Working and pay in Korea

How to Read a Korean Payslip — Salary, Social Insurance, Tax and Net Pay

This guide explains Korean payslips in Korean won (KRW), including earnings, deductions, social insurance, tax, and net pay. Updated 2026-07-25.

Korean payrollKorean won (KRW)Updated 2026-07-25Official sources

Read it at a glance

  1. Earnings
  2. Deductions
  3. Net pay
  4. Check issues

1. What a payslip is

A payslip shows which earnings were paid and which amounts were deducted. It is a basic document for checking pay and deductions regardless of a worker’s nationality.

This guide covers payroll in Korea and amounts in Korean won (KRW). It is reference information, not legal, tax, visa, payroll, or social-insurance eligibility advice.

Do not upload a real payslip containing personal information. This page does not provide a file-upload or document-reading feature.

2. Information that should legally appear

In plain language, Article 48 of the Korean Labor Standards Act and Article 27-2 of its Enforcement Decree require enough information to check the following items.

  • Information that identifies the worker
  • The wage payment date
  • Total wages paid
  • Amounts for components such as base pay, allowances, bonuses, and performance pay
  • How an amount was calculated when it changes with workdays, working hours, or similar conditions
  • Overtime, night-work, and holiday-work hours when they affect the amount paid
  • The amount of each deduction, such as social insurance or tax
  • Total deductions

3. How to read earnings

Employers may use different labels. Check both the label and the calculation basis.

Base pay

The main wage amount stated in the employment contract.

Position allowance

An allowance connected to a role or level of responsibility.

Meal allowance

A meal-related payment. Its name alone does not make it non-taxable.

Transportation allowance

A commuting or travel-related payment whose actual conditions should be checked.

Bonus

An amount paid regularly or when stated conditions are met.

Performance pay

A performance-based amount that can make gross pay higher in the payment month.

Overtime pay

Check the overtime hours and calculation shown.

Night-work pay

Check the night-work hours and calculation shown.

Holiday-work pay

Check the holiday-work hours and calculation shown.

Non-taxable item

Tax treatment depends on the actual statutory conditions, not only on the item name.

Taxable pay

Pay treated as taxable for income-tax purposes. It is not necessarily the same as the assessment basis used by each social-insurance program, such as National Pension standard monthly income.

4. How to read deductions

National Pension

For calendar year 2026, the total contribution rate is 9.5% and the employee share for a workplace-based insured employee is 4.75%.

The standard monthly income minimum is KRW 410,000 and the ceiling is KRW 6,590,000 for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

KRW 313,025 is the maximum monthly employee contribution calculated with the 2026 employee rate of 4.75%. It should not be read as a rate or maximum guaranteed through June 30, 2027 merely because the income limits run through that date.

The Easy Funny Life salary calculator applies the contribution ceiling but does not determine coverage, reported standard monthly income, or the statutory minimum contribution base.

National Health Insurance

For 2026, the total rate is 7.19% and the employee share is 3.595%.

Long-Term Care Insurance

For 2026, the total rate is 0.9448% of remuneration, or about 13.14% of the National Health Insurance contribution. The employee pays about 13.14% of the employee health-insurance contribution, and it may appear as a separate line.

Employment Insurance

The employee share for the unemployment-benefit portion is 0.9%. For foreign workers, mandatory, optional, reciprocity-based, or excluded treatment can differ by residence status and nationality.

Income tax

Monthly withholding can follow the simplified earned-income withholding table and vary with pay and the number of eligible dependents. The final amount can change at year-end tax settlement.

Local income tax

For standard payroll withholding, local income tax is 10% of the national income tax withheld—not 10% of gross pay. Check the actual withholding shown on the payslip.

5. How net pay is structured

Gross pay
− National Pension
− National Health Insurance
− Long-Term Care Insurance
− Employment Insurance
− Income tax
− Local income tax
− Other deductions
= Net pay

6. Worked example

This example directly uses the current Easy Funny Life salary-calculation logic. It is not a standard payslip or a final tax calculation.

Example inputs

Gross annual salary
KRW 50,000,000
Monthly non-taxable amount
KRW 200,000
Dependents
1, including yourself

Monthly deductions

National Pension
KRW 188,417
National Health Insurance
KRW 142,602
Long-Term Care Insurance
KRW 18,738
Employment Insurance
KRW 35,700
Income tax
KRW 471,250
Local income tax
KRW 47,125

Example results

Total monthly deductions
KRW 903,831
Monthly net pay
KRW 3,262,835
Annual net pay
KRW 39,154,026

7. Why a calculator and an actual payslip may differ

  • The standard monthly income reported by the employer
  • How non-taxable items are treated
  • The month in which a bonus or performance payment is paid
  • The number of eligible dependents
  • The simplified earned-income withholding table
  • Starting or leaving a job during the month
  • Leave or unpaid days
  • Overtime, night work, or holiday work
  • Whether each social-insurance program applies
  • Employer rounding or won-unit handling
  • Year-end tax and insurance-premium settlement

8. Additional checks for foreign workers

A payslip is a basic pay document regardless of nationality. Social-insurance coverage for a foreign worker can nevertheless depend on nationality, residence status, reciprocity, and the form of work.

  • Confirm National Pension and National Health Insurance coverage with the relevant agency or workplace payroll contact.
  • Employment Insurance may be mandatory, optional, reciprocity-based, or unavailable for different foreign workers. Confirm with the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, Employment 24, or the workplace.
  • Visa status and social-insurance eligibility are outside this guide's scope.

9. What to check when something looks wrong

  1. Compare base pay with the employment contract.
  2. Check workdays and working hours.
  3. Check overtime, night-work, and holiday-work hours.
  4. Check non-taxable items and their actual conditions.
  5. Check social-insurance enrollment status.
  6. Check dependent information.
  7. Ask the employer’s payroll contact for the calculation basis.
  8. If the issue remains, contact the Ministry of Employment and Labor Labor Portal or the relevant official agency.

11. Official sources and update date

The following Korean official sources support the legal requirements, contribution rates, withholding context, and consultation routes described here.

Updated: 2026-07-25