If you receive the Korean National Pension, your Basic Pension can be reduced depending on how much that pension is. Article 6 of the Basic Pension Act pays the full standard amount when your National Pension benefits (excluding the dependant addition) are 150% of the standard pension amount or less. Above that, Article 5 sets the amount: the standard amount, less two thirds of the redistributive benefit amount, plus an additional amount equal to half the standard amount. With the 2026 standard amount of ₩349,700 that line sits at ₩524,550. Enter your National Pension benefits and redistributive amount and the calculator shows which provision applies and your monthly Basic Pension.
1. Up to ₩524,550 of National Pension, the full ₩349,700 — for people whose National Pension benefits (excluding the dependant addition) are 150% of the standard amount or less (Act Art. 6(1)). The 2026 standard amount is ₩349,700 (Ministry notice, Art. 3).
2. Above that, ₩349,700 − 2/3 of the redistributive amount + ₩174,850 — the difference cannot go below 0, the additional ₩174,850 is half the standard amount (Act Art. 5(5)), and the result is capped at the standard amount (Art. 7). Up to ₩699,400 (200%) the larger of this and “250% of the standard amount minus the pension” applies (Decree Art. 10).
3. Our example — National Pension benefits of ₩800,000 a month and a redistributive amount of ₩300,000 give a Basic Pension of ₩324,550. If both spouses receive it, each is cut by 20% to ₩259,640 (Act Art. 8(1)).
Calculator
Updates as you type. Amounts are monthly, in won. We drop fractions of a won (the Act has no rounding rule). This calculator does not apply the income-reversal cut near the selection threshold (Act Art. 8(2), Decree Art. 11) — that is in the basic pension recognised-income calculator. For a linked old-age pension we enter the linked old-age pension plus the linked occupational retirement pension as “benefits” (our reading).
The provisions as written
| Provision | What the text says | Points to note (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| Act Art. 5(4)1 | Old-age pension or split pension recipients under Articles 61 and 64 of the National Pension Act (or the listed addenda) | Called “National Pension recipients”; the formula in para. (5) applies |
| Act Art. 5(5) | The basic pension is item 1 less item 2 (or 0 if that is negative), plus item 3: 1. the standard pension amount; 2. two thirds of the amount calculated on the basis of the amount in Art. 51(1)1 of the National Pension Act, adjusted each year (the “redistributive benefit amount”); 3. additional amount: half the standard amount | 2026: ₩349,700 − item 2 + ₩174,850. Never below ₩174,850 (our arithmetic) |
| Act Art. 5(6) | For linked old-age pension recipients, item 2 is two thirds of the redistributive amount plus half the linked occupational retirement pension | Choose “linked” in the calculator to open that field |
| Act Art. 5(7) | The standard amount is paid to people outside paras. (4) and (6), and to those whose National Pension is suspended under its Art. 56(1), disability pension recipients, certain livelihood-security recipients and others set by decree | “None of these” in the calculator |
| Decree Art. 9 | Includes people in voluntary continued membership under Art. 13(1) of the National Pension Act, people who have not claimed a split pension, and linked recipients who chose a survivor pension | Over 60 and still paying in voluntarily: the standard amount |
| Act Art. 6(1) | Where National Pension benefits (excluding the dependant addition under its Art. 52) are 150% of the standard amount or less, the basic pension is the standard amount | 2026: up to ₩524,550 |
| Act Art. 6(2) | Over 150% and up to 200%: the amount may be set by decree, within the standard amount and not below the Art. 5 amount | 2026: up to ₩699,400 |
| Decree Art. 10 | The larger of: 1. 250% of the standard amount less the pension (excluding the dependant addition; for linked recipients, the linked old-age plus linked retirement pension); 2. the Art. 5 amount (capped at the standard amount) | 2026: ₩874,250 − the pension |
| Act Art. 7 | An amount under Art. 5(4)–(6) above the standard amount is treated as the standard amount | ₩349,700 is the ceiling even with the additional amount |
| Act Art. 8(1) | Where a person and their spouse both receive the basic pension, each amount is cut by 20% | Applied after the linked reduction (our reading of the order in para. (2)) |
| Notice Art. 3 | The 2026 standard pension amount under Art. 5 of the Act is ₩349,700 | Applies January to December (Act Art. 5(2)) |
Which line you fall on — four cases
Read in order, the provisions split people into four cases by the size of their National Pension benefits (excluding the dependant addition). Amounts use the 2026 standard amount of ₩349,700 (our arithmetic).
| National Pension benefits a month | Provision | Basic pension, single (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| None, suspended, voluntary continued membership, etc. | Act Art. 5(7), Decree Art. 9 | ₩349,700 |
| ₩524,550 or less | Act Art. 6(1) (150%) | The full ₩349,700, whatever the redistributive amount |
| Over ₩524,550 up to ₩699,400 | Act Art. 6(2), Decree Art. 10 | The larger of ₩874,250 − the pension and the Art. 5 amount |
| Over ₩699,400 | Act Arts. 5(5) and 7 | ₩174,850 to ₩349,700 (the Art. 5 amount) |
The Art. 5 formula has one more threshold of its own. If item 2 is ₩174,850 or less, items 1 − 2 + 3 reach ₩349,700 or more and the Art. 7 cap applies, so a redistributive amount up to ₩262,275 still gives the full amount (262,275 × 2/3 = 174,850, our arithmetic). At the other end, a redistributive amount of ₩524,550 or more makes item 2 at least ₩349,700, items 1 − 2 become 0, and only the additional ₩174,850 remains (our arithmetic). Under this formula a National Pension recipient does not drop below ₩174,850; the income-reversal cut near the selection threshold is separate.
Our Basic Pension 2026 guide stopped at the formula, noting that the redistributive amount depends on each person’s record. This calculator does not produce that amount either. Instead, once you enter it, it shows which of the four cases you are in and whether the Art. 6 and Decree Art. 10 rules beat the Art. 5 amount.
Five worked cases — our examples
| Case (monthly, our example) | Basic pension | How (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| Benefits ₩800,000, redistributive ₩300,000 | ₩324,550 | Item 2 ₩200,000 → 349,700 − 200,000 + 174,850; over ₩699,400, so the Art. 5 formula |
| Same, both spouses receive it | ₩259,640 each | ₩324,550 less 20%, or ₩64,910 (Act Art. 8(1)) |
| Benefits ₩500,000, redistributive ₩400,000 | ₩349,700 | ₩524,550 or less — Art. 6(1). The formula would give ₩257,884, but it is not used |
| Benefits ₩650,000, redistributive ₩500,000 | ₩224,250 | Art. 5 amount ₩191,217 vs 874,250 − 650,000 = ₩224,250 — the larger (Decree Art. 10) |
| Benefits ₩1,000,000, redistributive ₩600,000 | ₩174,850 | Item 2 ₩400,000 exceeds ₩349,700, so items 1 − 2 = 0 and only the additional amount is left |
The third case shows the shape of the law: however large the redistributive amount, if total benefits are ₩524,550 or less the formula is not used. Just above that line, as in the fourth case, Decree Art. 10 opens a second route, “₩874,250 minus the pension”, so one more won of National Pension does not knock the Basic Pension down all at once (our reading).
Where the redistributive amount comes from
Art. 5(5)2 of the Act defines it as the amount calculated on the basis of the amount in Art. 51(1)1 of the National Pension Act and adjusted each year, and Decree Art. 7(1) leaves the calculation to Annex 1. Decree Art. 7(2) adds two rules. With more than 20 years of membership, 5% (50 per 1,000) of the Art. 51(1)1 amount is added for each year above 20 (one month counting as 1/12 of a year), and the same is taken off for each year short of 20. And where the pension is deferred or paid early, the basis is the amount before that adjustment (with only the membership adjustment). Read as written, an early old-age pension cuts the National Pension but the redistributive amount is still taken before the cut (our reading).
Split-pension recipients are calculated separately. Decree Art. 7(3) sets the redistributive amount of a split-pension recipient under Art. 64(2) of the National Pension Act as 50% of the former spouse’s redistributive amount (calculated under paras. (1) and (2)) multiplied by the share of the marriage period in the spouse’s total National Pension membership (or the separately decided split ratio under Art. 64-2(1) of that Act). For example, if the former spouse’s redistributive amount is ₩400,000 and the marriage covered 10 of 20 membership years, it is 400,000 × 10/20 × 50% = ₩100,000 (our example and arithmetic). Enter that amount in the calculator’s redistributive-amount box.
We did not read Annex 1 this time, so the calculator leaves the redistributive amount as a field you fill in. Ask the National Pension Service or your community centre for your own figure.
See also
- Recognised income and the income-reversal cut — basic pension recognised-income calculator.
- The thresholds and the full formula — Basic Pension 2026.
- Your National Pension — National Pension estimator · early and deferred rate calculator.
- The excluded dependant addition — National Pension dependant addition.
- Long stays abroad — basic pension overseas stay suspension calculator.
Checklist
- ☐ Your monthly National Pension less the dependant addition
- ☐ The redistributive benefit amount the NPS uses
- ☐ For a linked old-age pension, the linked occupational retirement pension
- ☐ Whether your spouse also receives the Basic Pension
- ☐ That year’s standard amount (it applies January to December)
Questions that remain
I took my National Pension early and it is smaller. Is the Basic Pension reduction smaller too?
Decree Art. 7(2)2 bases the redistributive amount, for early or deferred payment, on the Art. 51(1)1 amount with only the membership adjustment. So item 2 is taken before the early-payment cut (our reading). The 150% line in Art. 6, however, refers to the benefits you “can receive each month”, which we read as the reduced amount actually paid (our reading). The two fields can hold figures on different bases.
Does the dependant addition count as National Pension benefits?
No. The bracket in Act Art. 6(1) excludes the dependant addition under Art. 52 of the National Pension Act, and Decree Art. 10 item 1 also takes it out of the pension.
If my recognised income is close to the threshold, is there a further cut?
Yes. Act Art. 8(2) and Decree Art. 11 cut the amount by which recognised income plus the basic pension exceeds the selection threshold. The result from this calculator is the basic pension to use in that step, which is in the basic pension recognised-income calculator.
Sources
- Korean Law Information Center — Basic Pension Act Arts. 5–8 — original text (current version, in force 1 October 2025, Act No. 21065; checked 11 November 2026). The formula for National Pension recipients, linked pensions, who gets the standard amount, the 150% and 200% rules, the cap, the 20% couple cut.
- Korean Law Information Center — Enforcement Decree of the Basic Pension Act, Arts. 7, 9 and 10 — original text (current version, in force 30 July 2026, Presidential Decree No. 36371; checked 11 November 2026). The basis of the redistributive amount (Art. 7(1)–(3), split pensions included), who gets the standard amount, the 250% rule.
- Korean Law Information Center — Ministry of Health and Welfare notice on the basic pension selection threshold and standard amount, Art. 3 — original text (Notice No. 2026-156, in force 30 July 2026; checked 11 November 2026). The 2026 standard amount of ₩349,700.
- Not read. Annex 1 of the Decree (how the redistributive amount is calculated), the National Pension Act itself (old-age pension and dependant addition provisions), the Act on Linkage between the National Pension and Occupational Pensions, and how a split ratio is decided under Art. 64-2 of the National Pension Act.
- What we added. Dropping fractions of a won, the four-case table and the ₩262,275 and ₩524,550 thresholds, the five examples, applying the couple cut after the linked reduction, entering linked old-age plus linked retirement pension as benefits, and the reading for early payment.
We checked the calculator script against a separate Python version of the same arithmetic in 3,888 cases for each of the Korean and English pages (3 pension types × 3 standard amounts × 9 benefit levels × 8 redistributive amounts × 3 linked retirement amounts × 2 households), with no mismatches.
Where to check further
- National Pension Service or your community centre — your redistributive amount and your Basic Pension decision.
- Bokjiro — the Basic Pension simulator, with your own data.
Written on 11 November 2026. The provisions are quoted from the original; the readings and arithmetic are ours.
