Working an hourly job in Korea? Your pay includes a weekly holiday allowance (주휴수당) that many workers don't know about. Enter your hourly wage and hours to see your real monthly pay. The 2026 minimum wage is ₩10,320/hour. For 2027 it is 10,700 won (up 380), and which parts of a monthly wage count toward it is worked through in the 2027 minimum wage checker.
1. What it comes to. At the minimum wage: ₩82,560 a day, ₩2,156,880 a month on the published 209-hour basis. But only 174 of those 209 hours are worked — the other 35 are weekly holiday.
2. What people miss. There is a step at 15 hours a week — one extra hour raises weekly pay by ₩41,280. And the statute says not “15 hours a week” but “15 hours averaged over four weeks.”
3. How to use it. Enter daily hours net of breaks, and pick the tax option that matches your contract — 3.3% withholding and 9.7% social insurance are entirely different things.
| Weekly hours | 0 |
| Weekly holiday pay per week | 0 |
| Overtime pay per week | 0 |
| Monthly gross ~4.34 weeks | 0 |
| Probation cut -10% | 0 |
| Tax withheld | 0 |
| Net monthly pay | 0 |
Under 15 hours/week does not qualify for weekly holiday pay.
Assumes ~4.34 weeks per month. Estimate only — actual pay depends on your employment contract.
The 2026 minimum wage — three numbers from the commission
Transcribed from the Minimum Wage Commission's “Annual minimum wage decisions” table, checked 30 July 2026.
| Item | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | ₩10,320 | ₩10,030 | +₩290 |
| Daily (8 hours) | ₩82,560 | ₩80,240 | +₩2,320 |
| Monthly (209 hours, as published) | ₩2,156,880 | ₩2,096,270 | +₩60,610 |
| Increase | 2.9% | 1.7% | — |
| Decided / published | Decided 10 July 2025 → published 5 August 2025 | ||
We checked the arithmetic. 10,320 × 8 = 82,560 and 10,320 × 209 = 2,156,880 match the published figures exactly. The increase too: 290 ÷ 10,030 = 2.891%, published as 2.9%.
Weekly holiday pay is already inside that “209 hours”
Where the 209 hours behind the published monthly figure comes from is the heart of this calculator. Work it out:
(40 hours worked + 8 hours weekly holiday) × (365 ÷ 7) ÷ 12 = 48 × 52.14 ÷ 12 = 208.57 → 209 hours
Of those 209 hours only 174 are actually worked; the other 35 are the weekly paid holiday (our calculation: 40 × 52.14 ÷ 12 = 174.3). So a “₩2.15 million minimum-wage job” is the price of 174 hours of work.
This is why “hourly wage × hours” comes out below the published monthly figure. 10,320 × 174 = ₩1,795,680, and only adding the 35 holiday hours, ₩361,200, gets you to ₩2,156,880.
What is weekly holiday pay (주휴수당)?
If you work 15+ hours a week and show up as scheduled, Korean law entitles you to one extra paid day per week. Part-timers qualify too — many just don't know it.
Weekly holiday pay = (weekly hours ÷ 40) × 8 × hourly wage (capped at 40 hours)
At ₩10,320 for 40 hours that is ₩82,560 extra every week. At 15 hours: (15 ÷ 40) × 8 × 10,320 = ₩30,960 (our calculation).
| Weekly hours | Base weekly pay | Holiday pay | Total | Effective hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 hours | ₩144,480 | ₩0 | ₩144,480 | ₩10,320 |
| 15 hours | ₩154,800 | ₩30,960 | ₩185,760 | ₩12,384 |
| 20 hours | ₩206,400 | ₩41,280 | ₩247,680 | ₩12,384 |
| 40 hours | ₩412,800 | ₩82,560 | ₩495,360 | ₩12,384 |
There is a cliff between 14 and 15 hours. One extra hour lifts weekly pay from ₩144,480 to ₩185,760 — a jump of ₩41,280, meaning that single hour is worth ₩41,280, not ₩10,320 (our calculation). Effective hourly pay jumps from ₩10,320 to ₩12,384.
Past 15 hours the effective rate stays at ₩12,384. Holiday pay scales with hours from there. The cliff exists at exactly one point.
Chart the effective hourly rate around the threshold and a single step appears.
The minimum wage has barely moved lately
2018 and 2019 alone brought 16.4% and 10.9%. Across those two years the hourly wage went ₩6,470 to ₩8,350 — up 29.1% (our calculation). Across the seven years from 2020 to 2026 it went ₩8,350 to ₩10,320 — up 23.6%.
Two years outpaced the following seven. The 1.5% of 2021 is, reading the commission's full table back to 1988, the lowest figure in it. The table gives no reason, so we do not offer one.
Social insurance — 15 hours a week is the line here too
Part-timers enrol once they meet the threshold. Employee-share rates, read off each agency's page on 30 July 2026:
| Item | Full rate | Employee share | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Pension | 9.5% | 4.75% | National Pension Service |
| Health Insurance | 7.19% | 3.595% | Health Insurance Policy Committee |
| Long-term Care | 13.14% of the health premium | 0.4724% | Long-term Care Committee |
| Employment (jobseeker benefit) | 0.9% employee + 0.9% employer | 0.9% | Ministry of Employment and Labor |
| Total | — | 9.7174% | our calculation |
Under 15 hours a week (60 a month), enrolment is not required. So 15 hours is simultaneously where holiday pay starts and where social insurance starts — one hour changes both.
If monthly income falls below ₩410,000, the pension is calculated on the ₩410,000 floor — meaning contributions are assessed on more than you actually earned. The structure is in our national pension estimator.
The insurance starts at the very same threshold as the allowance. Both together decide what actually lands.
How is tax withheld?
- Income tax 3.3% — common for freelance and short-term work (3% income + 0.3% local). You may get some back when you file in May.
- Social insurance 9.7% — if enrolled (table above). Under 15 hours/week (60 hours/month) does not require enrolment.
3.3% and 9.7% are not the same kind of thing. The 3.3% is tax withheld in advance and can come back; the 9.7% is a premium and does not (it returns as pension, healthcare and unemployment cover instead). Comparing the percentages alone misses that. Filing is covered in our comprehensive income tax calculator.
Probation period
In August 2026 we read this provision in the original (see below). In short: for someone hired on a contract of one year or longer, during the first three months of probation, the floor can be set at the hourly minimum wage minus 10 per cent. Occupations published as simple manual labour are excluded.
It is 10% of the minimum wage, not of your pay, and it is a fixed formula, not “up to.” For 2026 the floor is ₩9,288 an hour (10,320 × 0.9 — our calculation). Check your contract.
What the statutes actually say about “15 hours” and “10%”
“15+ hours with full attendance,” “up to a 10% reduction” and “contracts under a year excluded” are widely cited. The wording in the Labor Standards Act, the Minimum Wage Act and both Enforcement Decrees differs from each of them.
Weekly holiday pay — the basis sits in three separate articles
People state it as one rule. The statute splits it across three different provisions.
| Piece | Provision | Text |
|---|---|---|
| The paid holiday itself | Labor Standards Act Art. 55(1) | “An employer shall guarantee an employee at least one paid holiday per week on average.” |
| The “full attendance” test | Enforcement Decree Art. 30(1) | “The paid holiday under Art. 55(1) shall be granted to a person who has worked all contractual working days in the week.” |
| The “15 hours” | Labor Standards Act Art. 18(3) | “For an employee whose contractual working hours averaged over four weeks (or the actual period, if shorter) are less than 15 hours per week, Articles 55 and 60 shall not apply.” |
“15 hours” does not appear in the holiday-pay article at all. Article 55 says only “at least one paid holiday per week on average.” The 15 hours enters through Article 18(3), which excludes certain workers from Article 55. It is an exception clause, not the rule itself.
And it is a four-week average, not a weekly test. Read literally —
· A 14-hour week still counts if the four-week average clears 15 hours.
· A 20-hour week does not help if the four-week average falls short.
· Worked less than four weeks? The actual period is averaged.
Counting week by week gives the wrong answer — which matters most for the uneven shifts part-time work tends to have.
Note also that Article 60 (annual leave) is bound into the same sentence — the 15-hour line governs holiday pay and annual leave together.
“Full attendance” lives in the Decree, not the Act — you must have worked every contractual working day. It is commonly said that lateness or leaving early does not count as absence, but that reading has no basis in the text, so this article does not assert it.
The probation reduction — not “10% of your pay”
The earlier version said “pay can be cut by up to 10% during probation.” The statute differs in two ways.
Minimum Wage Act, Article 5(2) — For a person who has concluded an employment contract for a period of one year or longer and is on probation, within three months from the day probation began, a minimum wage different from that under paragraph 1 may be set as prescribed by Presidential Decree. Provided that this excludes employees in occupations designated and published by the Minister of Employment and Labor as simple manual labour.
Minimum Wage Act Enforcement Decree, Article 3 — … the amount obtained by subtracting 10 per cent from the hourly minimum wage shall be that employee's hourly minimum wage.
| Item | What we used to say | The statute |
|---|---|---|
| Size of the cut | “up to 10%” | Not a range — “minus 10 per cent,” a fixed formula |
| 10% of what | “10% of pay” | 10% of the hourly minimum wage |
| Duration | (not stated) | Within three months of probation starting |
| Contract | “under 1 year excluded” | Same effect — only where the contract is for one year or longer |
| Occupation | “simple manual labour excluded” | Occupations published by the Minister as simple manual labour are excluded |
“10% of pay” and “10% of the minimum wage” diverge the further your rate sits above the minimum. What the provision sets is how far the legal floor can be lowered — not a right to cut an agreed rate.
Applying the 2026 figures (our calculation): ₩10,320 × 0.9 = ₩9,288. During probation the legal floor is ₩9,288 an hour.
If your agreed rate is ₩12,000, “you're on probation so we'll take 10%, ₩10,800” finds no support in this provision — it only touches the minimum wage. Such a cut would have to be written into the contract separately.
The time limit matters too. Even on a six-month probation, the reduction is available for three months. From month four it is the full minimum wage.
Still unverified — the published list of “simple manual labour” occupations is a ministerial notice rather than legislation, so we could not open it. Check with the Ministry of Employment and Labor before signing if you think your job may fall inside it.
Questions that remain
Is 14 versus 15 hours really that different?
On weekly pay, yes — ₩144,480 becomes ₩185,760, up ₩41,280 (our calculation). But social insurance of 9.7174% also starts at 15 hours. That is about ₩18,047 on ₩185,760, so even after premiums you are well ahead of 14 hours.
Does “₩2,156,880 a month” reach my account?
No. Social insurance alone removes about ₩209,563 (our calculation), before income tax and local income tax. Salaried take-home is covered in our net salary calculator.
When does the minimum wage change?
It is decided each July for the following year and published in early August — the 2026 figure was decided 10 July 2025 and published 5 August 2025. It applies from 1 January. Note this differs from the pension income ceiling, which changes in July.
What if holiday pay is not being paid?
Start with the employment contract and payslip: is holiday pay a separate line, or is it stated as included in the hourly rate? We do not cover the complaint procedure here — we could not verify the agency guidance.
Can probation pay fall below the minimum wage?
Yes, if every condition is met — a contract of one year or longer, within three months of probation starting, and not a published simple-manual-labour occupation (Minimum Wage Act Art. 5(2)). The floor is then the hourly minimum wage minus 10%, which for 2026 is ₩9,288. It is not 10% of your own rate — an agreed ₩12,000 does not become ₩10,800 under this provision.
What does “averaged over four weeks” mean?
Article 18(3) of the Labor Standards Act disapplies holiday pay (Art. 55) and annual leave (Art. 60) where contractual hours averaged over four weeks fall below 15 a week. So a single 14-hour week still qualifies if the four-week average clears 15, and a single 20-hour week does not save an average that falls short. Worked less than four weeks? The actual period is averaged.
Weekly holiday pay and overtime are legal rights. If you qualify and aren't getting them, ask.
Sources
- Korea Ministry of Government Legislation, National Law Information Centre — Labor Standards Act, Article 55 (holidays) and Article 18 (working conditions of part-time workers), in force 23 October 2025, Act No. 20520. Source for “at least one paid holiday per week on average” and for the four-week average, 15-hour exclusion from Articles 55 and 60.
- National Law Information Centre — Labor Standards Act Enforcement Decree, Article 30. Source for the “worked all contractual working days in the week” condition.
- National Law Information Centre — Minimum Wage Act, Article 5 and its Enforcement Decree, Article 3. Source for “one year or longer,” “within three months from the day probation began,” the simple-manual-labour exclusion, and “subtracting 10 per cent from the hourly minimum wage.”
- Minimum Wage Commission — agency source — “Annual minimum wage decisions” (checked 30 July 2026). Source for the 2026 hourly ₩10,320, daily ₩82,560, monthly ₩2,156,880 at 209 hours, the 2.9% (₩290) increase, and the decision and publication dates — plus the full year-by-year history back to 1988.
- National Pension Service — agency source — “Contribution — amount and rate” (checked 30 July 2026). Source for the 9.5% rate, the ₩410,000 floor, and the half-and-half employer split.
- Ministry of Health and Welfare — agency source — “2026 health insurance rate set at 7.19%” (28 August 2025) and “2026 long-term care rate 0.9448%” (4 November 2025). Source for 7.19% and 13.14%.
- Ministry of Employment and Labor — agency source — “Employment Insurance Fund — contribution rates” (checked 30 July 2026). Source for 0.9% employee and 0.9% employer.
- Our own calculation. Where 209 hours comes from (48 × 365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12 = 208.57), 174 worked hours versus 35 holiday hours, the 14/15/20/40-hour pay, holiday and effective-rate table, the ₩41,280 cliff, 29.1% across 2018–2019 against 23.6% across 2020–2026, and the 9.7174% total are ours. Checks: 10,320 × 8 = 82,560 and 10,320 × 209 = 2,156,880 match the published values.
Where to check further
- Whether your job counts as “simple manual labour” — the list of occupations excluded from the probation reduction is a ministerial notice rather than legislation, so it does not appear in a law search. Check with the Ministry of Employment and Labor (1350) before signing.
- How far “full attendance” reaches, and the social insurance threshold — the Decree says only “worked all contractual working days,” so lateness and early departure are not addressed in the text, and the 15-hour / 60-hour insurance thresholds sit in agency guidance. When in doubt, ask the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service or the National Pension Service.
- Night and holiday premium rates — this calculator applies only the 1.5× overtime rate. Night and holiday premiums are covered in the net salary calculator.
As of July 2026. The minimum wage and the premium rates come from the agencies' own pages; the holiday-pay structure and every won figure are our arithmetic. Estimates assume about 4.34 weeks a month; actual pay depends on your contract and arrangement. General information, not legal advice. Salaried take-home is in our net salary calculator and leaving payments in the severance calculator.
