and new arrivals using a Korean prepaid card before opening a bank account
Visa, Mastercard, JCBverified 2026-09-13Used in Paying in Korea With a Foreign Card · T-money: Buying It, Topping It Up, Getting It Back
Every reading carries the source that established it. A figure with one reading is a number we checked; a figure with several is a history — and the history is the part you cannot get by searching for today’s value.