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National Pension contributions for foreign workers in Korea: the 2026 rate, employee and employer split, income floor and ceiling
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
For 2026 the National Pension contribution is 9.5% of the insured person's "standard monthly income" for workplace-based members, split equally: 4.75% paid by the employee and 4.75% by the employer. The standard monthly income is your reported monthly income rounded down to the nearest KRW 1,000 and kept between a floor of KRW 410,000 and a ceiling of KRW 6,590,000 for the period July 2026 to June 2027. A foreign resident aged 18 to under 60 who works at a covered workplace is a mandatory member, just like a Korean national, unless an exclusion applies. The calculator below uses only the rate, floor and ceiling printed by the National Pension Service (NPS) and the statute.
Read on 2026-10-19 from the NPS English Contributions page (floor and ceiling "July 2026 ~ June 2027"), the National Pension Act as shown on the National Law Information Center ("[시행 2026. 1. 1.] [법률 제21203호, 2025. 12. 16., 일부개정]") and its Enforcement Decree ("[시행 2025. 7. 1.]").
How the contribution is built
- Contribution = standard monthly income x contribution rate. This is the NPS formula.
- Standard monthly income is the income the employer reports for a workplace member, rounded down to the nearest KRW 1,000. If the reported income is below the announced floor, the floor is used; if it is above the ceiling, the ceiling is used (Enforcement Decree Article 5(5)).
- Floor and ceiling apply from July of one year to June of the next (Decree Article 5(4)). For July 2026 to June 2027 the NPS shows a maximum of KRW 6,590,000 and a minimum of KRW 410,000.
- Due date: the 10th day of the month after the month it applies to; if that day is a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the next business day. Late payment adds arrears. Contributions start the month after the month you become an insured person (with three listed exceptions on the NPS page).
Employee contribution calculator
Enter your gross monthly pay as your employer would report it for pension purposes. What counts as "income" for this purpose is set by decree; use your employer's reported figure if you know it. The result is the monthly deduction for a workplace-based member at 4.75%, before any end-digit rounding the NPS applies.
The rate is rising each year
The statute's main text (Article 88(3)) now says each side pays 65/1000 of the standard monthly income, which is 6.5% each or 13% in total. That is the level the schedule below climbs toward; it is not the 2026 rate. Addendum Article 4 of the 2025 amendment (Act No. 20903, in force 2026-01-01) overrides it for 2026 to 2032 with a yearly step, and for 2026 gives 475/10,000, which matches the 4.75% on the NPS page.
| Year | Employee share | Employer share | Total (derived arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.75% | 4.75% | 9.5% |
| 2027 | 5.00% | 5.00% | 10.0% |
| 2028 | 5.25% | 5.25% | 10.5% |
| 2029 | 5.50% | 5.50% | 11.0% |
| 2030 | 5.75% | 5.75% | 11.5% |
| 2031 | 6.00% | 6.00% | 12.0% |
| 2032 | 6.25% | 6.25% | 12.5% |
People who are individually insured, voluntarily insured or voluntarily and continuously insured pay the whole amount themselves: 9.5% in 2026 (Article 88(4) and Addendum Art. 4(2): 95/1000 for 2026, rising by 5/1000 a year to 125/1000 for 2032). The NPS page shows the same 9.5% in the column for those groups.
Who is covered, who is out
- Mandatory coverage. NPS: a foreigner residing in Korea is subject to compulsory coverage just like Korean nationals. A foreigner aged 18 to under 60 working at a covered workplace is a workplace-based member; one aged 18 to under 60 who is not is an individually insured member.
- Exclusions listed by NPS. A foreigner excluded by law, including trainees (but those employed after training are covered), international students and diplomats; a foreigner whose home country's pension system does not mandatorily cover Korean nationals; and a foreigner who submits an original Certificate of Coverage under a social security agreement with Korea.
- Reciprocity in the statute. Article 126(1) makes foreigners members automatically, except those the decree excludes, and except where the foreigner's home-country law would not apply the equivalent pension to Korean nationals.
- Decree exclusions (Article 111). Foreigners who stay without an extension of stay, who have not completed alien registration or have a deportation order issued, and those holding stay statuses designated by a Ministry of Health and Welfare ordinance.
- Which countries and visas. The NPS English page points to two attachments, "Eligibility by Country" and "Eligibility by Stay Status (Visa)". They are downloadable files, which we did not open, so this page does not list countries or visa codes. Ask the NPS or your employer.
- E-9 and H-2 workers. The government's Easy Law page labels the National Pension for foreign workers as "Mutual Agreement Required": enrolment only applies if the worker's home country provides equivalent coverage for Korean nationals. Article 126(4) of the Act separately keeps lump-sum refund rights for workers under the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers and for certain trainees; the NPS lists E-8, E-9 and H-2 as visas that qualify for a lump-sum refund regardless of nationality.
When you leave Korea for good, see the lump-sum refund page. Your health-insurance deduction is covered in National Health Insurance for foreigners, and the other payroll insurance in employment insurance for foreign workers.
Where the sources differ
| Item | Statute (in force 2026-01-01) | NPS English page | What we show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee share, 2026 | Art. 88(3): 65/1000 (end-state); Addendum Art. 4(1): 475/10,000 for 2026 | 4.75% | 4.75%. The 6.5% in Art. 88(3) is the level the schedule climbs toward, not the 2026 rate. |
| Individually insured, 2026 | Art. 88(4): 130/1000 (end-state); Addendum Art. 4(2): 95/1000 for 2026 | 9.5% | 9.5% |
| Floor and ceiling | Decree Art. 5: announced each year by March 31, applied July to June | KRW 410,000 and KRW 6,590,000 for July 2026 to June 2027 | NPS figures |
This page is a summary, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with the National Pension Service.
Checked 2026-10-19.
Official sources
- National Pension Service (English) — Contributions — contribution formula, 9.5% (4.75% + 4.75%), floor KRW 410,000 and ceiling KRW 6,590,000 for July 2026 to June 2027, due date (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Pension Service (English) — Coverage — workplace-based, individually insured and voluntary members, age 18 to under 60 (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Pension Service (English) — Foreigners and Lump-sum Refund — compulsory coverage of foreigners, exclusions, E-8/E-9/H-2 refund eligibility; page dated 2026.06.15 for the country table (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — National Pension Act, Article 88 — 65/1000 each side and 130/1000 for individual members (end-state); in force 2026-01-01 (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — National Pension Act, addenda (Act No. 20903, promulgated 2025-04-02, in force 2026-01-01) — Addendum Art. 4: 2026 to 2032 yearly rate steps (475/10,000 in 2026) (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — National Pension Act, Article 126 — application to foreigners, reciprocity (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — National Pension Act Enforcement Decree, Article 5 — standard monthly income: rounding, floor and ceiling rules, July-to-June period; in force 2025-07-01 (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — National Pension Act Enforcement Decree, Article 111 — foreigners excluded from automatic coverage; in force 2025-07-01 (checked 2026-10-19)
- Easy to Find, Practical Law — Employment of Foreign Workers — English table of four social insurances for foreign workers; no revision date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
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