How to Read a Korean Payslip in English
Last verified: 2026-08-06
A Korean payslip (급여명세서) is usually split into two sections: 지급 (payments) — your gross pay and any allowances — and 공제 (deductions) — the four social-insurance premiums plus income tax. Your take-home pay (실수령액 or 차인지급액) is the total payments minus total deductions. Use the glossary below to match each line to its English meaning.
Payslip glossary
| Korean | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 급여명세서 | Payslip / pay statement | The full document itemizing your pay. |
| 지급내역 | Payments | Section listing gross pay and allowances. |
| 기본급 | Base salary | Your contracted base wage before allowances. |
| 직책수당 | Position allowance | Extra pay tied to a role or title. |
| 식대 | Meal allowance | Often partially or fully non-taxable up to a statutory limit. |
| 시간외수당 / 연장근로수당 | Overtime pay | Extra pay for hours worked beyond the standard schedule. |
| 지급액 합계 / 총지급액 | Total gross payment | Sum of base salary and all allowances before deductions. |
| 공제내역 | Deductions | Section listing insurance premiums and taxes withheld. |
| 국민연금 | National Pension | Mandatory pension contribution, employee share 4.75% in 2026. |
| 건강보험 | Health Insurance | Mandatory national health insurance, employee share 3.595% in 2026. |
| 장기요양보험료 | Long-Term Care Insurance | A surcharge on the Health Insurance premium. |
| 고용보험 | Employment Insurance | Funds unemployment benefits, employee share 0.9%. |
| 소득세 / 근로소득세 | Income tax / wage income tax | National tax withheld based on a government table. |
| 지방소득세 | Local income tax | A local surtax equal to 10% of your income tax. |
| 공제액 합계 | Total deductions | Sum of all insurance premiums and taxes withheld. |
| 차인지급액 / 실수령액 | Take-home pay / net pay | Total payments minus total deductions — what's actually paid to you. |
Example
A payslip might show 기본급 (base salary) ₩2,800,000 plus 식대 (meal allowance) ₩200,000, for 지급액 합계 (total gross payment) of ₩3,000,000. After deducting 국민연금, 건강보험, 장기요양보험료, 고용보험, 소득세, and 지방소득세, the 차인지급액 (take-home pay) is what's actually deposited to your bank account. If your numbers don't match what you expect, use Compare My Payslip on the salary calculator to enter your actual deductions and see where the difference is.
Limitations
- Payslip formats vary by employer and payroll software — not every payslip uses these exact Korean labels, though the concepts are standard.
- This glossary covers standard employee payslips, not specialized formats (e.g. daily-worker or contractor statements).
Official sources
- National Tax Service (국세청): nts.go.kr
- Ministry of Employment and Labor (고용노동부): moel.go.kr
Last verified: 2026-08-06.