Korea Pay Guide
For foreign workers in Korea

Money and Work Calculators for Foreigners in Korea

Korea Pay Guide is a set of free, plain-English calculators and checkers for people working in South Korea. Every tool shows the Korean terms alongside the English ones and links back to the official source behind each figure.

Calculators and checkers

Calculator Korea Salary Calculator Estimate your monthly and annual take-home pay after National Pension, Health Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance, Employment Insurance, and income tax. You get: monthly and annual take-home pay, with a full deduction breakdown Calculate take-home pay Checker Payslip Checker Enter the deductions from your actual Korean payslip and compare them line by line against what's typically expected. You get: a side-by-side comparison table and a copyable HR message Compare my payslip Checker National Pension Refund Checker Check whether you may qualify for a National Pension lump-sum refund when you leave Korea, and get a rough estimate of the amount. You get: a likely eligibility route and an estimated refund principal Check pension refund eligibility Calculator Severance Pay Calculator Estimate your 퇴직금 (statutory severance pay) based on your service period and average wage. You get: an estimated gross severance amount and the formula behind it Estimate severance pay

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Guides and checklists

Guide Korean Salary Deductions Explained for Foreign Employees What comes out of a Korean paycheck and why — National Pension, Health Insurance, Employment Insurance, and income tax. Read the guide Guide How to Read a Korean Payslip in English A line-by-line Korean-to-English payslip glossary and walkthrough. Read the guide Guide Korean National Pension Refund Guide for Foreigners Who may qualify for a lump-sum refund, and how the application process generally works. Read the guide Guide Korean Severance Pay Guide for Foreign Workers How 퇴직금 (severance pay) is calculated and who is legally entitled to it. Read the guide Checklist Leaving Korea: Financial Checklist for Foreign Workers A printable checklist covering pension, severance, taxes, and accounts before you leave. Read the guide

Korean payroll glossary

These terms show up on almost every Korean payslip and job offer. Each calculator on this site shows the Korean term next to its English translation.

EnglishKoreanWhat it means
National Pension국민연금A mandatory pension contribution, split between employee and employer.
Health Insurance건강보험Mandatory national health insurance premium.
Long-Term Care Insurance장기요양보험A surcharge on the Health Insurance premium that funds elder-care services.
Employment Insurance고용보험Funds unemployment benefits and job-training programs.
Wage income tax근로소득세National income tax withheld from wages.
Local income tax지방소득세A local surtax, normally 10% of the wage income tax amount.
Take-home pay실수령액Net pay after all deductions.
Severance pay퇴직금A statutory lump-sum payment for employees with one year or more of continuous service.
Payslip / pay statement급여명세서The itemized statement an employer provides with each pay period.

Prefer to use the calculator in Korean? Visit the Korean-language tools — 한국에서 일하는 외국인을 위한 급여·퇴직·연금 계산기.

Trust and methodology

Korea Pay Guide is an independent informational website. It is not operated by the Korean government, the National Pension Service, the National Tax Service, or any other government agency, and it is not a substitute for official advice. Results are estimates only — confirm important decisions with your employer, payroll department, or the relevant government agency. See the methodology page for calculation details.