Korea Salary Take-Home Pay Calculator
In Korea, the salary written in your employment contract is not what lands in your bank account. Every month, employers withhold the employee's share of the four major social insurances — National Pension, Health Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance, and Employment Insurance — plus income tax and local income tax. This calculator applies 2025 rates to estimate each deduction and your expected monthly net pay from an annual salary, taking into account non-taxable allowances (such as the meal allowance) and the number of dependents.
Examples
Annual salary ₩30,000,000 (₩200,000 non-taxable/month, 1 dependent)
Monthly gross pay is ₩2,500,000. After roughly ₩216,000 in social insurance and about ₩114,000 in income and local tax, the estimated monthly take-home pay is about ₩2,170,000.
Annual salary ₩50,000,000 (₩200,000 non-taxable/month, 1 dependent)
Monthly gross pay is about ₩4,170,000. After roughly ₩373,000 in social insurance and about ₩352,000 in taxes, the estimated monthly take-home pay is about ₩3,440,000.
Annual salary ₩100,000,000 (₩200,000 non-taxable/month, 1 dependent)
Monthly gross pay is about ₩8,330,000. The National Pension contribution is capped (income ceiling of ₩6,170,000/month) at about ₩278,000, and total deductions come to roughly ₩1,940,000, leaving an estimated monthly take-home pay of about ₩6,390,000.
FAQ
What is the non-taxable allowance?
Part of your pay can be excluded from tax and social insurance calculations. Common examples in Korea are the meal allowance (up to ₩200,000/month), a personal vehicle allowance (up to ₩200,000/month), and a childcare allowance (up to ₩200,000/month). A larger non-taxable portion means smaller deductions and higher net pay for the same salary.
What are the four major insurance rates?
As of 2025, the employee's share is: National Pension 4.5% (with a monthly income ceiling of ₩6,170,000), Health Insurance 3.545%, Long-Term Care Insurance 12.95% of the health insurance premium, and Employment Insurance 0.9%. Industrial Accident Insurance is paid entirely by the employer, so it is not deducted from your pay.
How do I count dependents?
Enter the number of people eligible for the basic deduction, including yourself. A spouse or family member generally qualifies if their annual income is ₩1,000,000 or less. Each dependent provides a basic deduction of ₩1,500,000 per year, so more dependents means lower income tax.
Why might the result differ from my actual paycheck?
Actual monthly withholding follows the National Tax Service's simplified tax withholding table, while this calculator uses an approximation based on the earned income deduction and the standard progressive tax rates. Your company's mix of non-taxable items, year-end tax settlement results, and bonus payment structure can also cause differences.
What should I keep in mind during salary negotiations in Korea?
Compare offers by monthly take-home pay rather than the headline annual figure. Even with the same annual salary, net pay changes depending on non-taxable allowances, whether bonuses are included in the annual figure, and whether severance pay is separate or split into the salary (the 1/13 arrangement). Also note that insurance premiums and taxes rise with salary, so a raise never translates fully into net pay.
Korea's four major social insurances
The four major insurances are the National Pension, Health Insurance (including Long-Term Care Insurance), Employment Insurance, and Industrial Accident Insurance. Enrollment is mandatory for workplaces that employ workers. The pension, health, and employment insurance premiums are split roughly half-and-half between employee and employer, while industrial accident insurance is fully employer-paid.
The employee's share is withheld from monthly pay. The National Pension has upper and lower limits on the standard monthly income (the 2025 ceiling is ₩6,170,000), so contributions stop growing beyond that level even for high earners. Health and employment insurance, by contrast, are charged in proportion to monthly pay with no comparable cap for regular employees.
How Korean earned income tax is calculated
Earned income tax starts from gross salary (annual salary minus non-taxable income). An earned income deduction is subtracted, then personal deductions such as the basic deduction (₩1,500,000 per dependent per year) are applied to reach the tax base, which is taxed at progressive rates from 6% to 45%. Local income tax adds another 10% of the calculated income tax.
The amount withheld each month follows the National Tax Service's simplified withholding table. Your final tax liability is settled in the year-end tax settlement (yeonmal-jeongsan) the following February, where various income and tax credits are applied — you receive a refund if too much was withheld, or pay the difference if too little.
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