Korean parental leave benefit
The cap falls as the leave runs on, so this splits it month by month and totals it.
Parental leave benefit pays a share of ordinary wage up to a cap, and both the share and the cap step down over the leave — 100% for months 1–6, 80% from month 7. One month's figure therefore tells you nothing about the total, so this lays out every month. The caps change by decree, so they are editable rather than hard-coded — the defaults are the values last checked.
Ordinary wage and period
What you enter is saved in this browser, so it is still here next time
Use the figure from the ordinary wage calculator.
The share of ordinary wage paid. The decree sets 100%.
The share from the seventh month on. The decree sets 80%.
These change by decree — enter the current year's values.
Nothing is paid below this.
Benefit
Whole period
₩23,100,000
First month
₩2,500,000
Monthly average
₩1,925,000
Month by month
| Month | Cap | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₩2,500,000 | ₩2,500,000 (capped) |
| 2 | ₩2,500,000 | ₩2,500,000 (capped) |
| 3 | ₩2,500,000 | ₩2,500,000 (capped) |
| 4 | ₩2,000,000 | ₩2,000,000 (capped) |
| 5 | ₩2,000,000 | ₩2,000,000 (capped) |
| 6 | ₩2,000,000 | ₩2,000,000 (capped) |
| 7 | ₩1,600,000 | ₩1,600,000 (capped) |
| 8 | ₩1,600,000 | ₩1,600,000 (capped) |
| 9 | ₩1,600,000 | ₩1,600,000 (capped) |
| 10 | ₩1,600,000 | ₩1,600,000 (capped) |
| 11 | ₩1,600,000 | ₩1,600,000 (capped) |
| 12 | ₩1,600,000 | ₩1,600,000 (capped) |
Because the cap steps down, multiplying one month's figure does not give the total.
Caps change by decree; the defaults are the values last checked, so confirm the current notice. Eligibility is decided by the employment centre.
Left at the defaults: 23,100,000 won over twelve months
On a monthly ordinary wage of 3,500,000, 100% for months 1–6 is 3,500,000 and 80% from month 7 is 2,800,000, both above every cap. So months 1–3 pay 2,500,000, months 4–6 pay 2,000,000 and months 7–12 pay 1,600,000: a total of 7,500,000 + 6,000,000 + 9,600,000 = 23,100,000 won, or 1,925,000 a month on average. The first cap is reached at a wage of 2,500,000, and above that every wage produces the same total. At 2,000,000 the six early months pay 2,000,000 as they are and month 7 onward pays 80%, 1,600,000.
The floor, the rate, and what this screen leaves alone
When the rate times the wage falls short of the floor, the floor is paid. On a wage of 800,000 the six early months pay 800,000 at 100%, but from month 7 the 80% figure of 640,000 becomes 700,000, so twelve months come to 4,800,000 + 4,200,000 = 9,000,000. The rate is split into months 1–6 and month 7 onward, and both are editable — when the decree changes again, change those fields. The benefit is exempt from income tax under Article 12(3) of the Income Tax Act, so nothing is deducted.
Common questions
QWhat if the leave runs past a year?
From the seventh month the last cap simply carries on. With the defaults and 18 months, months 7 to 18 all pay 1,600,000, for a total of 32,700,000. The field accepts up to 36 months, but that is only a limit of the screen — how many months you may take is set by Article 19 of the Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work–Family Reconciliation.
QI do not know my ordinary wage.
Work it out in the ordinary wage calculator by entering your pay items. It is not just base pay: allowances paid regularly and uniformly for contractual work may count; assess performance-linked portions separately.
QDo both parents taking leave get more?
There is a scheme raising the cap for the first months when both parents take leave. The conditions and amounts change with each revision, so it is not built in — enter that figure in the cap field instead.
QHow long must I have been insured?
At least 180 insured days before the leave begins. This screen computes amounts only; eligibility is decided by the employment centre.