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Korea Unemployment Benefits Calculator

See what your daily benefit, benefit period and total come to, and whether your visa is covered.

Work out your unemployment benefits

How much can you claim?

Your dates and your average pay are enough to get a figure.

6 questions, about 1 min

How many people are on unemployment benefits right now?See more unemployment benefit statistics on GData
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How the number is built

Estimated totaldaily benefit×benefit period
Daily benefitaverage daily wage×60%(cap and floor applied)
LimitPer dayPer month, roughly
Daily cap₩68,100₩2,043,000
Daily floor (8 hours)₩66,048₩1,981,440

2026 figures. The floor is the minimum hourly wage (₩10,320) × daily contracted hours (up to 8) × 80%. Fewer contracted hours means a proportionally lower floor.

Insured periodUnder 5050 or over, or disability
Under 1 year120 days120 days
1-3 years150 days180 days
3-5 years180 days210 days
5-10 years210 days240 days
10 years or more240 days270 days
Unemployment benefits are not taxed. The figure above is what reaches your account.

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Does your visa cover this?

VisaThe unemployment-benefit portionWhat to do
F-2, F-5, F-6Covered automaticallyNothing to file
D-7, D-8, D-9Covered automaticallyNothing to file
C-4, E-1 to E-8, E-10Covered only if enrollment was filedCheck your record before you count on a figure
F-4Covered only if enrollment was filedCheck your record before you count on a figure
E-9, H-2Covered only if enrollment was filed for this portionThe other insurance programs still apply to you automatically
H-1Not on the Enforcement Decree's listAsk the Employment and Labor line on 1350
D-2, D-4Not on the Enforcement Decree's listAsk the Employment and Labor line on 1350

Filed-on-request is not the same as shut out. Once enrollment is on file, the formula is identical to a Korean worker's.

Employment insurance is not the same thing as unemployment benefits

Employment insuranceUnemployment benefits
What it isThe insurance scheme itself, covering several programsOne of the payouts that scheme makes
For E-9 and H-2Applies automatically once you are registeredApplies only if enrollment for this portion was filed
Where you meet itA deduction line on your monthly payslipA claim you file after the job ends

This is where most E-9 and H-2 workers get caught out: paying the premium and being covered for this benefit are two separate things.

Check whether you were actually enrolled

  1. 1
    Look at your payslipsAn employment insurance deduction line is the fastest sign that something was filed.
  2. 2
    Pull your insured status historyThe employment insurance service shows the dates you were acquired and lost as an insured person.
  3. 3
    Call 1350The Employment and Labor counselling line has interpretation and can read your record back to you.
  4. 4
    Go to the Employment CenterBring your Alien Registration Card and ask them to read your insured history at the counter.

The three tests you have to pass

TestWhat it takes
Insured days180 insured days or more within the 18 months before your last day
Why the job endedInvoluntary separation. Quitting counts only when you had a justifiable reason
What you do nextShow real job-search activity at every check-in, and be able to work

None of these three has a nationality condition attached to it.

Quitting: when it still counts

Why you leftCan it qualify?
Your contract ran outYes
Wages went unpaidYes
Pay fell below the minimum wageYes
A commute of three hours or more, round tripYes
Illness that stopped you doing the jobYes
Harassment at workYes
A better offer somewhere elseNo

The Employment Center decides case by case, and it wants evidence. Keep messages, payslips and contracts.

Your claim and your stay are two different desks

QuestionWho answers it
How much will I get, and for how long?Employment and Labor counselling, 1350
Was I enrolled? Does my resignation count?Your local Employment Center, or 1350
What happens to my residence status now?Immigration contact center, 1345

How long you may stay after leaving a job depends on your visa, not on a single fixed number. Call Immigration on 1345 for the deadline that applies to yours.

One deadline is real and it belongs to the claim: you have 12 months from the day after you left to use your benefit days.

Found a job while you are still claiming?

Half of the benefit days you never used can come back as a lump sum. The conditions and the formula live on their own page.Early Reemployment Allowance calculator

FAQ ❓

Yes, if you were insured. Once you are in the employment insurance scheme and meet the requirements, the formula is identical to a Korean worker's - there is no nationality line anywhere in the calculation. What differs by visa is whether you were enrolled in the first place.
Partly, and the distinction matters. E-9 and H-2 workers are automatically insured for the other employment insurance programs, but the unemployment-benefit portion applies only if enrollment for it was filed. Check your payslips and your insurance record before you count on a figure.
Start with your payslips - an employment insurance deduction is the quickest sign. Then look up your insured status history on the employment insurance website, which shows the dates you were acquired and lost as an insured person. If it is still unclear, call the Employment and Labor counselling line on 1350, which has interpretation.
Not necessarily. Voluntary resignation is excluded as a rule, but a justifiable reason brings it back: a contract that ran out, unpaid wages, pay below the minimum wage, a commute of three hours or more, illness, or harassment at work. The Employment Center decides case by case.
No. What is calculated is what lands in your account, with nothing withheld.
Your claim and your stay are handled by two different agencies, and one does not decide the other. Call 1350 for anything about the benefit, and the immigration contact center on 1345 for anything about your residence status. Ask 1345 before you assume a deadline you read online applies to you.
No. Severance pay comes from your employer for the years you served. Unemployment benefits come from the employment insurance scheme while you look for work. You can be entitled to both, and they are claimed in completely different places.
The forms and the Work24 portal are in Korean, and job-search check-ins are held in Korean. The 1350 counselling line offers interpretation, and larger Employment Centers can arrange it, so bring your Alien Registration Card and ask when you register.

Sources 🌐