Korean Rates & Thresholds Registry
This page publishes the variable figures Workmate's calculators actually use. The displayed values read the very same constant files as the calculators — so they cannot drift — and every entry carries its legal basis, effective period, and the date we last verified it. For a site built on numbers that change every year, we consider this the minimum standard of accountability.
Labor
| Item | Current value | Basis · effective | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
Minimum wage (hourly) Official notice | ₩10,320 (2026) · ₩10,030 (2025) — ₩2,156,880/mo (209h) | MOEL Notice No. 2025-47 (2025-08-05, +2.9%) 2026-01-01 – 2026-12-31 | 2026-07-03 |
Unemployment benefit daily cap/floor Official notice | Cap ₩68,100 · floor ₩66,048 (min wage×80%×8h) | Employment Insurance Act §45–46 + MOEL notice (first cap raise in 7 yrs) Separations on/after 2026-01-01 (2025: 66,000/64,192) | 2026-07-03 |
Social insurance
| Item | Current value | Basis · effective | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
National Pension rate & income base Official notice | 9.5% (employee 4.75%) · base cap ₩6,590,000 / floor ₩410,000 | National Pension Act 2025.3 reform (9→9.5%, +0.5pp/yr to 13% by 2033); base = NPS Council 2026-01-09 Rate from 2026-01; base Jul 2026 – Jun 2027 | 2026-07-03 |
Health + long-term care rates Official notice | Health 7.19% (employee 3.595%); LTC = health × 13.14% | MOHW Health Insurance Policy Committee, 2025-08-28 (7.09→7.19%; LTC 12.95→13.14%) From 2026-01-01 | 2026-07-03 |
Employment & workers' comp rates Official notice | Employment: 0.9% each side; workers' comp avg 0.86% (by industry, employer-paid) | Employment Insurance Act; COMWEL industry notice Applied for 2026 | 2026-07-03 |
Tax
| Item | Current value | Basis · effective | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
VAT rate Statute | 10% | VAT Act §30 Single rate since 1977 | 2026-07-03 |
Foreign worker flat tax Statute | 19% (+10% local surtax = 20.9% effective) · up to 20 years | Restriction of Special Taxation Act §18-2 For tax year 2026 | 2026-07-03 |
Income tax brackets Statute | 8 brackets, 6–45% (≤₩14M: 6% … >₩1B: 45%) + 10% local surtax | Income Tax Act §55 2023-revised brackets (TY 2026) | 2026-07-03 |
Real estate · rates
| Item | Current value | Basis · effective | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
BOK base rate Official notice | 2.5% p.a. | Bank of Korea MPC (held 8th time on 2026-05-28; next 2026-07-16) Since cut of 2025-05-29 | 2026-07-03 |
Jeonse→wolse conversion cap Statute | 4.5% p.a. (= base rate + 2%p) | Housing Lease Protection Act §7-2, Decree §9 Tracks base rate (in-lease/renewal conversions only) | 2026-07-03 |
Rent increase cap (renewal) Statute | 5% | Housing Lease Protection Act §7 (renewal right) Since 2020-07-31 | 2026-07-03 |
Rules of thumb (not statutory)
| Item | Current value | Basis · effective | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
Underwater-jeonse risk bands (rule of thumb) Rule of thumb | Debt ratio ≤70% safe · ~80% caution · ~90% risky · above = critical | HUG practice & industry rule of thumb — NOT statutory Reference only | 2026-07-03 |
How we verify — and the limits
- • Each figure lives in exactly one constants file; this page and the calculators import the same constant. Our internal audit warns when a verification date exceeds 180 days.
- • 'Official notice' items follow announcement cycles (minimum wage every August, pension base every July, base rate 8 meetings/year) and are updated right after. Proof it works: while building this registry on 2026-07-03 we caught and fixed three stale values (minimum wage, pension base, unemployment caps).
- • The 'rule of thumb' badge marks non-statutory, industry-convention figures. Before real decisions (contracts, filings), always confirm the primary source — the National Law Information Center, MOEL, NPS, NHIS, Bank of Korea, or HUG.
- • This page is informational and not legal or tax advice.