What actually comes out of your paycheck in Korea, month by month

Your contract might say something like ₩2.5 million a month. Offers vary by school and city. Whatever the number on the page is, it is not the number that lands in your account.

Here is what actually comes out, and when.

The two big ones: pension and health insurance

National Pension is the simple one. In 2025 the employee share was 4.5%, matched by an equal employer contribution. That changed on 1 January 2026, when employer and employee contributions each increased from 4.5% to 4.75%, the first hike in almost thirty years, with more small increases scheduled every January through 2033.

Health insurance is messier because two things sit on top of each other. The base National Health Insurance rate rose to 7.19 percent for 2026, up from 7.09 percent in 2025, split evenly. On top of that sits Long-Term Care Insurance, calculated as a percentage of your health premium rather than your salary, and that rate rose from 12.95% to 13.14% in 2026 too. Add both together and, as of 2026, your combined health-related deduction runs to approximately 8.135% of monthly wages split equally between employer and employee, at roughly 4.0674% each.

Health insurance also does not start day one. It only kicks in once your healthcare service is effective after alien registration is complete, and if there is a gap, premiums incurring as a result of retroactive application are added to the initial premium, so a later paycheck can suddenly drop by more than expected while the school catches your account up.

The real April surprise

The old assumption is that your premium just holds steady all year. It doesn't. Health insurance is withheld through the year based on last year's declared salary, then trued up. Most people see a small adjustment on their April payslip, either a little extra deducted or a little refunded. If the April number looks different from March, that is usually why, and your school's payroll office can show you the line.

If you want a second pair of eyes on an offer before you sign, send it to us and we'll walk you through what each line means.