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Family & childcare

Korea's child allowance now covers children under 9, rising one year annually to under 13 by 2030

In effectTakes effect: 2026-04-24
EveryoneFamiliesForeign residentsNew citizens & PR holders

Under the amended Child Allowance Act, the age ceiling rose from under 8 to under 9 with payments starting 24 April 2026. It then climbs one year at a time: under 10 in 2027, under 11 in 2028, under 12 in 2029 and under 13 in 2030. The monthly amount ranges from 100,000 to 130,000 won depending on where the family lives.

What changes

Until now the allowance paid 100,000 won a month for children under 8. The amendment lifts that to under 9 for 2026, then under 10 in 2027, under 11 in 2028, under 12 in 2029 and under 13 in 2030. Households with primary-school children are being phased in year by year.

The amount now varies by region. The Seoul metropolitan area stays at 100,000 won a month. Elsewhere it is 105,000 won, rising to 110,000 won in designated priority areas facing population decline and 120,000 won in special areas. If the local government has passed an ordinance to pay it as a regional gift certificate, another 10,000 won is added, taking the maximum to 130,000 won a month.

The expansion was backdated to January 2026. The Ministry of Health and Welfare says the 24 April 2026 payment run included the January to March arrears and reached 2.55 million children with a total of 389.2 billion won, of which 168.7 billion won was arrears. That included roughly 430,000 children born between January 2017 and March 2018 whose payments had already stopped. A special provision keeps children born in 2017 on the allowance without interruption until they turn 13, so the annual step-ups do not cut them off and on.

Who this applies to

  • Guardians raising a child under 9 as of 2026. There is no income or asset test; meeting the age condition is enough.
  • The child must hold Korean nationality and have a properly issued resident registration number. If the child is Korean, it does not matter that the parents hold foreign nationality, and dual-national children can apply too.
  • Foreign-national children are generally not covered. The exceptions are children recognised as refugees under the Refugee Act and persons of special merit under the Framework Act on Treatment of Foreigners Residing in Korea. Being in the middle of a refugee determination process does not qualify.
  • If a child acquires or recovers Korean nationality through naturalisation and receives a resident registration number, the eligibility conditions are met from that point. Payment is not automatic in that case, so an application is needed.
  • Households already receiving the allowance did not need to reapply for this expansion; once eligibility was confirmed the money was paid automatically.

What to do now

  1. 1If you have never applied, do so through the Bokjiro website or the community service centre for the district where the child is registered. Online applications are only possible when the applicant is the child's parent.
  2. 2If you have just registered a birth, apply within 60 days including the date of birth. Do that and payment is backdated to the month the child was born.
  3. 3Check the child's Korean age if you are unsure. Eligibility follows age in years, not school grade, so children in the same class stop receiving it at different times depending on their birthday.
  4. 4Payments arrive on the 25th of each month, or the preceding day when the 25th falls on a weekend or public holiday. Update your bank details in advance if you change accounts.
  5. 5Plan ahead if the child will be abroad for a long stretch. Payment is suspended once the child spends 90 days or more outside Korea, counting the departure date.
  6. 6For questions, call the Health and Welfare Call Centre on 129.

Commonly misunderstood

  • A higher age ceiling does not raise the amount by itself. The base is 100,000 won a month, and anything above that depends on the region.
  • Eligibility follows the child's nationality and resident registration, not the parents'. Do not assume you are excluded simply because you are a foreign national.
  • A child who only holds an alien registration card is not covered unless they are a recognised refugee or a person of special merit. Even an F-2 or F-5 status does not help if the child is not a Korean national.
  • The extra amount paid in regional gift certificates applies only where the local council has adopted an ordinance for it. It is not automatic in every population-decline area.
  • Text messages asking you to click a link and enter personal or bank details to claim the allowance are not part of the official process. Applications are made only at a community service centre or on Bokjiro.

Official sources

The links below are official government publications. This page summarises them; always check the original before filing or applying.

Verified on: 2026-08-29

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Related policy updates

This page explains a policy change and is not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your situation with the responsible agency.

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Korea's child allowance now covers children under 9, rising one year annually to under 13 by 2030