🛡 South Korea 4 Major Insurances Calculator (2026)
See how much Korea's four major social insurances (4대보험) take from a monthly salary, what the employer pays on top, and the total cost of employment. Amounts in Korean won (₩).
Employee share (deducted from pay)
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Insurance & employment cost by monthly pay (uses the company size and accident rate above)
How to use
- Enter monthly pay excluding non-taxable allowances, such as the meal allowance of up to ₩200,000 a month. Korean social insurance premiums are charged on taxable pay only.
- Choose the company size. It changes the employer's extra employment insurance rate. The industrial accident rate depends on the industry, so you can type your own; the default is the 2026 average of 1.47%.
- The table splits each insurance into employee and employer shares. Below it you'll see annual totals and the employer's total cost of employment.
What are Korea's "4 major insurances"?
Every regular employee in South Korea is enrolled in four social insurance programs, called 4대보험 (sadae boheom). Premiums are withheld from each paycheck, and the employer pays a matching share or more.
- National Pension (국민연금, NPS): retirement, disability and survivor pension.
- National Health Insurance (건강보험, NHIS): public health coverage. Long-term care insurance (장기요양보험) is charged on top as a percentage of the health premium.
- Employment Insurance (고용보험): unemployment benefits, parental leave pay and job training.
- Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (산재보험): work-injury coverage, paid entirely by the employer.
2026 contribution rates
| Insurance | Employee | Employer | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Pension | 4.75% | 4.75% | 9.5% |
| Health insurance | 3.595% | 3.595% | 7.19% |
| Long-term care | Each: health premium × 13.14% | 0.9448% of pay | |
| Employment insurance (unemployment) | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| Job security & vocational training | - | 0.25–0.85% | |
| Industrial accident | - | By industry (avg. 1.47%) | |
- National Pension: the rate rose from 9% to 9.5% in 2026. Base monthly income for July 2026 to June 2027 has a floor of ₩410,000 and a cap of ₩6,590,000 (rounded down to ₩1,000), so pay above the cap doesn't increase the premium.
- Health insurance: 7.19% in 2026. The monthly premium on salary is capped at ₩9,183,480 (employee share ₩4,591,740).
- Employer employment insurance add-on: 0.25% under 150 employees, 0.45% for 150+ priority-support companies, 0.65% for 150 to 999 employees, and 0.85% for 1,000+ employees and government bodies.
- Industrial accident: paid by the employer only. The rate varies by industry and includes 0.06% for commuting accidents.
Example: ₩3,000,000 a month, under 150 employees, 1.47% accident rate
- National Pension ₩142,500 + health ₩107,850 + long-term care ₩14,170 + employment ₩27,000 = employee pays ₩291,520
- The employer pays the same plus ₩7,500 extra employment insurance and ₩44,100 accident insurance, for a total of ₩343,120.
- Total employment cost is about ₩3.34 million a month, or about ₩40.1 million a year, before severance pay.
Notes for foreign workers in Korea
- National Pension: most foreign employees must join. Citizens of countries with a social security (totalization) agreement with Korea, such as the US, may be exempt or able to count contributions toward home-country benefits, depending on the agreement. Many foreign workers can claim a lump-sum refund when they leave Korea, depending on nationality and visa type. Check with the NPS.
- Health insurance: foreign employees are enrolled through the workplace like Korean workers.
- Employment insurance: whether it's mandatory or optional depends on your visa status. Ask your employer or the Employment Insurance service.
Tips
- Hiring budget: plan for roughly 11 to 12% of salary in employer social insurance, plus about 8.3% for severance pay (퇴직금).
- Duru-nuri subsidy (두루누리): businesses with fewer than 10 employees can get part of the pension and employment insurance premiums subsidized for low-wage new hires.
- To see take-home pay after income tax too, use the Korea monthly net pay calculator.
- Amounts can differ in the month you join or leave, and premiums are trued up each year (health insurance in April, pension in July).
Estimate based on 2026 rates, for reference only. Actual premiums are charged on the pay amount reported to the agencies (based on the previous year's pay) and may differ from a given month's paycheck. Amounts below ₩10 are dropped for simplicity.
FAQ
How much are the 4 major insurances on ₩3 million a month?
In 2026 the employee pays about ₩291,520: National Pension ₩142,500, health ₩107,850, long-term care ₩14,170 and employment insurance ₩27,000.
How much does the employer pay?
The same pension, health and long-term care amounts, plus extra employment insurance (0.25–0.85%) and industrial accident insurance (by industry). That’s typically 10–12% of pay.
What are the 2026 rates?
National Pension 9.5%, health insurance 7.19%, long-term care 13.14% of the health premium, and employment insurance 0.9% for the employee. Pension and health are split 50/50 between employee and employer.
Is the meal allowance included?
No. Non-taxable pay such as a meal allowance up to ₩200,000 a month is excluded, so enter pay minus non-taxable items.
Is there a cap on National Pension contributions?
Yes. From July 2026 to June 2027, base income is capped at ₩6.59 million, so the employee’s pension contribution never exceeds about ₩313,000 a month.
Can foreigners get their National Pension back when leaving Korea?
Many can, through a lump-sum refund, depending on nationality (reciprocity or a social security agreement) and visa type. Apply to the NPS before or after departure.