Who Pays Parental Leave Benefits in Korea?

As of October 2026, the short answer is that Korea's parental leave benefit (육아휴직 급여) is paid by Employment Insurance, not by your employer. You apply through the government's Work24 portal or your local Employment Center, the Employment Center checks your eligibility and pays the benefit, and your employer's main job is to submit a parental leave confirmation form stating your leave period and ordinary wage. That is why the money arrives through a different channel, and is calculated in a different way, from your regular salary. This guide walks through who pays, what the employer must do, how much you receive and for how long, how extra payments from your employer can reduce the benefit, and how often you need to apply.

Employment Insurance pays the benefit, not your employer

The legal basis is Article 70 of the Employment Insurance Act. Article 95 of the Enforcement Decree of the Employment Insurance Act sets the monthly amounts of the "parental leave benefit under Article 70(1) of the Act." In other words, this is not a wage your company owes you under your employment contract. It is an insurance benefit for insured workers who meet the requirements.

Because of that, you do not claim it from your HR team. According to Work24's parental leave benefit guide, workers apply on the Work24 website or mobile app, or submit a form in person at an Employment Center. The Employment Center decides whether to pay, and if you disagree with a refusal you can file an Employment Insurance review request, or a re-review request, within 90 days of receiving the decision. The process is an insurance procedure, not a negotiation with your employer.

Eligibility is also set by Employment Insurance rules. Work24 says you need at least 180 days of insured periods as a regular employee as of the day your leave starts, and you must take at least 30 days of statutory parental leave for the same child. Insured periods at previous employers count, but periods before a gap of three years or more do not, and periods before you last received unemployment benefits are excluded. Time insured as a self-employed person, artist or platform-type worker is not counted either.

What your employer must do: the confirmation form

Your employer does not pay the benefit, but your claim stalls without them. Work24's guide to the confirmation form describes it as a document listing your leave period, contractual working hours and ordinary wage, and it is a required attachment for the benefit. Issuing it is a legal duty under the Employment Insurance Act: if you ask for it in order to claim the benefit, your employer has to provide it.

Order matters for online claims. Work24 explains that the company must submit the confirmation form first; only then can you file the benefit claim online. Asking HR before your leave starts when they will file it can save you a wait on your first claim. If you apply in person, you fill in the claim form yourself.

Check the ordinary wage on the form carefully, because it drives your benefit. Under Korean labor law, ordinary wage means pay fixed in advance to be paid regularly and uniformly for contractual work. Work24 says it can include fixed base pay, position, skill and qualification allowances, regular bonuses, and meal or transport allowances paid in proportion to days worked, while allowances that vary with performance are generally excluded.

If your employer refuses to issue the form without a valid reason, Work24 says the Employment Center can demand it directly from the employer. For questions about what counts as ordinary wage, the Ministry of Employment and Labor's call center (1350) or the local labor office can help.

How much you receive and for how long

The amount is based on your monthly ordinary wage on the day your leave starts. Under Article 95 of the Enforcement Decree, the standard monthly amounts are:

• Months 1 to 3: 100% of ordinary wage, capped at KRW 2.5 million
• Months 4 to 6: 100% of ordinary wage, capped at KRW 2 million
• Month 7 to the end of leave: 80% of ordinary wage, capped at KRW 1.6 million
• Minimum in every period: KRW 0.7 million (700,000 won)

For example, someone with a monthly ordinary wage of KRW 3 million would receive KRW 2.5 million a month for the first three months, KRW 2 million for months 4 to 6, and KRW 1.6 million from month 7, because 80% of their wage (KRW 2.4 million) is above the cap. To compare with your salary, take the smaller of your wage times the rate and the cap.

There are special rules. Work24 explains that if both parents take leave, at the same time or one after the other, within 18 months of the child's birth, the "6+6" parents-together scheme raises the caps for each parent's first six months: KRW 2.5 million for months 1 and 2, KRW 3 million for month 3, KRW 3.5 million for month 4, KRW 4 million for month 5 and KRW 4.5 million for month 6. It applies to the months both parents actually use, even if neither takes the full six. Single parents get a cap of KRW 3 million for the first three months.

You are paid for the leave you actually take, up to 1 year and 6 months. Split leave periods are added together, and a partial month is paid in proportion to the days on leave. Paragraph 4 of Article 95 was deleted in a December 2024 amendment, so the current article only sets monthly amounts. Work24 also offers a calculator to estimate your total.

Payments from your employer can reduce the benefit

This is where salary and benefit interact. A Ministry of Employment and Labor online counseling answer quotes Article 98 of the Enforcement Decree: if you receive money from your employer because of your parental leave, and in any month that money plus your benefit exceeds your monthly ordinary wage as of the start of leave, the excess is deducted from the benefit.

Using the earlier example, a worker with a KRW 3 million ordinary wage could receive KRW 2.5 million in month 1. If the employer also pays KRW 1 million because of the leave, the total is KRW 3.5 million, which is KRW 0.5 million above the ordinary wage, so the benefit drops to KRW 2 million. In effect, the employer payment and the insurance benefit together are kept at or below your ordinary wage.

Not every payment is automatically covered. The test is whether it was paid because of the leave, so pay for work done before the leave may be treated differently. If you receive something ambiguous, such as a holiday bonus, performance pay or unused annual leave pay, do not guess on the claim form's question about employer payments; keep the pay statement and ask your Employment Center.

Working elsewhere during leave is a separate rule. Work24 says that if you work 15 or more contractual hours a week, or earn KRW 1.5 million or more a month from work or self-employment, you must report it on your claim. Failing to report it or reporting falsely restricts payment depending on the number of violations, from the period worked up to all remaining benefits after a third violation. False statements can also mean repaying benefits and penalties of up to one year in prison or a fine of up to KRW 3 million.

When to apply and how often you are paid

Your salary arrives on payday without any action, but the parental leave benefit only comes when you claim it. Work24 says you can apply from one month after your leave starts, either every month or for several months at once.

Watch the deadline: if you do not apply within 12 months after your leave ends, you lose the benefit. Work24 recommends claiming every month for that reason. If your end date changes, for instance because you return early, the deadline is counted from the new date, so tell your Employment Center.

The employer files the confirmation form once at the start; after that, you submit the monthly or combined claims yourself, reporting any employer payments or outside income for those months.

A checklist before you apply

1. Check on Work24 that you have at least 180 days of insured periods.
2. Ask your employer to submit the confirmation form, and for online claims confirm it has been filed.
3. Verify the ordinary wage and leave period on the form.
4. Work out your monthly amounts, and if your partner will also take leave, check whether the 6+6 scheme applies within 18 months of birth.
5. Find out whether your employer will pay anything during leave and why.
6. Claim monthly from the second month of leave and note the 12-month deadline.

Keep the roles straight: the employer confirms, you claim, and the Employment Center reviews and pays.

Sources

• 고용24 육아휴직급여 제도 안내
• 고용24 육아휴직·육아기 근로시간 단축 확인서 안내
• 국가법령정보센터 고용보험법 시행령 제95조(육아휴직 급여)
• 고용노동부 빠른인터넷상담: 육아휴직 중 회사 금품과 육아휴직 급여 감액